Get Brexit Done

Slogan from the 2019 UK General election campaign

Prime Minister Boris Johnson signing the Withdrawal Agreement for the UK to leave the EU on 31 January 2020

Get Brexit Done was a political slogan frequently used by the British Conservative Party and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the run up to the 2019 general election. The slogan reflected the party's pledge to, if re-elected, facilitate the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union by the end of January the following year.

## Background

[edit]

See also: Brexit

After the 2016 EU membership referendum produced a result in favour of leaving the European Union, a period of debate within the United Kingdom and negotiations with the EU about the future began. In 2019, the UK fell into further political uncertainty when both prime minister Theresa May and her successor Boris Johnson failed to reach a consensus in the House of Commons for a withdrawal agreement on their terms or a withdrawal with no agreement at all.

By the time of the election campaign in late 2019, this meant that Brexit had dominated British politics for more than three years, remaining a divisive issue and creating a great deal of frustration amongst the general public.[1][2][3] The idea for the slogan came from a focus group conducted by the Conservatives in a hotel in Northern England shortly before the election was called. During discussions about the Brexit process members of the group talked of wishing to "get it done".[4]

## Campaign

[edit]

The slogan was widely used on the Conservative Party's campaigning material and by its canvassers.[5] It was also frequently used by senior Conservative politicians.[6][7] In November 2019, the Conservatives launched their manifesto under the slogan "Get Brexit Done, Unleash Britain's Potential".[8]

## Criticism

[edit]

The Conservatives faced criticism for the slogan from a variety of directions. Ex-British diplomat Sir Ivan Rogers accused the party of either misunderstanding the situation or deliberately attempting to "mislead the British public".[9] The Guardian's Brussels correspondent described leaving the EU as "only the start of a new phase in the Brexit odyssey."[10]

## Effectiveness

[edit]

Research conducted by The Guardian a week before the election found that the slogan resonated with voters in marginal constituencies[11] whilst another poll by Opinium from a day or two before the election found the plurality of responders wanted the EU withdrawal agreement to be ratified.[12] The Conservatives went on to win the election with a comfortable majority of seats.[13]

> The “Get Brexit Done” slogan “obviously played a part” in Johnson’s victory, says Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, “partly because it appealed to leavers but also because it appealed to some remainers who are sick to the back teeth of Brexit and want to get it over with.”[14]

## See also

[edit]

* Conservatism portal

* Get Brexit Done: Unleash Britain's Potential

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Over 80% of voters think government handling Brexit badly | News". Research Live. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
2. ^ Ford, Robert (30 March 2019). "Brexit: how do voters feel about the EU now?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
3. ^ "British mood bleak ahead of Brexit | News". Research Live. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
4. ^ Payne, Sebastian (22 December 2019). "UK election: how the Tories 'got it done'". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
5. ^ "'Get Brexit Done.' The Slogan That Won Britain's Election". Time. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
6. ^ "Britain's Johnson launches election campaign on opposition turf". sg.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
7. ^ Mason, Rowena; Proctor, Kate. "UK election: Ten reasons why the Tories won and Labour lost". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
8. ^ "13 key policies that Boris Johnson is planning". BBC News. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
9. ^ "Ex-UK diplomat attacks PM's 'Get Brexit done' vow". BBC News. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
10. ^ Rankin, Jennifer (25 November 2019). "'Get Brexit Done'? The reality will be far more difficult and tortuous". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
11. ^ Stewart, Heather (6 December 2019). "Johnson's 'get Brexit done' strategy resonates with marginal focus groups". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
12. ^ "Is your stance on Brexit to pass the currently agreed Brexit deal, delay Brexit until we can negotiate a new deal which can then be put to another referendum, or cancel Brexit and decide to remain in the EU after all?". What UK Thinks: EU. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
13. ^ "Results of the 2019 General Election". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
14. ^ "'Get Brexit Done.' The 3 Words That Helped Boris Johnson Win Britain's 2019 Election". Time (magazine). 13 December 2019.

