Enduring Brands: The Press

Abstract

When the 2019 general election was called, the Conservative-supporting press heralded it as ‘The Brexit Election’ which would enable Boris Johnson to ‘get Brexit done’. But uncertainty over whether other issues would come to the fore and the unpredictable nature of the previous campaign meant that there were no guarantees concerning the success of this agenda. However, a comprehensive analysis of print media coverage of the election shows that key periods of the campaign were dominated by the Conservative Party’s will to make Brexit the focus of the campaign, and even where the issue faded, it was implicit in the reporting of other issues throughout. Despite this, press debate rarely engaged with the continuing complexities and uncertainties of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, particularly the live prospect of a no deal Brexit and the remaining difficulties of the deal yet to be done. In doing so, the editors and journalists responsible were able to make an important contribution to the election through reinforcing a campaign narrative without explaining the potential consequences that might follow.