Why saying you'll lose could be a winning formula

Without any Conservative party manifesto to present themselves - it is due for release today - they called a press conference devoted almost entirely to the Labour manifesto.

And their shock conclusion? They say, after deep and thorough analysis, that they think it's rubbish. The figures simply do not add up (do they ever - isn't that why we are running a national deficit?)

You can tell why the Prime Minister and Chancellor looked nervous about the danger posed by Mr Corbyn's Labour party.

It is because of a devious new electioneering tactic. This involves Labour members throwing their hands up in the air and saying it's all hopeless, and Mrs May and Mr Hammond are going to be walking into Downing Street after June 8.

Far from providing the Tories comfort, it is very unsettling for them.

Unite leader Len McCluskey suggested in an interview that Labour winning just 200 seats - which would be a worse result than even under Michael Foot in 1983 - would be a "success."

A little later he rediscovered his optimism mojo. Indeed, he declared he was now "full of optimism." The polls were starting to move and Labour were going to do dramatically well, he said.

Meanwhile a Labour candidate in Darlington has said Mrs May will get a majority "probably of historic proportions."

You can see how the Tories feel they just can't trust Labour.

The bigger they say they are going to lose, the bigger they are going to win. In other words, if Mr McCluskey says they will only get 200 seats, and then they get significantly more, it will be a "victory" which will in turn mean those who hope that a Labour defeat spells the end of Mr Corbyn's leadership (i.e. his MPs) may be stuck with him for at least another five years.

Incidentally, the Hammond-May joint press conference was a success in giving the lie to the rumours that the pair do not see eye to eye. Why, Mr Hammond didn't swear once.

To nobody's surprise, the Lib Dems' manifesto confirms their European Union credentials by calling for another Brexit referendum if the Brexit terms are "unacceptable" - which of course they will be to the Lib Dems as they don't want Brexit anyway.

This is a manifesto commitment which is entirely consistent with EU policy on referendums which is if you get a wrong result keep having them until you get the right result.

Paul Nuttall must be very angry. Has anybody seen him, by the way? It may be time to launch a search party.