Polls give May slender lead

CONSERVATIVES COULD LOSE SEATS Corbyn benefits from PM’s record on security in wake of attacks.

Britain yesterday headed into the final day of campaigning for a general election darkened and dominated by jihadist attacks in two cities, leaving forecasters struggling to predict an outcome on polling day.

Police announced that a 30-year-old man had been arrested in east London following the attack in the capital on Saturday, which left seven people dead and 48 injured. France confirmed a second French national had died in the assault.

Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn scheduled eve-ofpolling whistle-stop campaigns, targeting urban areas whose vote could be crucial.

May aimed at the high-population East and West Midlands in her final dash, while Corbyn was to attend six rallies in England, Scotland and Wales, stretching from Glasgow to London, in a gruelling last-day marathon.

The prime minister stunned Britain on April 18 when she announced a snap election, hoping to transform a massive opinion-poll lead into an equally huge majority in the House of Commons, where she holds a slim 17-seat advantage in the 650-member legislature.

But the political ground began to shift under her feet, moving from EU membership – May’s strongest card – to domestic policy and her own record on security, both of them favouring Corbyn.

Opinion polls – hampered by a poor reputation for reliability – predict a May win, but say it could be a small majority or even no overall majority at all.

On Tuesday, May fought to turn the message back to Brexit, saying she would be a “strong and stable” leader to fight Britain’s corner in Brussels.–AFP