Conservative’s lead over Labour has halved to 9% from 18%, according to a Survation poll for the ITV news channel.

When British Prime Minister Theresa May announced plans to hold a snap election on June 8, she faced criticism from some, including those who believed the party was exploiting the low approval ratings of the Labour Party, which, they believed had little chance of winning.

Just over a month and half on, a very different political picture has emerged, with Labour dramatically narrowing the gap between itself and the Conservative Party.

Conservative’s lead over Labour has halved to 9% from 18%, according to a Survation poll for the ITV news channel. While Labour appeared to draw greater support on issues it has traditionally been strong on, such as the NHS, and from the youth, the survey showed, significantly, that it has also been seen as delivering the best policies for older people and pensioners, a demographic where it has been seen as particularly vulnerable.

The poll highlighted the damage done to the support for the Conservative Party over plans on social care of older people: the government had said that the elderly would have to pay the full cost of their care, whether or not they stayed at home or in a care home, until they were down to their last £1,00,000 of asset.

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Party image hit

The policy, which was dubbed the “dementia” tax, sparked a huge outcry, forcing the party to revise its policies in the days after the manifesto launch, with a pledge to introduce a cap on the costs people would face.

But the party has struggled to recover from the damage, which has hit the image it has sought to portray itself as “strong and stable,” in contrast to the Labour Party. The changes of the PM’s party on this issue, as well as an earlier reversal on taxation of the self-employed and the decision to hold the election in the first place despite previous protestations that it would not happen till 2020, led Jeremy Paxman, a seasoned broadcaster who interviewed both the party leaders on Monday night, to ask her if she was a “blowhard who collapses at the first sign of gun fire.”

Ms. May’s manifesto was branded the “most disastrous manifesto in recent history,” by the editorial of the Evening Standard, a London weekday newspaper edited by former Chancellor George Osborne.

On economic policy

The government’s attempt to portray the Labour Party as the weaker one on economic policy has also struggled at points, with concerns, including from business, voiced about the Conservative Party’s commitments on toughening the immigration regime, to bring net migration figures down to tens of thousands from hundreds of thousands.

“In a global race for talent and innovation, U.K. firms risk being left in the starting blocks because of a blunt approach to immigration,” the Confederation of British Industry warned earlier this month.

On Tuesday, Ms. May sought to re-focus the debate on Brexit, an issue perceived to be one of her stronger ones, telling the audience gathered in the city of Wolverhampton that she was prepared to take difficult decisions that leadership demanded, including in negotiations with other EU leaders, set to commence 11 days after the elections. “Only one has the determination to deliver the will of the people,” she said.

Mr. Corbyn, by contrast, has sought to focus his party’s campaign on real-term cuts to public services. “I am fighting this election on social justice,” he told Mr. Paxman.