THERESA May’s Tories enter the General Election fray, riding high in the opinion polls and confident of returning with an overwhelming Commons majority, possibly in the three figures; at present it is just 17.

Two polls over the bank holiday weekend saw the Conservatives sitting on a robust 21-point lead, which, in electoral terms, points to landslide territory.

While there will be caution about placing too much weight on the polls after the experience of the 2015 election, when they failed to forecast an outright victory for David Cameron, the confidence in Tory ranks is palpable.

In Scotland, the Tories, now the official opposition at Holyrood, will be hoping that the ever-present constitutional debate will mean that voters will support them in opposing a second independence referendum in what could be one of the most polarised elections in recent Scottish history.

This might mean much more tactical voting, which could favour the Conservatives if they are seen as the strongest party to save the Union against the SNP threat.

South of the border, Tory MPs are talking openly about the prospect of "slaughtering" an enfeebled Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

The Prime Minister will be looking to strengthen her position in the Commons, where she has a slender working majority of just 17, to stamp her authority on her own party.

At present, Mrs May is vulnerable to rebellions by relatively small numbers of Conservative backbenchers if they can combine with the opposition parties.

She will also be hoping that achieving her own electoral mandate will enable her to pursue her vision of Brexit and to face down hardliners in her own ranks who may be unhappy at some of the trade-offs that emerge in the negotiations with Brussels.

David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, also echoed the PM’s words in Downing Street, suggesting an increased Tory majority at Westminster would strengthen the Government's hand in the forthcoming talks with the EU27 on the terms of Britain's withdrawal.

He explained: "Our prime aim is to deliver on last year's referendum result in the best possible interests of the whole country. To do that the Prime Minister has decided she needs a strong, new mandate. This is about getting a mandate from the British people to deliver an outcome."