Emmanuel Macron risks lagging behind Marine Le Pen on the the final leg of the French presidential campaign, with the far-right candidate setting the pace and the agenda.

The frontrunner was seen heckled by workers on strike over the relocation of their factory to Poland shortly after a visit by his far-right rival Ms Le Pen.

Mr Macron had to answer tough questions on his pro-Europe stance after being upstaged by Ms Le Pen, who turned up unexpected at the factory, which is located in an area where voters largely support her.

This marked a difficult start for Mr Macron ahead of the election’s second round, after he took a 48 hour break away from the campaign trail and has been accused of “smug” celebrations following his first-round victory.

On the night of the first results, Mr Macron’s celebratory dinner in a typical Parisian brasserie was not lavish but did no good for his efforts to win the votes of France’s working people.

The move played into the hands of Ms Le Pen’s populist image, with French commentators warning Mr Macron should not be “too confident” of his success in the final showdown on 7 May.

Meanwhile, Ms Le Pen has been seen to set the pace in the final leg of the campaign, with a successful communication coup cutting short her rival.

Mr Macron had planned to chase blue collar votes on Wednesday by visiting the Whirlpool home appliances plant in Amiens, in the Somme in northern France.

Although Amiens is Mr Macron’s hometown, Ms Le Pen swept to victory in the region on Sunday with 23.77 per cent of the votes, in an area where unemployment reaches 13 per cent.

But while Mr Macron was meeting a delegation of unionists in the city centre, Ms Le Pen made a surprise visit to the Whirlpool workers on the picket line, opposing closure of the plant next year by its US owners.

French far-right Front National (FN) presidential election candidate, Marine Le Pen, poses for selfies with strike employees of Whirlpool, in Amiens, France (Chesnot/Getty) (Chesnot/Getty Images)

Throughout the campaign, the future of the plant has been the focus of the debate around globalisation and a symbol of French jobs being lost to cheaper labour abroad.

Speaking at the Whirlpool factory, Ms Le Pen told journalists she left a strategic meeting in Paris to “meet with the workers on the picket line”.

She said Mr Macron’s visit was not the reason she decided to go, yet she slammed the centrist candidate’s decision to speak to union leaders in the city centre as “a proof of disdain for the employees”.

Impressed by Ms Le Pen's surprise visit, one of the workers told French television channel BFM TV that he thought Mr Macron “lacked courage” to address the workers directly.

Ms Le Pen pledged to keep the plant open if she is elected president, come what may.

Workers demonstrate with a banner reading ‘Whirlpool makes jobless’ at the Whirlpool home appliance factory, in Amiens, northern France (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Speaking at a press conference in Amiens, Mr Macron accused Ms Le Pen of using the situation in Whirlpool to “serve her political ends”.

He said he would examine all options to keep the plant open but refused to make promises he could not hold.

After being criticised for not campaigning on the ground since Sunday night, Mr Macron followed Ms Le Pen and met some of the workers in what turned out to be a largely chaotic and disorganised event.

The encounter, which was live streamed on Mr Macron’s Facebook page, saw the presidential candidate in a crowd of workers vividly answering questions about the impact of globalisation on the French labour market.

One man said he recognised Mr Macron’s “courage and boldness” to address them that way but criticised him for not having visited the plant before.

It has proved difficult for Mr Macron to make his pro-Europe programme appealing to the workers, who are expecting strong measures to tackle chronic unemployment.

On his first day back in the campaign swing, Mr Macron, who has never run in a presidential election before, was caught off guard and has been mainly reacting to the anti-Europe and globalisation agenda set by Ms Le Pen.