* v
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2019 United Kingdom general election

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* Incumbent prime minister: Boris Johnson (Conservative)
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Parties elected to
the House of Commons|

* Conservative (Campaign) - (Boris Johnson)
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* Green Party of England and Wales (Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley)
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Parties only represented in Scotland,
Wales, Northern Ireland, London,
or the European Parliament|

* Brexit Party (Nigel Farage)
* Ulster Unionist Party (Steve Aiken)
* Scottish Greens (Patrick Harvie & Lorna Slater)
* UK Independence Party (Pat Mountain)
* People Before Profit Alliance (Collective leadership)

Results by area|

* England (list)
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* Scotland (list)
* Wales (list)

Related topics|

* Glossary of terms
* Red wall
* Workington man
* Get Brexit Done
* Blue wall

* 2019 UK local elections
* 2019 UK European Parliament election

* v
* t
* e

2016 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union, and Brexit

* Renegotiation
* Referendum results
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* Withdrawal agreement
* Northern Ireland protocol
* Trade negotiation
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* Timeline

Referendum question|

"Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?"

Referendum legislation|

* European Union Referendum Act 2015
* Gibraltar
* European Union Referendum (Date of Referendum etc.) Regulations 2016
* The European Union Referendum (Conduct) Regulations 2016

Background|

| Treaties|

* Rome
* 1972 Accession Treaty
* Single European Act
* Maastricht
* Amsterdam
* Nice
* European Constitution
* Lisbon
* UK opt-outs from EU legislation

|

Legislation|

* European Communities Act 1972
* Amendments: 1986
* 1993
* 1998
* 2002
* 2008
* 2011
* European Economic Area Act 1993

Proposed bills|

* European Union Bill 2004–05
* European Communities Act 1972 (Repeal) Bills
* European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013–14

Elections|

* 2014 European Parliament election
* 2015 general election

By-elections|

* 2014 Clacton
* 2014 Heywood and Middleton
* 2014 Rochester and Strood

Other|

* UK accession
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* Black Wednesday
* EEA
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* Euroscepticism in the UK

Campaign|

* Issues
* Opinion polling
* Endorsements
* Project Fear
* Unlawful campaigning allegations
* Brexit: The Movie
* Pro-EU leaflet
* Breaking Point (UKIP poster)

Campaign
organisations|

| Remain|

* Britain Stronger in Europe (official campaign)
* Labour In for Britain

|

Leave|

* Vote Leave (official campaign)
* Vote Leave bus
* Leave.EU
* BeLeave
* Grassroots Out
* Labour Leave
* Campaign for an Independent Britain
* The Freedom Association
* Better Off Out
* Get Britain Out
* Bruges Group

Aftermath of
referendum|

| Political party
leadership elections|

* Conservative
* 2016
* 2019
* Scottish, February 2020
* Labour
* UKIP

|

Opposition to Brexit|

* Proposed second referendum
* People's Vote
* Petition to revoke Article 50
* Led By Donkeys
* Bollocks to Brexit

Elections|

* 2017 local
* 2017 general
* 2018 local
* 2019 local
* 2019 European Parliament
* Brexit Party
* 2019 general

By-elections|

* 2016 Witney
* 2016 Richmond Park
* 2016 Sleaford and North Hykeham
* 2017 Copeland
* 2017 Stoke-on-Trent Central
* 2019 Peterborough
* 2019 Brecon and Radnorshire

Other|

* International reactions
* March to Leave
* Brexit Alliance
* Blue Collar Conservativism
* Brexit Party
* Independent Alliance for Reform

Brexit process|

* Miller I case
* Invocation of Article 50
* Negotiations
* Brexit divorce bill
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* Withdrawal agreement
* Parliamentary votes
* No-deal Brexit
* Operation Yellowhammer
* Prorogation of Parliament
* Miller II / Cherry case
* Trade negotiation between the UK and the EU
* Fish for finance
* EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)

Impact of Brexit
and
potential effects|

| on Northern Ireland and
the Republic of Ireland|

* 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation
* Brexit and the Irish border
* Northern Ireland Protocol
* proposed changes
* Irish Sea border
* Windsor Framework

|

Other|

* on Gibraltar
* on the EU
* Science and technology
* Economic effects
* EU–UK relations after Brexit

Brexit legislation|

| White papers|

* Brexit plan
* Repeal Bill plan
* Chequers plan
* Brexit withdrawal agreement plan

|

Enacted|

* Notification of Withdrawal Act 2017
* Withdrawal Act 2018 (Gibraltar)
* Nuclear Safeguards Act 2018
* Cooper–Letwin Act
* Benn Act
* Withdrawal Agreement Act 2020 (Gibraltar)
* Internal Market Act 2020
* Future Relationship Act 2020
* UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2020
* Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023

Proposed|

* Terms of Withdrawal from EU (Referendum) Bills
* UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill 2018
* European Union Withdrawal Agreement (Public Vote) Bill 2017–19

