May’s ‘Brexit election’ is hit by terror, Corbyn’s rise

Gap between Conservatives and Labour has been narrowing by the hour

LONDON: It is easy to forget amid the terror attacks in Manchester and London that Thursday’s midterm election was supposed to be a “Brexit election” – Prime Minister Theresa May has been struggling to retain the focus, but it has gone way beyond – and it shows in her ennui.

In mid-April, a massive win for the Conservatives and May was assumed. Few believed Labour and its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, would pose any challenge to May.

Three things since then have changed perceptions — terror attacks in Manchester and London, and the remarkable rise of Corbyn, who was supposed to be unfit for politics in the age of television. Opinion polls have swung. The gap between the two has been narrowing by the hour to the point that even Corbyn’s critics in his party now concede that there is a reasonable chance of emerging as the single largest party, if not an outright win.

A meme soon went viral: “June will be the end of May”.

The last few weeks have seen Corbyn change the discourse beyond Brexit to issues like health, education, social care and the rising number of food banks in the country under Tory rule.

Labour’s manifesto took the challenge further by pitching the line “For the many. Not the Few”.

The manifesto struck a chord, particularly the promise to re-nationalise public services, to borrow more to increase investment and abolish tuition fees in higher education. Young voters who face more than £40,000 debt on completing degrees have flocked to him. In contrast, May has been on the backfoot, having to defend her record on security after the two terror attacks.