General election is May 5
The general election will take place on May 5, Tony Blair confirmed today.
The Prime Minister made the announcement following a visit to Buckingham Palace where he asked the Queen to dissolve Parliament.
Speaking outside Number 10 Downing Street Mr Blair said that: “From now until May 5, I and my colleagues will be out every day in every part of Britain talking to the British people about our driving ambition for a third term: to build on the progress made; to accelerate the changes; to widen still further the opportunities available to the British people; and, above all, else to take that hard won economic stability, the investment in our public services and entrench it, make it last for the future and never return to the economic risks and the failing public services of the past.
“It’s big choice, a fundamental choice, and there’s a lot at stake.”
Promising a campaign “driven by values”, he said he wanted to talk to the country about the values that motivated him, which were to create a country in which “hard work and merit, not privilege and background” determined success.
“It’s going to be about a big and positive vision for our country. We are proud of what we’ve achieved in the last eight years but we should never stand still.”
Mr Blair said Labour would fight on its economic record, promising to “drive it further forward” to allow a million new home owners, more jobs and a rising minimum wage.
Public service reform would continue so the NHS would once again be the “best and fairest” healthcare system in the world and all children would get the best possible start in life.
Other themes would include help for children and families, pensions, continuing investment in police, reform of the criminal justice system, and immigration reform to protect borders and ensure controls worked – but not quotas.
“I believe Britain has a great future within our reach,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he would use the election campaign to restate the main motivation of his political life: “A belief that we should create a country where regardless of someone’s class or background or race or colour or religion, they get the chance to make the most of themselves … and through them the country gets the change to develop its potential.”
Parliament is to be formally dissolved on Monday, but business will in practise finish on Thursday.
This means the Government has only today, Wednesday and Thursday to push though current legislation.
Controversial bills on ID cards and religious incitement are likely to be shelved until after the election.
On May 5 voters in various parts of the UK will also cast ballots to decide the make-up of 34 county councils and three unitary authorities across England, mayoralties in four English towns, and councils in Northern Ireland.
The news comes as a string of newspaper polls today show Labour’s lead has been significantly cut.
Opposition leader Michael Howard also formally launched his party’s general election campaign this morning, saying the Conservatives would stand up for ordinary families.
He emphasised that the Tories would fight on the policy planks they had already laid out: cleaner hospitals, better schools and more police. Mr Howard also vowed to continue targeting immigrants, travellers and asylum-seekers, saying he would not change tack to “appease special interest groups”.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said his party would run a positive campaign, and would not spend the “precious” few weeks before the election “talking Britain down”.
“I’m going to be addressing people’s hopes, not playing on people’s fears. That’s going to be the positive message of the Liberal Democrats in this campaign.”
He also promised to be “direct and honest and open” with the electorate.
The Scottish National Party will be launching its election campaign on Wednesday morning in Dundee.
The Green Party said this morning it would be fielding an increased number of candidates from the 2001 election. It intends to contest around 200 seats and will launch its Westminster general election manifesto next Tuesday.
