2019 UK General Election Candidates' and Incumbents' Positions in the UK's Referendum on Membership of the European Union, 2019-2020

Cygan, Adam and Lynch, Philip and Whitaker, Richard (2021). 2019 UK General Election Candidates' and Incumbents' Positions in the UK's Referendum on Membership of the European Union, 2019-2020. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-854996

The 2016 referendum vote for Brexit has dominated British politics. The 2019 General election will be the second since the referendum, with Brexit likely to be a primary issue of the campaign. Since the 2017 General Election, the UK has had a minority government which has been unable to secure parliamentary approval for its Brexit policies. During this time, Parliament has not supported the deal negotiated to leave the EU and Parliament has also voted to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal. During the 2017-19 Parliament, a key feature which prevented the government's Brexit policies from succeeding has been the formation of new cross-party alliances in the parliamentary chamber, which have scrutinised and challenged the government's Brexit policy.
This project will collect and analyse statements on Brexit and the Brexit process made by candidates from the main parties in England and Wales at the 2019 general election. The project will provide data on Brexit positions of MPs in the 2019- Parliament, adding to the data we have previously collected on the positions of MPs in the 2015-17 and 2017-19 Parliaments. This data can then be used to examine how MPs' positions have changed over over time in relation to Brexit. After the election these data will enable us to examine how the Brexit preferences of MPs influence representation of constituents' views, promotion, rebellion against the party whip and voting in select committees.
The purpose of this project is: (1) To enhance understanding of how Brexit continues to impact upon UK party politics and Parliament, including divisions within and between parties and the positions and preferences of newly elected MPs. (2) To consider the effect, if any, on Brexit issues that may arise from any informal cross-party arrangements during the election campaign. (3) To examine how party positions on Brexit have changed since the 2017 General Election. (4) To identify how the new Parliament may respond to Brexit, taking in to account the MPs elected and whether a new government will be able to deliver its Brexit policies. (5) By reviewing the statements of candidates, the project will examine how individual candidates and MPs present Brexit issues to their constituents and the extent to which they identify Brexit as being an important issue within their constituency. (6) By reviewing the statements of candidates on the Brexit process, and especially their views on the successes and failings of the 2017-19 Parliament we will assess the use of populist ('people versus parliament') messages, and tensions between representative and direct democracy which have been identified as a theme of the 2019 General Election.

Data description (abstract)

The data provide details of the positions taken in the UK's 2016 referendum on EU membership by (a) Conservative and Labour MPs elected at the 2019 general election and (b) Conservative and Labour candidates standing in English and Welsh constituencies at the 2019 general election. These data were sourced from statements made by MPs on their websites or on their Twitter or Facebook pages. Details of the source of each candidate's position are included in the data. The data on MPs also include the year they were first elected. There is a small number of cases in which MPs did not disclose the positions on the UK's referendum on EU membership and these are noted in the data. The proportions of candidates who did not disclose their position is higher and, again, this is noted in the data as appropriate. The data allow for descriptions of the level of division within the Conservative and Labour parliamentary parties as well as among their candidates, and provide an independent variable that could be used in studies where a politician's referendum position is believed to affect other things.

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