This morning, Prime Minister Theresa May stood on a podium outside 10 Downing Street and announced that MPs will vote tomorrow on whether the country should hold a General Election on 8th June.
Although it's not yet formally confirmed that an election will take place, given that both PM May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have said their MPs will back the election, the result of the parliamentary vote is a foregone conclusion. In short, a General Election is on and it's happening in just seven weeks.
It will be the third time that Britain has gone to the polls on a big decision over the country's future in as many years, with Theresa May saying that it is necessary so that she can 'get the job done' on Brexit.
Watch what she had to say here...
Credit: BBC News
Giving her reasoning, PM May put her party's case forward, saying: "Every vote for the Conservatives will make it harder for opposition politicians who want to stop me from getting the job done.
"Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger when I negotiate for Britain with the prime ministers, presidents and chancellors of the European Union.
"Every vote for the Conservatives means we can stick to our plan for a stronger Britain and take the right long-term decisions for a more secure future."
But in response, the Leader of the Opposition, Corbyn, who will hope to use the election as a chance to seize power from May, said: "I welcome the Prime Minister's decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first.
Credit: PA Images
"Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.
"In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain."
The British people now have a decision to make. No matter what side of the fence you're on, an election is an exciting prospect: a chance to vote for future you want to see.
Whether that be Labour red or Tory blue - or even yellow, green or purple - here at LADbible we want to know what you think. So, we asked you, and here's what you had to say...
THE VIEWS OF THE LADBIBLE COMMUNITY
Arthur, a 23-year-old health researcher from South East London, told us that he felt betrayed by the Prime Minister's decision.
He said: "To be honest, I was a bit surprised to hear the news. I think it's quite hypocritical and disingenuous of her. She voted for the fixed-term Parliament Act, and she was telling us less than a couple of weeks ago that she didn't want an early election because it would create uncertainty.
"I don't think anything has changed since then, meaning she must have known and been planning while she was still promising us she wouldn't hold one. She lied to the public to help her gain an unfair advantage in this election.
"We've only just triggered Article 50 and now we'll be missing out vital months from our two-year Brexit negotiation period. It just seems a bad decision all round."
Jack, a 24-year-old Trainee Business Psychologist, is optimistic about the coming election as he is hoping for a Conservative victory.
He said: "Theresa should probably have not U-turned so quickly, that just opens her up to low fruit criticism from the press, and I think it's going to drain the economy a bit, as all elections do. But I do think it's in the interest of the country to have up-to-date representation in the Lower House.
"Presuming it does go ahead, I reckon Labour will see a huge loss, Lib Dems will see a large gain to fill the gap left by them, and Conservatives will have a Thatcher-level landslide, with even the SNP losing a few seats to the Conservatives near the England-Scotland border.
"It is time for the demise of Labour and for the Lib Dems to take their position as opposition to a massive Conservative party."
Amy, a 17-year-old A-Level student, who will soon turn 18, said that she is excited to finally be able to help decide the country's future.
She told us: "I registered to vote the moment I turned 16. I've been interested in politics for as long as I can remember and I'm very much looking forward to participating in democracy.
"I would like Jeremy Corbyn to win, although I will be using my vote wisely and voting tactically. My constituency has been voting Conservative since 1795, and I'm worried the Conservative party will win the election and mess around with the mental health budget.
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"Coming from a working class family, I'm worried about if I'll be able to afford my own health care and medications."
Luke, a 19-year-old broadcast journalism student, at Nottingham Trent University, is happy to see an election being called and he predicts a Tory landslide could mean a smoother Brexit.
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He said: "It has to done. I was surprised an election wasn't called earlier, to be honest. Theresa's party were against Brexit, they lost the vote which resulted in not only David Cameron resigning but the beginning of a process we were clearly unprepared for.
"An election win kills two birds with one stone by feeding unelectable Corbyn and Labour to the hounds and getting a large majority in Parliament - thus gaining a powerful political mandate from the people. Simple politics, really. "
Jamie, a 25-year-old campsite worker who lives in the Lake District, said that although he would be supporting Labour in the election he didn't hold much hope.
He said: "I've been saying that it's the political equivalent of a heavyweight champion announcing a rematch with his biggest rival in six weeks' time, except in the time since their first match the rival has lost all fitness.
"It seems quite obvious what will happen. The Tories will get a strong majority, Labour will lose a lot of seats, Lib Dems will gain a few, Corbyn will resign and there'll be a new Scottish referendum which will produce the same result. So, things will be pretty much the same as they were yesterday.
"This means rises in inflation, further privatisation of the NHS and other services and more awkward sucking up to the US."
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There are a lot of different opinions on the matter - and it looks like we'll be seeing even more in the coming weeks.
But, remember, if you don't register to vote, you won't get a chance to decide the General Election's outcome.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: general election, Tory, Labour