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
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
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
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]