Four days into campaign - and things couldn't look better for May

  • By ITV News Correspondent Emily Morgan, who is with the Conservative campaign

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

The Conservative Party campaign should have been tough.

Try to persuade a weary electorate that the party of Government should stay in power for another five years.

And do it with the spectre of the election expenses saga hanging over them.

Well, four days into the campaign 'proper' and things could hardly look better for Theresa May.

Appearing with her husband was proved a hit. Credit: PA

She took a risk going on The One Show with Philip, it paid off.

Yes, there were moments of cringe but generally speaking it wasn't too awful.

Yesterday she found out the CPS won't bring charges against Conservative MPs following allegations they broke election spending rules in 2015.

And today she woke up to find Labour's draft manifesto had been leaked to a number of newspapers and was all over every media outlet.

A gift for her party and one they will exploit for days to come.

Theresa May meets voters - and their dog - on the campaign trail. Credit: PA

As far as I can see, the only downside to all this for Mrs May is that news of her actually meeting voters while knocking on doors in Southampton will barely get noticed.

Nor for that matter will her (fairly meagre) policy offering of increased defence spending until 2022/23.

Will she mind? I doubt it very much.

She'll be quite happy to stand back and let Labour lead every bulletin and fill every newspaper column today.