With Britons heading to the polls, Theresa May’s big lead has largely vanished

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When British Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap election back in April, her Conservatives had a 20-point lead in the opinion polls and she seemed poised for an overwhelming victory.

But a pair of terrorist attacks, some blunders by Ms. May, and the resurgence of Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn has turned this into one of the most unusual elections in recent history. Voters head to the polls on Thursday with the outcome far from certain and the Tories' big lead largely vanished.

Ms. May's pitch of "strong and steady" leadership has wilted under an uneven campaign performance, while assaults by terrorists raised questions about her capability on security issues, something that was supposed to be one of her strengths. Meanwhile, Mr. Corbyn has struck a chord with his plan to tax the rich, nationalize railways and provide free university tuition to students.

"I think definitely something has gone wrong with the Conservative campaign," said Steven Fielding, a professor of political history at the University of Nottingham. "It's all raising questions in peoples' minds. When [Ms. May] called the election, you kind of assumed that 20-point lead might go down a bit, but not as much as this. Things haven't quite turned out the way they thought."

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It is a stunning turnaround for both leaders. Only a few months ago, Ms. May looked unassailable. After taking over as Prime Minister from David Cameron last summer, she won kudos for her able handling of the fallout from Britain's decision to leave the European Union. Mr. Corbyn, on the other hand, spent most of last year fending off a mutiny by his own Members of Parliament who wanted him out as leader.

Ms. May pounced in April, calling an early election in the hope of exploiting her advantage and winning a big mandate before Brexit talks begin with the EU on June 19. So far, her decision appears to have backfired.

Far from looking strong and steady, Ms. May has been shaky at times during the campaign, backtracking on a key social policy that would have made seniors pay more for their social care – which was dubbed the "dementia tax" – and waffling on a timetable to reduce immigration. Since the terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, she has also had to defend her decision to cut the jobs of 20,000 police officers during her six years as interior minister. And she has faced questions about why the country's intelligence service failed to track two of the men in last weekend's attack in London even though both had been flagged as known jihadis.

Ms. May, 60, has tried to hit back and to return voters' attention to Brexit, arguing Mr. Corbyn lacks the necessary leadership to get the best deal for Britain from the EU. "Brexit matters, Brexit is the basis of everything else. We need to get that Brexit deal right," she told a rally in London on Wednesday. She has also promised tougher action on terrorism, with longer sentences and more power to deport and track suspected terrorists. She went further on Tuesday, vowing that "if our human-rights laws get in the way of doing it, we will change the law so we can do it."

Her biggest problem now is that even if the Conservatives do win on Thursday, they are on track to get a smaller majority than many expected. That could leave Ms. May vulnerable as Brexit talks begin and EU leaders appear more united than ever on their strategy to deal with Britain's departure.

"Given that the result is likely not to have strengthened her hand … yes, there will be serious questions about her competence," Prof. Fielding said. "It makes her look bad and it's certainly not a great start to negotiations on her part."

Mr. Corbyn, 68, remains something of an enigma. He has been on the far-left fringes of the Labour Party for decades and, since becoming leader in 2015, has had to battle critics inside and outside the party who believed he was too left-wing to become prime minister. His opposition to any use of nuclear weapons came under fire, and some perceived him as soft on terrorism and crime.

Now, after languishing in the polls for months, he has suddenly come within striking distance of Ms. May, and outperformed her in two televised question-and-answer sessions with voters. He has fended off questions about his policies and long-held beliefs and come across as a passionate defender of the working class. He has also accepted nuclear weapons and hardened his position on policing, promising to add 10,000 officers and chastising Ms. May for the cuts to police forces.

"You can't keep our country safe on the cheap," he said on Wednesday, adding that police should have the full authority to use "whatever force is necessary to protect and save life."

"Credit where it is due, Corbyn has been able to mobilize his base and particularly infuse younger voters," said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. "The question, of course, is whether those younger voters will come out to vote."

And that has been the issue for Mr. Corbyn in the last few days of the campaign. His support has been growing, but largely among young people, who typically do not vote in great numbers, and it is confined to areas where Labour support is already strong. Polls released on Wednesday put the Conservatives ahead by up to 12 points. But several show the Tories winning far less than the 100-seat majority some predicted, and one pollster says they will not win a majority at all.

That has kept people such as 70-year-old Freddy West campaigning. He is a long-time Labour activist who lives in Basildon, a suburb east of London. "I was skeptical at the start of the campaign," Mr. West said last week while taking a short break from canvassing. "And I don't know if Labour will win. But I think we've caused a bit of a stir."

Others, such as Michael Chapman, a 22-year-old university student, are not so sure. He has been leaning toward Labour, but still has doubts about Mr. Corbyn as prime minister given some of his positions. "I don't know," Mr. Chapman said after attending an all-candidates meeting recently in Norwich. "He's made some mistakes. I just don't know about him."