, Columnist
A Pollster’s Warning for Boris Johnson
The prime minister wants to gamble on a Brexit election, but the results are more unpredictable than ever.
His election gamble.
Photographer: Luke MacGregor/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Once upon a time, elections in the U.K. were relatively uneventful. For decades after the war, power would alternate between the Labour and Conservative parties, each with a substantial base, as swing voters switched sides and competitive districts mirrored changes in the national popular vote.
The next election, which now seems unavoidable before the end of 2019, comes with more uncertainty than any other in recent times. Naturally the roots of this are in Brexit and its impact on politics more widely. But what makes this election so different is the way this uncertainty manifests itself in so many moving parts.