So the general election has now been called - Thursday 12 December. It just went through the House by after they rejected an earlier date on the Third Division amendment voting. The vote for the election was 438 - 20. The Lords have to approve it, then back to the Commons, but both should be technicalities. The Lords are reading it tonight.
This will be an unusual election, to say the least. It will be a single-issue election - about Brexit. That's not to say that various parties won't try to introduce other issues, like the NHS, public services and so on, but it will be an uphill struggle to get the topic off Brexit.
The Brexit Party, led by Nigel Farage, will be snapping at Tory heels, seeking to win votes by advocating an even sharper and harder Brexit than the government.
The Conservative Party will be seeking to elect Boris as PM with a convincing majority - based on the polls, that could be 20-30 seats, although a small note of warning for Tories comes from political psephologist (and a man whose past forecasts have often proved correct) John Curtice, who is predicting 100 'third-party' MPs in the next House, which will make it very difficult for Boris to form a majority if true.
The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn will be hoping to get the focus off Brexit, where they are weaker and onto the NHS and public services. There are still divisions within the party about both Brexit and Corbyn's leadership.
The Liberal Democrats will be looking to pick up some or even many of the seats they had before David Cameron came to power, quite a few of them in the South-West of England. They will have tough battles ahead in these seats with mainly Tory opponents, the LibDems hope that their clear support for Remain will bring voters to them.
The SNP are hoping, based on the polls, to reverse the gains that Labour and the Tories made against them in the last general election in Scotland.
The Greens will be trying hard to win a second seat to accompany Caroline Lucas's Brighton constituency. Lots of interest for TSR staff here - Student Room is headquartered in Brighton.
There was quite a nice bit in the House just now when they let John Bercow, who is now ending his Speakership, do one of his last huge 'DIVISION!!!!' shout-outs for the Third Reading - a sort of final hurrah. There might be an election for the next Speaker on Monday.
And then onto Brexit - assuming a House returning in the final weeks of December, there will still be a huge mountain to climb to get a deal through the House before the new EU extension end date on 31 Jan 2020.
Historical note This will be the first December election since 1923. That was on Thursday 6th December. Stanley Baldwin (Con) lost 86 seats. Ramsay MacDonald formed a minority government with Liberal support. Not a good precedent for Boris!
Well I need to stand corrected, I thought the renainer MPs would carry on blocking a election but it seems the Turkeys have just voted for Christmas. This is going to be a blood bath of an election.