It's The Sun Wot Won It
Encyclopedia
"It's The Sun Wot Won It" is a famous headline
that appeared on the front-page of The Sun
on Saturday 11 April 1992, and has since become a political catch phrase in the United Kingdom
.
victory in the 1992 general election
. What influence the newspaper had on voters in the narrow Conservative victory is unclear, but in the leading up to polling day, the newspaper led a campaign against the Labour Party
leader, Neil Kinnock
, which culminated in the election day
headline, "If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights". This was due to the fact that Labour had topped the opinion polls for most of the three years leading up to the election and as the election loomed it was looking likely that the election would end in a hung parliament
or a narrow Labour majority. Even some Tory MPs acknowledged that The Sun contributed to their election triumph. Kinnock himself blamed The Sun for his failure to win the election, though he also admitted that he had been half expecting to lose the election even before the article was published.
when The Sun switched sides and supported Labour's
new leader Tony Blair
, who won the election by a landslide. However, unlike in 1992, opinion polls thoughout the inter-election period had consistently suggested such a result was likely.
In 2004, it was said to be The Guardian
"wot lost it" for John Kerry
in the US presidential election
, after the newspaper started a letter writing campaign to voters in Ohio
urging them to vote for Kerry; the state went for George W. Bush
. More recently in the 2008 London Mayoral election
, it was supposedly the Evening Standard
'wot won it' for Boris Johnson
. In 2008, The Sun used a variation of the headline for a debate at the Oxford Union
over the Page Three girl
claiming 'It's Sun's girls wot won it'.
On 6 May 2010, an altered version of the anti-Kinnock headline appeared in the centre pages of The Sun featuring Labour prime minister Gordon Brown
and the words "If Brown wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights" next to an image of Brown's head in a lightbulb. The Sun had announced its backing for the Tory opposition (led by David Cameron
) the previous year. The election saw the Conservatives gain the most seats but fall short of an overall majority, needing to agree a coalition with the Liberal Democrats
in order to form a majority government.
The headline "will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights" was paraphrased during the News International phone hacking scandal to refer to the closure of the News of the World
.
Headline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
that appeared on the front-page of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
on Saturday 11 April 1992, and has since become a political catch phrase in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Origin
The headline referred to The Sun's contribution to the unexpected ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
victory in the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
. What influence the newspaper had on voters in the narrow Conservative victory is unclear, but in the leading up to polling day, the newspaper led a campaign against the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
leader, Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, which culminated in the election day
Election Day (politics)
Election Day refers to the day when general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate, while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday...
headline, "If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights". This was due to the fact that Labour had topped the opinion polls for most of the three years leading up to the election and as the election loomed it was looking likely that the election would end in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
or a narrow Labour majority. Even some Tory MPs acknowledged that The Sun contributed to their election triumph. Kinnock himself blamed The Sun for his failure to win the election, though he also admitted that he had been half expecting to lose the election even before the article was published.
Later use
Variations of the headline are frequently used in the UK media during elections. The phrase was used again by many political commentators after the 1997 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
when The Sun switched sides and supported Labour's
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
new leader Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, who won the election by a landslide. However, unlike in 1992, opinion polls thoughout the inter-election period had consistently suggested such a result was likely.
In 2004, it was said to be The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
"wot lost it" for John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
in the US presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, after the newspaper started a letter writing campaign to voters in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
urging them to vote for Kerry; the state went for George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. More recently in the 2008 London Mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2008
The London mayoral election, 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson....
, it was supposedly the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
'wot won it' for Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
. In 2008, The Sun used a variation of the headline for a debate at the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
over the Page Three girl
Page Three girl
Page Three is a tabloid newspaper feature consisting of a topless photograph of a female glamour model, usually printed on the paper's third page...
claiming 'It's Sun's girls wot won it'.
On 6 May 2010, an altered version of the anti-Kinnock headline appeared in the centre pages of The Sun featuring Labour prime minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
and the words "If Brown wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights" next to an image of Brown's head in a lightbulb. The Sun had announced its backing for the Tory opposition (led by David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
) the previous year. The election saw the Conservatives gain the most seats but fall short of an overall majority, needing to agree a coalition with the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
in order to form a majority government.
The headline "will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights" was paraphrased during the News International phone hacking scandal to refer to the closure of the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
.