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Vote Leave 'Help protect your local hospital' Eight page leaflet

Leaflet
2016
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

4.2 million ‘Help protect your local hospital…’ leaflets such as this were printed for distribution by the Vote Leave campaign in the run up to the 2016 European Union Membership referendum. The logo in the top right corner of the leaflet is similar in appearance that used by The National Health Service (NHS). In early March 2016, The NHS requested that the campaign stop using the logo in their campaign material.

Treasury Committee chair, Andrew Tyrie, presented a copy of this leaflet at a committee session on 20th April 2016 reviewing misleading claims used by both leave and remain campaigns. He pointed out the similarities between the leaflet and official NHS literature stating that ‘…they’re almost identical. It takes an expert eye to tell the one is not the other’. Vote Leave’s campaign director Dominic Cummings refuted the claim that the leaflet could be mistaken for an NHS publication pointing out that their slogan ‘Vote Leave, Take control’ was visible on the bottom of the leaflets cover.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVote Leave 'Help protect your local hospital' Eight page leaflet
Materials and techniques
Brief description
Vote Leave 'Help protect your local hospital' Eight page A5 folded leaflet
Dimensions
  • Height: 210mm
  • Width: 570mm (Note: When open)
  • Width: 150mm (Note: When closed)
  • Thickness: 1mm (Note: When open)
  • Thickness: 2mm (Note: When closed)
Gallery label
(May 2018)
From The Future Starts Here

Fake NHS Vote Leave leaflet
Vote Leave Campaign
2016
POST-TRUTH PROPAGANDA
In 2016, the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign distributed 4.2 million of these leaflets before the EU membership referendum, claiming them to be an official statement from the National Health Service in support of Brexit. This was emphasised by the use of the NHS logo in the top corner – a violation of Department of Health brand guidelines. In this post-truth era, misinformation and ‘fake news’ challenge the fundamentals
of democracy.
Paper, digital print
Given by Gary Chamberlain
V&A: CD.75-2016
Credit line
Gift of Gary Chamberlain
Association
Summary
4.2 million ‘Help protect your local hospital…’ leaflets such as this were printed for distribution by the Vote Leave campaign in the run up to the 2016 European Union Membership referendum. The logo in the top right corner of the leaflet is similar in appearance that used by The National Health Service (NHS). In early March 2016, The NHS requested that the campaign stop using the logo in their campaign material.

Treasury Committee chair, Andrew Tyrie, presented a copy of this leaflet at a committee session on 20th April 2016 reviewing misleading claims used by both leave and remain campaigns. He pointed out the similarities between the leaflet and official NHS literature stating that ‘…they’re almost identical. It takes an expert eye to tell the one is not the other’. Vote Leave’s campaign director Dominic Cummings refuted the claim that the leaflet could be mistaken for an NHS publication pointing out that their slogan ‘Vote Leave, Take control’ was visible on the bottom of the leaflets cover.
Collection
Accession number
CD.75-2016

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Record createdJuly 21, 2016
Record URL
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