Corbyn's Clever Campaign

When Theresa May called a snap election seven weeks ago, she was quite reasonably banking on a Tory landslide, said George Parker in the FT.

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Simply by projecting an image of strength, the Prime Minister was confident she could romp home with a clear mandate for the coming Brexit talks. How wrong she has proved to be. Instead of a procession to Downing Street, May has faced a “slog to reach the finishing line”. Her popularity has slumped. Polls show that 38% of voters see her in a more negative light than they did at the start of the campaign – just 21% have a more favourable view of her. You can see why, said Andrew Rawnsley in The Observer. In the past few weeks, the PM has flip-flopped over the cost of social care and ducked a direct TV debate with Jeremy Corbyn. When put under pressure in interviews, she has appeared “rattled” and totally “wooden”, resembling nothing so much as an ill-programmed automaton. Even some Tories now refer to her as the “Maybot”.