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Home / World

British election: May to veer from strategy of attacking Corbyn

By Gordon Rayner
Daily Telegraph UK·
31 May, 2017 09:51 PM4 mins to read

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Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May in Odd Down, near Bath. Photo / AP

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May in Odd Down, near Bath. Photo / AP

Theresa May is to abandon her strategy of attacking Jeremy Corbyn as she urges voters to join her on a "great national mission" to deliver a successful Brexit.

On a visit to the North East tomorrow the British Prime Minister will deliver a positive message about the "great things" Britain can do after it leaves the EU, the Daily Telegraph reports.

In an email to voters today, May also said she was "excited about the future" - a marked departure from the "project fear" tactic that has characterised much of the campaign so far.

It will be seen as an admission that the Tories' largely negative campaign strategy, targeting Jeremy Corbyn's "weak leadership", has failed sufficiently to inspire voters.

Polls have consistently shown the Tories' lead over Labour narrowing, from more than 20 points at the start of the campaign to single digits now, and a YouGov analysis for the Times predicted that the Conservatives could even lose seats and with them their parliamentary majority.

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The pound briefly fell in value after the poll was published, before rallying later in the day. May responded to the poll by warning voters that there will be a hung parliament, with Corbyn as prime minister, if they do not turn out next week and vote Tory.

Although Corbyn has had an error-strewn week, topped by his inability to quote the cost of a key childcare policy in an interview to promote it, there is little evidence that it has affected his personal ratings with voters.

Labour aides believe Corbyn is gaining in popularity with every television interview he does, and encouraged him to take part in today's leaders' debate on BBC One to capitalise on that.

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May, who stuck to her decision not to take part in any head-to-head TV debates, will attempt to shore up her own personal ratings with her speech tomorrow, a week before the country goes to the polls.

Either YouGov or ICM is going to have an unhappy 9 June. pic.twitter.com/Sk6N9IY3w1

— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) May 31, 2017

PLUS! Tonight's YouGov/Times poll has 30% of people choosing Corbyn as better PM than May - highest yet pic.twitter.com/oM2m693dYY

— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) May 31, 2017

May will say: "The promise of Brexit is great, the opportunities before us enormous.

"If we get Brexit right, then together we can do great things...

"And as we come together behind this great national mission...we will build a more united country as our shared values, interests and aspirations bring us together. This is the prize, the opportunity that is within reach."

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The Conservatives have switched their strategy in recent days by replacing posters and placards with May's name on them in large letters, with posters that instead concentrate on policy.

However the Conservatives' election strategists want the final week of the campaign to revert to a straight fight between May and Corbyn over their leadership credentials, believing it will play to May's strengths. They acknowledge that the Conservative campaign has been badly dented by the controversy over May's plans for funding social care, and her unprecedented U-turn on imposing a cap on social care costs.

On a visit to Bath today, May remained in attack mode, saying: "'You can vote for any other party and risk Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister in just nine days' time and a Prime minister with a chaotic hung parliament.

"If I lose just six (seats) then the government loses its majority and we risk Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister.

"I think we should all worry about the alternative. The alternative is the possibility of Jeremy Corbyn being Prime Minister and John McDonnell being in charge of our economic future and Diane Abbott in charge of our national security and all the time the strings being pulled by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish nationalists."

"Tonight I am here" - Jeremy Corbyn's opening remarks at #BBCDebate https://t.co/h9Ad0bpZ7a pic.twitter.com/UsbjmPryCA

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 31, 2017
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