New billboard campaign highlights hypocrisy of ministers on no-deal Brexit

A Led By Donkeys billboard promoting Michael Gove's no-deal Brexit comments. Photograph: Twitter. - Credit: Archant

A new Led By Donkeys campaign is aiming to embarrass government ministers for their hypocrisy surrounding a no-deal Brexit.

The first billboard unveiled in Salisbury features Vote Leave leader and cabinet minister Michael Gove warning MPs not to be blasé about the no-deal impact on farming.

“I emphatically do not want to run the risks that leaving without a deal would involve,” Gove said.

He continued: “It is critically important that every decision-maker in London, every parliamentarian who will vote in coming weeks, understands what no deal would involve for British farmers and food producers. No one can be blithe or blasé about the consequences.”

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A Led By Donkeys billboard promoting Matt Hancock’s no-deal Brexit views. Photograph: Twitter. – Credit: Archant

A second features health secretary Matt Hancock refusing to rule out that people could die from a no-deal Brexit.

Answering questions on Radio 4’s Today programme in November 2018 he added: “No deal is not pretty… we need to make sure everyone does what’s necessary to have the unhindered flow of medicines that people need.”

Another in Cardiff uses comments from the government warning of a “possible increased risk of serious organised crime”.

The campaign, which has seen 20 billboards erected so far this week, is designed to counter a reported £100 million no-deal advertising drive by the Government.

A billboard highlighting government warnings about a no-deal Brexit. Photograph: Twitter. – Credit: Archant

Led By Donkeys, which recently also created a manifesto for the Brexit Party in billboard form, said: “The last time (the government) ran an advertising campaign it was littered with lies, like their NHS red bus nonsense. Now they’re planning to spend tens of millions of pounds of our money on another propaganda push.

“Ministers fear a crash out No-Deal Brexit could cause job losses, shortages of fresh food and medicine, an increase in organised crime and even death. We’re letting the public know because Johnson and Gove won’t.”

The billboard launches come as the government launched a new “spin” unit to try to quash stories and rumours about a no-deal Brexit.