AFP :
Britain’s general election campaign enters its frenetic final stages on Monday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn desperately seeking votes ahead of Thursday’s crucial poll.
Johnson is hoping to regain the Conservative majority lost by his predecessor Theresa May in the last election, just two years ago, while Corbyn is aiming to upset the odds and usher in the first Labour government for nine years. Hanging over the election is the issue of Britain’s departure from the European Union, which will be thrown into doubt altogether should Johnson fail to achieve a majority. The prime minister said on Sunday that the impact of Thursday’s vote would be “felt for decades”. The high stakes and ideological divisions between Johnson and veteran leftist Corbyn have led to a fractious and personal campaign, with Johnson repeatedly facing questions over his trustworthiness and the Labour leader on the backfoot over anti-Semitism within his party. The pair traded barbs over Brexit in Friday’s final TV debate, but also on other key election themes such as the health service, austerity and terrorism. A Conservative majority would almost certainly confirm Britain’s departure from the European Union, but any other result could lead to a second referendum and the 2016 result
being overturned. The Labour leader is proposing to negotiate a softer form of Brexit if he becomes prime minister to put up against remaining in the bloc in the vote. Johnson is due to visit Brexit-backing Sunderland, northeast England, on Monday in a final push to lure traditional Labour voters to his side. “The Labour party has let you down most of all,” he was expected to say, according to extracts released by his party.
Britain’s general election campaign enters its frenetic final stages on Monday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn desperately seeking votes ahead of Thursday’s crucial poll.
Johnson is hoping to regain the Conservative majority lost by his predecessor Theresa May in the last election, just two years ago, while Corbyn is aiming to upset the odds and usher in the first Labour government for nine years. Hanging over the election is the issue of Britain’s departure from the European Union, which will be thrown into doubt altogether should Johnson fail to achieve a majority. The prime minister said on Sunday that the impact of Thursday’s vote would be “felt for decades”. The high stakes and ideological divisions between Johnson and veteran leftist Corbyn have led to a fractious and personal campaign, with Johnson repeatedly facing questions over his trustworthiness and the Labour leader on the backfoot over anti-Semitism within his party. The pair traded barbs over Brexit in Friday’s final TV debate, but also on other key election themes such as the health service, austerity and terrorism. A Conservative majority would almost certainly confirm Britain’s departure from the European Union, but any other result could lead to a second referendum and the 2016 result
being overturned. The Labour leader is proposing to negotiate a softer form of Brexit if he becomes prime minister to put up against remaining in the bloc in the vote. Johnson is due to visit Brexit-backing Sunderland, northeast England, on Monday in a final push to lure traditional Labour voters to his side. “The Labour party has let you down most of all,” he was expected to say, according to extracts released by his party.