Related|

* Brexit 50p coin
* Change Britain
* Change UK
* Chaos with Ed Miliband
* European Research Group
* "Enemies of the People"
* Leave Means Leave
* Led By Donkeys
* More United
* Northern Future Forum
* The New European
* Open Britain
* Proposed second Scottish independence referendum
* Reform UK
* Rue du Brexit
* Terminology (Glossary)
* Tufton Street
* United Ireland
* Voting pencil conspiracy theory
* Retained EU law
* 2017 Diane Abbott–David Davis controversy

Media depictions|

* Remainiacs (2017)
* Postcards from the 48% (2018)
* Not Tonight (2018)
* Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019)
* @BorderIrish (2018–2020)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Boris Johnson

* Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2019–2022)
* MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (2015–2023)
* Mayor of London (2008–2016)

Premiership|

| First
ministry|

* 2019 Conservative Party leadership election
* 2019 G7 summit
* Prorogation controversy
* Suspension of rebel Conservative MPs

|

Second
ministry|

* Chancellorship of Rishi Sunak
* 2020 budget
* March 2021 budget
* October 2021 budget
* List of departures
* 2020 cabinet reshuffle
* 2021 cabinet reshuffle
* EU withdrawal agreement
* Northern Ireland Protocol
* COVID-19 pandemic
* government response
* lockdown
* vaccinations
* contracts
* contract controversies
* Dominic Cummings scandal
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* Downing Street refurbishment controversy
* 2021 State Opening of Parliament
* 2021 G7 summit
* New Atlantic Charter
* Evacuations from Afghanistan
* COP26
* Irish Sea Bridge feasibility study
* Owen Paterson scandal
* Parliamentary second jobs controversy
* Levelling-up policy
* Growth deals
* White Paper
* Great British Railways
* Integrated Rail Plan
* Trade negotiation between the UK and the EU
* Trade and Cooperation Agreement
* Cost of living crisis
* Rwanda asylum plan
* Murder of David Amess
* United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
* 2022 State Opening of Parliament
* 2022 Conservative Party confidence vote
* 2022 G7 summit
* Chris Pincher scandal
* July 2022 government crisis
* 2022 cabinet reshuffle
* Conservative Party leadership election
* 2022 vote of confidence in the Johnson ministry
* Resignation Honours

* Political positions
* International trips
* Brexit

Mayoralty|

* "Boris Island"
* "Boris Bikes"
* New Routemaster
* 2011 London riots
* London Cable Car
* 2012 Summer Olympics
* 2012 Summer Paralympics
* Garden Bridge
* Night Tube
* Jennifer Arcuri

Other offices held|

* Leader of the Conservative Party (2019–2022)
* Commonwealth Chair-in-Office (2019–2022)
* Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (2016–2018)
* Shadow Minister for Higher Education (2005–2007)
* Shadow Minister for the Arts (2004)
* MP for Henley (2001–2008)

Elections|

* 2008 (Mayoral)
* 2012 (Mayoral)
* 2019 (General)
* 2021 (Local)
* 2022 (Local)

Books|

| By Johnson|

* Friends, Voters, Countrymen (2002)
* Seventy-Two Virgins (2004)
* The Dream of Rome (2006)
* The Churchill Factor (2014)
* Unleashed (2024)

|

About Johnson|

* Boris: The Rise of Boris Johnson (2006)
* Boris v. Ken (2008)

Public
image|

| Cultural
depictions|

* Headcases (2008)
* When Boris Met Dave (2009)
* Newzoids (2015–2016)
* South Park (2016)
* Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019)
* "Vossi Bop" (2019)
* "Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt" (2020)
* "Can't Stop Christmas" (2020)
* Spitting Image (2020–2021)
* "Boris Johnson Is Still a Fucking Cunt" (2021)
* This England (2022)
* DSP (2022)
* Partygate (2023)

|

* 1987 Bullingdon Club photograph
* "Greased piglet"
* "Dead cat strategy"

Family|

* Allegra Mostyn-Owen (first wife)
* Marina Wheeler (second wife)
* Carrie Johnson (third wife)
* Lara Johnson-Wheeler (daughter)
* Dilyn (dog)
* Stanley Johnson (father)
* Charlotte Fawcett (mother)
* Rachel Johnson (sister)
* Jo Johnson (brother)
* Edmund Fawcett (uncle)
* James Fawcett (grandfather)
* Ali Kemal (great-grandfather)
* Elias Avery Lowe (great-grandfather)
* H. T. Lowe-Porter (great-grandmother)

* ← Theresa May
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* ← Ken Livingstone
* Sadiq Khan →

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