No 10’s latest Brexit advert boasting of new era of ‘cooperation’ and ‘close ties’ mocked

A screengrab of the government's latest Brexit promo; Twitter - Credit: Archant

A new video promoting Britain’s relationship with the EU after Brexit, which it claims will lead to a new era of ‘cooperation’ and ‘close ties’, has been mocked on Twitter.

Footage of an ad bigging up Britain’s new ties with Europe gained some unsavoury publicity when it launched on Wednesday.

Shared on the Cabinet Office’s official Twitter page, the video is the latest instalment of the government’s ‘Let’s Get Going’ media blitz preparing business for Brexit.

https://twitter.com/cabinetofficeuk/status/1290925898720477190

The clip, which is accompanied by promotional tunes and clips of Europe on a map, boasts of a new era of ‘cooperation between sovereign equals’ which is supposedly ‘underpinned by close ties between our people’.

It goes on to say that both sides will ‘build on our existing close friendship, inspired by both shared history and shared values.’

https://twitter.com/Otto_English/status/1290979055941148673

But the promotional drive failed miserably on Twitter, drawing stinging rebukes over its language and content.

Otto English, a freelance writer posted: ‘You realise this makes absolutely no sense. If the other EU countries are sovereign why have we had to leave?’

https://twitter.com/liz_lizanderson/status/1290995402125320194

Liz Anderson dredged up Downing Street’s very own Brexit White Paper which states the UK parliament had ‘remained sovereign throughout our membership of the EU’.

‘Um, this might come as a bit of a shock to you, lads, but we *always* were sovereign,’ she wrote.

https://twitter.com/delyn48eu/status/1290989834908110854

Others had a bone to pick with the term ‘sovereign equals’.

Architect and writer Steve Lawrence said: ‘This is nonsensical the EU isn’t in any way ‘sovereign’, it’s just a treaty.’

https://twitter.com/jonhenley/status/1291006719666130944

Former Whitehall staffer Sarah Hurst wrote: ‘Well, I had a job in the civil service, trying to solve Brexit problems, but I was sacked. So now I don’t know what part you want me to play.’

Ian Dunt, an editor for Politics.co.uk, wrote: ‘Still waiting for someone to tell me one thing, just one single f****** thing, which we have attained. Every word of this was true when we were EU members.’

Jon Henley joked: ‘You are aware, I trust, that the EU is 27 countries? The UK is one country.

‘That doesn’t sound very equal to me.’