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Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced that the General Election will be on May 6.
Mr Brown named the day in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace, where he formally asked the Queen to grant a dissolution of Parliament.
Flanked by ranks of Cabinet ministers, he said the election date had been "probably the worst-kept secret of recent years".
He went on: "The Queen has kindly agreed to the dissolution of Parliament and a General Election will take place on May 6."
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