British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Tuesday set May 6 as the date for a general election and called on voters to give his party a clear mandate to create jobs.

Brown travelled to the Buckingham Palace where he asked Queen Elizabeth II for permission to dissolve parliament -- a formality that marked the start of the official election campaign.

Flanked by the cabinet, Brown made a statement at the Downing Street,saying the queen has agreed to the dissolution of parliament and the election will take place on May 6.

"It will come as no surprise to all of you, and it's probably the least well kept secret of recent years but the queen has kindly agreed to the dissolution of parliament and a general election will take place on May 6," he said.

The dissolution of parliament will take place on April 12.

Brown said that he came from an "ordinary middle class family in an ordinary town" and would fight hard for families on "modest incomes."

Brown said "over the next few weeks I will go round the country -- the length and breadth of our land -- and I will take to the people a very straightforward and clear message."

He said Britain is on the road to recovery and that it is important to get the "big decisions right." The prime minister asked voters for a clear mandate to build industries for the future and to create jobs.

Brown said he will not allow 13 years of investment in public services to be put at risk. He promised to improve public trust in politics, following the MPs' expenses scandal, adding that he is "not a team of one" but "one of a team", and "Let's get to it."

Opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron said he is delighted the campaign is finally starting. He launched the Conservatives' campaign in central London, saying that the election is the most important general election for a generation and the Tories offer a fresh start.

It is time for the government to support the Big Society, outlining the differences between his party and Labour over public services, he said.

"If we win this election, there will be real change," he told supporters shortly before Brown. "You don't have to put up with another five years of Gordon Brown."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said this is choice between the old politics of the other two parties and something new.

The economy, taxation and public service are the foremost battleground for the three parties in the run-up to the election.

Three TV debates between the leaders of the three main parties -- Labor's Gordon Brown, the Conservatives David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg -- will take place during the actual election campaign.

They mark a new precedent, as TV debates between the leaders have never before been a feature of general election campaigning.

The latest opinion poll showed that Conservative leads over Labour by differing margins.

An ICM survey has the Conservatives on 37 percent, Labour on 33 percent and the Lib Dems on 21 percent while a YouGov poll in the Sun and another by Opinium for the Daily Express gave the Tories a 10-percent lead, the margin Cameron is likely to need in order to win an outright majority in the general election.

Britain's first-past-the-post electoral system tends to produce majority governments, with coalitions a rarity. There is little precedent in dealing with a "hung" parliament.

Local media reported earlier that if there was a "hung" parliament, Brown will be allowed to stay in power for some weeks despite losing the election, because the leader of the party with the most seats would not automatically become prime minister if he did not command an outright majority in the House of Commons.

It would then be up to the political parties to reach an agreement that would put one leader in the Downing Street with a majority of members of parliament supporting him.

The civil service was concerned the uncertainty may lead to fears nationally and internationally there could be no government, resulting in a run on the pound in money markets.