British election gets off to an embarrassing start

Gaffes and departures put Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn on the back foot

Borish Johnson cracked jokes at an American-style presidential rally in Birmingham. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

It’s unusual for anyone to confess to wanting to chew their own tie, but that’s how Boris Johnson voiced his “incredible frustration” at failing to get his Brexit deal across the line as he launched the Conservative party’s election campaign this week.

Even if he never gets to tie-chewing, the British prime minister may still have indigestion following the first days of the campaign as he tries to win back a working majority. ...