French Presidential Election Show all 20 1 /20 French Presidential Election French Presidential Election Voters line up to cast their ballots REUTERS French Presidential Election French expats queue along the street outside the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle to cast their vote in a polling station inside the school, in the first round of the 2017 French presidential election, in London, Britain April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor - RTS13JM5 REUTERS French Presidential Election People line up to vote in the first round of 2017 French presidential election at a polling station in Vaulx-en-Velin near Lyon, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot - RTS13HSP REUTERS French Presidential Election Police patrol polling stations in France REUTERS French Presidential Election Francois Fillon (L), member of the Republicans political party and 2017 French presidential election candidate of the French centre-right, casts his vote in the first round of 2017 French presidential election in Paris, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Christophe Archambault/Pool - RTS13IH0 REUTERS French Presidential Election Benoit Hamon (C), French Socialist party 2017 presidential candidate, is surrounded by photographers as he leaves a polling station after voting in the first round of 2017 French presidential election in Trappes, near Paris, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler - RTS13I0Y REUTERS French Presidential Election French President Francois Hollande collects voting slips before casting his ballot in the first round of the 2017 French presidential election at a polling station in Tulle, France, on April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Georges Gobet/Pool - RTS13ITO REUTERS French Presidential Election A policeman walks by election posters near a polling station during the first round of 2017 French presidential election in Paris, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann - RTS13I3A REUTERS French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Trogneux REUTERS French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron casts his ballot REUTERS French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement En Marche !, or Onwards !, and candidate for the 2017 French presidential election, waves hand during in the first round of 2017 French presidential election at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier - RTS13ICH SAA/ French Presidential Election Jean-Luc Melenchon, candidate of the French far-left Parti de Gauche and candidate for the French 2017 presidential election, leaves a polling booth in the first round of 2017 French presidential election at a polling station in Paris, France, April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTS13IKB REUTERS French Presidential Election Front National leader Marine Le Pen casts her ballot Marine Le Pen (L), French National Front (FN) political party leader and candidate for French 2017 presidential election, casts her ballot in the first round of 2017 French presidential election at a polling station in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, April 23, 2017. At R, Mayor of Henin-Beaumont Steeve Briois. REUTERS/Charles Platiau - RTS13IEI REUTERS French Presidential Election Early ballots are read as results continue to come in Reuters French Presidential Election Macron supporters react as results come in early in the evening AP French Presidential Election Supporters of Front National leader Marine Le Pen cheer as early results come in Reuters French Presidential Election Alamy Live News. J21KYW Paris, France. 23rd April 2017. Marcon supporters wave French and EU flags after the announcement that he is the leader in the exit polls after the polling stations have been closed. Supporters of Emmanuel Macron, the Presidential candidate from the social liberal political party En Marche! celebrate the exit polls, that see him in first place, ahead of Marine Le Pen from the Front National in the first round of the French Presidential election. Credit: Michael Debets/Alamy Live News This is an Alamy Live News image and may not be part of your current Alamy deal . If you are unsure, please contact our sales team to check. Alamy French Presidential Election Front National leader Marine Le Pen takes to the stage to address her supporters as fans cheer Reuters French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron greets supporters on Sunday night AP French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Trogneux celebrate the incoming results EPA

Speaking to reporters, Mr Macron said politicians and the media had “normalised” Ms Le Pen’s programme and that he would unite France by welcoming people from the right and the left to rally around his project.

This comes after far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who received 19.3 per cent of the votes in the first round of the election, refused to call on his supporters to vote for either candidate in the second round.

This has come as a blow to Mr Macron, who will need the votes from the far-left candidate to secure his place at the Elysée Palace. Some far-left voters could be attracted to Ms Le Pen’s anti-globalisation programme, which echoes some of Mr Melenchon’s views.

Mr Macron said: “I respect Mr Melenchon but I believe his voters deserve better than this and I was expecting something else from him.”

Former right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy said he would vote for Mr Macron in order to prevent Ms Le Pen from winning.

Some senior conservative politicians, such as former finance minister in Mr Sarkozy’s administration, Francois Baroin, publicly said he was ready to work as prime minister in a “cohabitation” arrangement with Mr Macron.

More moderate conservatives loosely gathered under the banner of Alain Juppe have suggested they would join a majority and support Mr Macron.