Flash elections backfire on May
CONSERVATIVES LOSE MAJORITY
Prime Minister Theresa May presented herself as a stable leader to take Britain through Brexit, but her gamble of an election backfired spectacularly.
The ruling Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority in Thursday’s vote, after a campaign marred by terror attacks, policy mistakes and her own awkward public manner, prompting warnings that her days are numbered.
“It is clear that this election has left her authority deeply wounded, perhaps fatally,” said Paul Goodman, a former lawmaker and editor of the ConservativeHome website.
“She ran a pretty dreadful campaign,” added Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry as the results rolled in, saying she should “consider her position”.
May stunned the country when she called the election in April, after repeatedly arguing that such a poll would be too disruptive following the referendum vote to leave the European Union last year.
At the time, the Conservatives were riding high in the polls, and it initially seemed like a smart move – until the opposition Labour party began to gain ground.
May began with a presidential-style campaign focused around her own leadership qualities and her ability to implement Brexit, an issue on which Labour was divided.
But she drew accusations of being robotic, over-reliant on slogans and soundbites, and so awkward around members of the public that she even boycotted television debates. – AFP