U.K.’s May, Corbyn clash over Brexit plans

Economy, security top election topics

LONDON — The top contenders in Britain’s upcoming election agreed Thursday that Brexit is coming, but clashed over how best to wiggle out of the European Union.

Prime Minister Theresa May told supporters in northern England that Britain’s vote nearly one year ago to leave the EU bloc will make a wealth of new opportunities available — if voters leave her in charge after the June 8 vote.

“If they do, I am confident that we can fulfill the promise of Brexit together and build a Britain that is stronger, fairer and even more prosperous than it is today,” Ms. May said.

She spoke as recent opinion surveys suggest her Conservative Party’s once commanding lead over Labour has been shrinking in recent days.

Ms. May has stuck to her strategy of trying to focus attention on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, saying that he is unfit to helm Britain’s Brexit negotiations when they begin in earnest later this month.

Ms. May has faced some criticism for declining to directly debate Mr. Corbyn or any of the smaller party leaders. She also has been pressured to make a U-turn on care for the elderly after facing backlash from voters, and her decision to use the recent Manchester terrorist attack to attack the Labour leader’s security policies also was seen as backfiring.

Mr. Corbyn used a rally in Basildon, in southeastern England, to say that Ms. May and the Conservatives are putting Britain’s economy at risk by seeking to leave the EU without a replacement trade deal in place, which could lead to a loss of highpaying British jobs.

“That would mean slapping tariffs on the goods we export — an extra 10 percent on cars — with the risk that key manufacturers would leave for the European mainland, taking skilled jobs with them,” he said.

While few people expect Mr. Corbyn to pull an upset and become the first prime minister in more than a century to sport a beard, his personal rating on “who would be the best prime minister” has doubled to 30 percent from 15 percent when Ms. May called the election on April 18. In London, he opened up a 17-point lead against her, an Evening Standard poll showed Thursday.

“When he’s got a nice suit on and he’s there on the TV sofa, he doesn’t come across as an evil monster, he comes across as a normal bloke,” said Anthony Wells, director of political polling at You Gov, said.

His gains threaten Ms. May’s hopes of an “unassailable” majority, which she says would strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations.