The announcement was made at 11:15am local time. The British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, told, to a mesmerized radio audience, that the British deadline for German troop withdrawal from Poland had expired.

The British ambassador in Berlin had passed a final note to the German authorities saying that unless Germany had withdrawn their troops from Poland by 11:00am that a state of war would exist between the two countries.

Chamberlain told the nation:

"I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and consequently this country is at war with Germany."