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| Get Britain Out | |
|---|---|
| Name | Get Britain Out |
| Type | Campaign group |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Leaders | Various |
| Focus | Euroscepticism, United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union |
Get Britain Out Get Britain Out is a British Eurosceptic campaign group advocating for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Founded during the debate over the 2016 referendum, it positioned itself alongside other referendum campaigns, engaging with political parties, Members of Parliament and media networks to influence public opinion and parliamentary votes.
The group emerged amid a cluster of organisations active during the 2010s political scene, including Vote Leave, Leave.EU, and the European Research Group. It traces roots to pressure campaigns around the Treaty of Lisbon, debates in the House of Commons and activism linked to the UK Independence Party and factions within the Conservative Party. During the run-up to the 2016 referendum, the organisation coordinated with actors from the Referendum Party legacy, figures from the Campaign for an Independent Britain and commentators aligned with papers such as The Daily Telegraph, The Sun and The Daily Mail. Post-referendum, its activity intersected with the Theresa May ministry's negotiations, the 2017 general election, the Brexit withdrawal agreement debates, the Johnson premiership and votes in the House of Lords. The group remained active during the 2019 European Parliament elections and subsequent discussions around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Leadership has included campaign directors, spokespersons and trustees drawn from campaigning networks associated with Conservative Friends of Europe critics, former UKIP staff and independent activists linked to think tanks such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Centre for Policy Studies. Its governing structure features a board, campaign team and regional organisers engaging with MPs from the European Research Group, peers in the House of Lords, and councillors across local authorities including London Borough of Barnet and other constituencies. Senior public figures who have engaged with or endorsed the group's messaging include politicians who also interfaced with Vote Leave, Leave Means Leave and cross-party Eurosceptic fronts during the 2010s.
Get Britain Out ran targeted campaigns during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum and the parliamentary processes that followed. Activities included rallies, leafleting in constituencies contested at the 2017 general election and 2019 general election, briefings for MPs at Westminster, interventions in debates on the Withdrawal Agreement, and testimony at select committee inquiries. It organised events with speakers from the Centre for European Reform critics, trade associations, and Brexit-supporting Members of the European Parliament such as those elected in the 2019 EP elections. The organisation produced policy papers, media statements to outlets including BBC News, Sky News, and tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, and ran social media campaigns during crises such as the 2019 United Kingdom protests over Brexit.
The group advocated for a clean break from the European Union legal order, calling for repeal or replacement of retained EU law and citing alternatives to membership such as bilateral trade deals with partners like the United States, Canada, and Australia. It argued for UK control over borders, fisheries and agricultural policy, engaging with debates around the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. On trade, it supported pursuing agreements akin to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement model and referenced frameworks like the World Trade Organization rules. The organisation opposed further political integration proposals such as those linked to the Treaty on European Union and criticised institutions including the European Commission and the European Court of Justice.
Funding claims and declarations linked Get Britain Out to individual donors, membership subscriptions and fundraising events. Supporters included small-business owners, former politicians, and activists who had worked with groups like Leave.EU and Vote Leave. The group's financial links intersected with controversies around political donations that also involved actors like Arron Banks and other high-profile donors from the 2010s UK campaign finance debates. It reported donations to the Electoral Commission as required for regulated campaign activity.
Critics from across the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and pro-European civil society groups such as Best for Britain challenged the group's claims on economics and migration. Academics from institutions like the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford published analyses contesting its policy assertions, while commentators in outlets including The Guardian and Financial Times scrutinised messaging and donor links. Controversies mirrored wider disputes over campaign finance, factual accuracy in referendum campaigning, and tactical coordination with other Leave organisations, drawing attention from the Electoral Commission and parliamentary scrutiny panels.
The organisation contributed to the broader Eurosceptic network that influenced parliamentary votes on the Brexit process and public opinion ahead of the 2016 referendum and subsequent UK elections. Its campaigning activities intersected with constituency-level swings observed in analyses of the 2016 referendum results, the 2017 general election, and the 2019 general election, and it engaged with MPs whose positions shaped negotiations in the House of Commons and votes on the Withdrawal Agreement. Scholars and pollsters at institutions like YouGov and the British Polling Council noted the cumulative effect of leave campaigns, including Get Britain Out, on shifting political discourse.
Category:Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom Category:Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom