There will be a UK General Election on Thursday, 4 July.
Rishi Sunak announced we would go to the polls on that date in a speech in the pouring rain outside 10 Downing Street this evening.
He said it was “the moment for Britain to choose its future”.
The Prime Minister has gambled that improved inflation figures and a recovering economy will help him overturn Labour’s 20-point opinion poll lead.
In a sign that security and the economy will be key battlegrounds, Mr Sunak said: “This election will take place at time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War.”
The “uncertain times” call for a “clear plan”, he said.
A July election is earlier than many in Westminster had expected, with a contest in October or November widely thought to have been more likely.
Mr Sunak’s announcement came after the Office for National Statistics said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation slowed to 2.3% in April, down from 3.2% in March.
He said that was a “major milestone” for the country, with inflation now “back to normal” levels.
Mr Sunak had to contend with New Labour anthem Things Can Only Get Better being played from beyond the gates to Downing Street.
Speaking from a lectern in the street despite the rain, Mr Sunak said the election would be a question of trust, warning that the British people could not believe any promise made by Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Sunak said he had restored “hard-earned economic stability”.
“The question now is how and who do you trust to turn that foundation into a secure future for you, your family and our country.”
He added: “On July 5, either Sir Keir Starmer or I will be prime minister. He has shown time and time again that he will take the easy way out and do anything to get power.
“If he was happy to abandon all the promises he made to become Labour leader once he got the job, how can you know that he won’t do exactly the same thing if he were to become prime minister?
“If you don’t have the conviction, to stick to anything you say, if you don’t have the courage to tell people what you want to do and if you don’t have a plan, how can you possibly be trusted to lead our country, especially at this most uncertain of times?”
Mr Sunak said he would “fight every vote and “earn your trust”, promising to “restore pride and confidence in our country”.
Labour: ‘It’s time for change’
Sir Keir Starmer has declared “it’s time for change” and told Britons to “vote Labour” after the Prime Minister called a General Election for July 4.
The Labour Party tweeted a slick video of its leader saying: “Britain is a great and proud country. But after 14 years under the Tories, nothing seems to work anymore.
“Public services crumbling, ambulances that don’t come, families weighed down by higher mortgage rates, antisocial behaviour on our high streets. The list goes on and on.
“Political chaos feeding decline, feeding chaos, feeding decline. The answer is not five more years of the Tories. They have failed.
“Give the Tories five more years and things will only get worse. Britain deserves better than that.”
Lib Dems: ‘Public crying out for change’
Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said: “This General Election is a chance to kick Rishi Sunak’s appalling Conservative Government out of office and deliver the change the public is crying out for.
“For years the Conservative Party has taken voters for granted and lurched from crisis to crisis while the problems facing the country are getting so much worse.
“The NHS has been brought to its knees, people’s mortgages and rents have soared by hundreds of pounds a month, and water companies have got away with pumping filthy sewage into our rivers and beaches – all because this Conservative Government is more interested in fighting between themselves than standing up for the needs of the country.
“Every vote for the Liberal Democrats at this election is a vote for a strong local champion who will stand up for your community and health services.
“It’s clear that in many seats across the country, the best way to beat the Conservatives is to vote for the Liberal Democrats.”