Tony Blair on Tuesday announced the UK election would take place on May 5, signalling the end of the ‘phoney war’ and the start of official campaigning ahead of what is set to be the closest election since 1992.

The prime minister met the Queen to request parliament be dissolved on April 11, firing the starting gun on a month-long campaign. Later, outside Number 10 Downing Street Mr Blair told reporters he had a “driving mission for a third term in office” as he outlined the key issues on which he would fight the election. Putting the economy and public services at the heart of Labour’s campaign he said he would “take hard-won economic stability, the investment in our public services and entrench it to make it last for the future and never return to the economic risks and the failing public services of the past.”