Boris Johnson has asked voters to give him a majority so he can take Britain out of the EU at the start of the new year after he finally won his bid for a December 12 election.

The Prime Minister pledged that if he wins at the polls he will return immediately to the Commons to get his deal passed and end the 'dither and delay'.

Downing Street said he would get Brexit done in January and devote 2020 to delivering his domestic agenda, including on schools, hospitals and policing.

The country is set go to the polls on December 12 after Jeremy Corbyn caved in to huge pressure from the PM, the Lib Dems and SNP.

The legislation for the plan was finalised in the Commons after a day of bitter wrangling and procedural tricks.  

The last outstanding issue was resolved in a crunch vote this evening, with MPs deciding that the snap poll should happen on the government's preferred date of December 12 rather than December 9.

As battle commenced on the first December election since 1923;