The one thing the leaders agree on

Theresa May still wants you to think this general election will be a real contest – and so does Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (inset) BOOKMAKERS, TV pundits and newspaper columnists say this general election is going to be a walkover for the Conservatives.

Know who says otherwise? Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Conservative leader Theresa May, that’s who.

Mr Corbyn will insist that he can win on June 8 and become Prime Minister.

Even when the situation looks dire, you’d expect the leader of either of the two major parties to insist that victory is possible.

But Mrs May also wants you to think that she’s got her bags packed, just in case she has to quit 10 Downing Street after the votes are counted.

She wants this to be an election about leadership, and specifically about who you trust to lead the UK through the tricky process of quitting the EU.

That’s why she talks about “strong and stable leadership”. You’ll hear the phrase again and again throughout the election campaign.

But it only works if people really believe that Mr Corbyn could actually become leader of the country - so the Conservatives have a second soundbite.

They claim that if voters don’t back Mrs May, we’ll end up with a “coalition of chaos”. This means a Government led by Mr Corbyn and supported not only by Labour MPs but also by the SNP and the Liberal Democrats.

Mrs May spelled it out when she spoke in Leeds last week. She said: “Only two people who can possibly represent Britain in Europe. The choice is between five years of strong and stable leadership with me as Prime Minister, or a coalition of chaos with Jeremy Corbyn at the helm.”

You’ll hear this again and again.

Labour hopes to turn the message away from the issues of leadership and onto stronger territory for them. That means talking about schools, hospitals and council services such as social care. Some Labour candidates have even made a point of saying their party is going to lose the election.

This isn’t about who’s going to be Prime Minister, they say. It’s about whether or not Theresa May has a massive majority, allowing her to get her own way in the House of Commons, or whether we elect enough Labour MPs to hold her to account.

If a Labour candidate knocks on your door and you express doubts about Jeremy Corbyn, don’t be surprised if they tell you not to worry - because there’s no chance of Mr Corbyn becoming Prime Minister.