While many of us may have been caught off guard by the prime minister's decision to call an early General Election, given the seismic events of the past 12 months, I am convinced it is the right thing to do.

Brexit has changed the playing field and, remain or leave, like it or not, domestic and foreign policy will have to change with it. In the famous words of my one-time Bromley predecessor, ‘events, dear boy, events'. There is a smacking irony that those who claimed Mrs May had no mandate on entering Number 10 are the very same people now remonstrating that she has rowed back on a promise not to take the country to the polls. Frankly speaking, they cannot have their cake and eat it.