The Hashtag
#BorisJohnson2019 marked the Conservative landslide that delivered Boris Johnson an 80-seat majority on a single promise: “Get Brexit Done.”
Origins
On December 12, 2019, Johnson’s Tories won 365 of 650 seats—their biggest victory since 1987. The election was essentially a second Brexit referendum, with Johnson promising to end three years of parliamentary deadlock.
The campaign’s three-word slogan—“Get Brexit Done”—resonated with voters exhausted by uncertainty. Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn suffered his party’s worst defeat since 1935.
Cultural Impact
The result shocked political observers:
- Labour’s “Red Wall” (working-class Northern seats held for decades) crumbled
- Former mining towns voted Conservative for the first time in a century
- Brexit realigned British politics along Leave/Remain rather than class lines
- Johnson’s populist brand overcame his privileged background
The hashtag represented:
- Brexit fatigue trumping other issues (NHS, inequality, climate)
- Corbyn’s unpopularity and antisemitism controversy damage
- Social media misinformation (Conservatives renamed their Twitter account “factcheckUK” during debates)
- Scotland’s continued pro-EU stance (SNP won 48 of 59 Scottish seats)
By 2022, after Partygate scandals and economic chaos, Johnson resigned in disgrace. His 2019 triumph became a footnote to his chaotic premiership.