"Project Fear" is a term that has entered common usage inBritish politics in the 21st century, mainly in relation to two major referendum debates: the2014 Scottish independence referendum, and then again during and after the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum (Brexit). The phrase has been used to characterise claims of economic and socio-political dangers—primarily those that would result from a change to the existing politicalstatus quo—asscaremongering andpessimism.
The phrase was coined by Rob Shorthouse, who was theBetter Together campaign'sdirector of communications during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and first appeared in Scotland'sHerald newspaper in 2013. It was originally intended as a joke, "an ironic suggestion forYes Scotland – a handy name it could use in its constant complaints about Better Together's allegedUnionist scaremongering".[1] It was subsequently adopted byScottish nationalists after Shorthouse used it in conversation with journalists at theScottish Conservatives party conference in June 2013 and it entered print.Scottish National Party leaderAlex Salmond used it to taunt unionist campaignerAlistair Darling during a televised debate.[2][3][4]
It later reappeared during campaigning ahead of the UK referendum on EU membership, being used to criticise the campaign being run byBritain Stronger in Europe, supporters of the UK remaining in theEU. Formermayor of London and key figurehead of theLeave campaignBoris Johnson re-introduced the term. He put forward claims that thepro-EU campaign was guilty of scaremongering, saying that "the agents of Project Fear" were trying to "spook" the British public into voting againstBritish withdrawal from the EU.[5][6]
The phrase was used by those who were in favour of Britain remaining within the EU.[7]Labour Party Shadow ChancellorJohn McDonnell said: "The EU referendum is about our future relationship with Europe, not who is the next leader of the Tory Party ... the Labour leadership will not go anywhere near the Tories' 'project fear' campaign on both sides of the debate. But instead we will continue to set out the positive case to 'Remain and Reform' the EU to create 'Another Europe' ... Another Europe is not just possible but urgently and vitally needed, which is why we must reject the offer of a Tory Brexit."[8]
In a speech,Remain campaigner Alistair Darling said: "Project Fear? In fact, it is a reality check. The kind anyone would take before making such an enormous decision in their lives."[9]David Cameron, who resigned as Prime Minister after the referendum result, rejected any allegations of fear-mongering, saying: "The only project I'm interested in is Project Fact. Project Fact is about saying: 'Stay in and you know what you'll get.'"[10] Others, such as London mayorSadiq Khan, stated that the Leave side had also been scaremongering with false claims of imminentTurkish accession to the EU.[11][12]
In late September 2020, Conservative MPDesmond Swayne used the term "Project Fear" when dismissing aCOVID-19 presentation by government scientistsChris Whitty andPatrick Vallance, in which they warned of50,000 cases per day by mid-October unless urgent action was taken.[13] Swayne called it "an attempt to terrify the British people".[14][nb 1]
In May 2021, Conservative MPSteve Baker described the UK's target for cutting its annualemissions of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050 as "Project Fear" following his appointment as a trustee of theGlobal Warming Policy Foundation, a lobby group that opposesclimate change legislation.[15] A speech made by Prime MinisterRishi Sunak in May 2024, seen by some commentators as the launch of the Conservative Party's general election campaign, was described as "Project Fear" due to Sunak's implication that an incoming Labour government would be unable to ensure the security of the UK from foreign threats, such asVladimir Putin.[16]
