Election:Blair Names The Day
The Prime Minister has named the date of the General Election, after the Queen agreed to approve the dissolution of Parliament.
It will be held on Thursday, May 5, as expected.
Tony Blair told reporters in Downing Street his "mission for the third term" was to entrench economic stability and public service investment, adding: "It's a big choice and there's a lot at stake".
May 5 is the day already set for elections for 34 county councils across England, three unitary authorities, Northern Ireland council elections and contests for mayor in four English towns.
The move follows a frantic few days since the death of Pope John Paul II on Saturday, which caused Mr Blair to postpone a Downing Street announcement anticipated yesterday.
The leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats kicked off their campaigns ahead of the announcement.
Michael Howard said people could either reward Mr Blair for eight years of broken promises, or vote for his party "which is taking a stand and has promised action on the issues that matter".
Speaking in Newcastle, Charles Kennedy promised a campaign which would be "positive and ambitious". He said: "I'm not going to spend these precious few weeks doing this country down."
A clutch of opinion polls are likely to give Mr Blair food for thought as he contemplates the looming battle.
Three polls suggest Labour's lead over the Conservatives has fallen to three percentage points or less, while another shows the Tories with a five-point lead.
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What will be the result folks,or is that a silly question?
And what changes would you like to see?
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