Incompetence or opacity: the choice facing British voters

There are still five weeks to go until polling day on July 4th. Nothing is certain until the ballots are counted. But the first week of the British general-election campaign has conformed almost exactly to type. That is bad news for the Conservatives, good news for Labour and worrying for Britain.

The Tories have so far campaigned as they have governed—badly. They have been typically fractious: Tory MPs have moaned about Rishi Sunak’s decision to call the election, disavowed campaign proposals and, in one case, suggested that voters plump for a different party altogether.