SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked by a polite but firm voter to "please leave" the town of Morley in Yorkshire, England on Thursday. Johnson is informally campaigning ahead of an expected general election in October. (Photo: Rui Vieira - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
WATCH: Viral Video Shows British Voter Politely Imploring Johnson to 'Please Leave My Town' Ahead of Potential Election
The prime minister has begun informally campaigning ahead of a potential October 15 general election amid Parliamentary chaos over Brexit
Sep 06, 2019
A polite but direct British man in the town of Morley, Yorkshire on Thursday kicked off the viral hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown after making that request of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was visiting the northern town as part of an informal campaign ahead of a potential general election in October.
While the prime minister was crossing a street in Morley, a man approached him to shake his hand, saying only, "Please leave my town."
Watch:
\u201c\u201cPlease leave my town.\u201d\n\u201cI will, very soon.\u201d\u201d— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1567704633
Video of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the original video garnering more than 30,000 retweets in a matter of hours. Some northerners said the voter had spoken on behalf of many in the region.
\u201c\u201cPlease leave my town.\u201d \ud83d\udc4f\n\nSincerely, the North.\n\n#PleaseLeaveMyTown\n\nhttps://t.co/d4Wy98q4bY\u201d— Liverpool Walton CLP (@Liverpool Walton CLP) 1567707139
\u201cRight, I actually NEED "please leave my Town" on a t shirt \ud83e\udd23\u201d— EU Naughty Boy #BlackLivesMatter \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@EU Naughty Boy #BlackLivesMatter \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1567716454
The phrase became a rallying cry for Brits who have already decided they won't support Johnson and the Conservative Party if there is a general election on October 15. The prime minister demanded an election following the defeat of his no-deal Brexit proposal in the House of Commons this week.
\u201c@BorisJohnson Dear Mr Johnson.\n\nCould you #PleaseLeaveMyTown by not coming to it.\n\nThank you.\u201d— Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1567775516
\u201cSomeone in my town feels the same #PleaseLeaveMyTown\u201d— Ames (@Ames) 1567779511
Johnson's term as prime minister, which began less than two months ago, has been marked by chaos in Parliament amid debate over the divisive issue of Brexit. Johnson was hoping to complete Brexit by October 31--with or without a deal.
The prime minister has been faced with questions in recent days over whether he will resign, a possibility the government did not rule out Friday, after his proposal was rejected and a number of Conservative lawmakers abandoned him, leaving him with a minority government.
In the U.S., one observer called on Americans to display the same firm rejection of President Donald Trump, should he appear in their towns.
"Let's all strive to be the 'Please Leave My Town' guy when Donald Trump stops by," the user tweeted.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A polite but direct British man in the town of Morley, Yorkshire on Thursday kicked off the viral hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown after making that request of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was visiting the northern town as part of an informal campaign ahead of a potential general election in October.
While the prime minister was crossing a street in Morley, a man approached him to shake his hand, saying only, "Please leave my town."
Watch:
\u201c\u201cPlease leave my town.\u201d\n\u201cI will, very soon.\u201d\u201d— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1567704633
Video of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the original video garnering more than 30,000 retweets in a matter of hours. Some northerners said the voter had spoken on behalf of many in the region.
\u201c\u201cPlease leave my town.\u201d \ud83d\udc4f\n\nSincerely, the North.\n\n#PleaseLeaveMyTown\n\nhttps://t.co/d4Wy98q4bY\u201d— Liverpool Walton CLP (@Liverpool Walton CLP) 1567707139
\u201cRight, I actually NEED "please leave my Town" on a t shirt \ud83e\udd23\u201d— EU Naughty Boy #BlackLivesMatter \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@EU Naughty Boy #BlackLivesMatter \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1567716454
The phrase became a rallying cry for Brits who have already decided they won't support Johnson and the Conservative Party if there is a general election on October 15. The prime minister demanded an election following the defeat of his no-deal Brexit proposal in the House of Commons this week.
\u201c@BorisJohnson Dear Mr Johnson.\n\nCould you #PleaseLeaveMyTown by not coming to it.\n\nThank you.\u201d— Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1567775516
\u201cSomeone in my town feels the same #PleaseLeaveMyTown\u201d— Ames (@Ames) 1567779511
Johnson's term as prime minister, which began less than two months ago, has been marked by chaos in Parliament amid debate over the divisive issue of Brexit. Johnson was hoping to complete Brexit by October 31--with or without a deal.
The prime minister has been faced with questions in recent days over whether he will resign, a possibility the government did not rule out Friday, after his proposal was rejected and a number of Conservative lawmakers abandoned him, leaving him with a minority government.
In the U.S., one observer called on Americans to display the same firm rejection of President Donald Trump, should he appear in their towns.
"Let's all strive to be the 'Please Leave My Town' guy when Donald Trump stops by," the user tweeted.
A polite but direct British man in the town of Morley, Yorkshire on Thursday kicked off the viral hashtag #PleaseLeaveMyTown after making that request of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson was visiting the northern town as part of an informal campaign ahead of a potential general election in October.
While the prime minister was crossing a street in Morley, a man approached him to shake his hand, saying only, "Please leave my town."
Watch:
\u201c\u201cPlease leave my town.\u201d\n\u201cI will, very soon.\u201d\u201d— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1567704633
Video of the exchange quickly went viral on social media, with the original video garnering more than 30,000 retweets in a matter of hours. Some northerners said the voter had spoken on behalf of many in the region.
\u201c\u201cPlease leave my town.\u201d \ud83d\udc4f\n\nSincerely, the North.\n\n#PleaseLeaveMyTown\n\nhttps://t.co/d4Wy98q4bY\u201d— Liverpool Walton CLP (@Liverpool Walton CLP) 1567707139
\u201cRight, I actually NEED "please leave my Town" on a t shirt \ud83e\udd23\u201d— EU Naughty Boy #BlackLivesMatter \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@EU Naughty Boy #BlackLivesMatter \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1567716454
The phrase became a rallying cry for Brits who have already decided they won't support Johnson and the Conservative Party if there is a general election on October 15. The prime minister demanded an election following the defeat of his no-deal Brexit proposal in the House of Commons this week.
\u201c@BorisJohnson Dear Mr Johnson.\n\nCould you #PleaseLeaveMyTown by not coming to it.\n\nThank you.\u201d— Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1567775516
\u201cSomeone in my town feels the same #PleaseLeaveMyTown\u201d— Ames (@Ames) 1567779511
Johnson's term as prime minister, which began less than two months ago, has been marked by chaos in Parliament amid debate over the divisive issue of Brexit. Johnson was hoping to complete Brexit by October 31--with or without a deal.
The prime minister has been faced with questions in recent days over whether he will resign, a possibility the government did not rule out Friday, after his proposal was rejected and a number of Conservative lawmakers abandoned him, leaving him with a minority government.
In the U.S., one observer called on Americans to display the same firm rejection of President Donald Trump, should he appear in their towns.
"Let's all strive to be the 'Please Leave My Town' guy when Donald Trump stops by," the user tweeted.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.