Labour may fail to grab target seats as young voters turn away over Gaza and climate

Party figures say decision to tack to right on issues such as immigration could also diminish predicted landslide

• ‘Lesser of two evils’: voters in Sheffield Hallam look to Labour with reluctance

Labour risks losing in a number of its target seats as previously loyal progressive voters turn away from the party, senior party figures and polling experts have warned.

Experts said that Keir Starmer’s party could struggle to win as many as a dozen of its key targets, and could even lose two of the seats it currently holds, as a result of alienating some Muslims and younger progressive voters angered by its stance on Gaza and the climate crisis.