THIS was not meant to happen. When Theresa May, Britain’s prime minister, called a snap general election on April 18th she was sure that her Conservative Party would secure a much larger majority, which she said was needed to strengthen her hand in negotiations with the European Union about Brexit. In poll after poll, the Conservatives had a comfortable lead of some 20 points, as Mrs May endlessly repeated her message of “strong and stable” government. Their lead over Labour soared to 50 points among older voters. The poor, and even the very poor, flocked to them as the UK Independence Party imploded. UKIP, whose reason for existence vanished when last June’s Brexit vote went its way, had drawn supporters from both Labour and the Conservatives in the general election in 2015. But its post-Brexit demise seemed to benefit the Conservatives more.

But after the manifestos were launched in mid-May, the Conservatives were quickly forced into an embarrassing climbdown on their signature policy on social care, which would have required more elderly people to dip into their housing wealth. Their poll lead shrank. A subsequent, disastrous television interview by Mrs May narrowed that lead even more. “Strong and stable” suddenly looked weak and wobbly.

The biggest movement in the polls has been among the young, whose support for Labour has soared. The question is whether they will turn out in higher numbers than they usually do. One pollster, YouGov, now predicts a hung parliament, in which no party has an overall majority. That would have seemed risible just a few weeks ago.

It is still probable that Mrs May will secure a majority on June 8th. But it is not the sure thing that it seemed at the beginning of the campaign. For the Conservatives, a boring and predictable election has suddenly become all too interesting.