Boris Johnson urged the country to buy British, as he backed this newspaper’s Brilliantly British campaign to prioritise UK-made products in the lead up to Christmas. The Prime Minister has heavily praised the campaign and said the action will help provide a boost to struggling British high streets and businesses. Express.co.uk readers have also thrown their weight behind the cause and urged Britons to buy local.
Readers were asked: “Should we focus on buying British goods to kickstart economy in 2021?”
The poll was carried out from 12.30pm-9.30pm on December 2 and 8,996 people responded.
The overwhelming majority backed the move, with 97 percent (8,750) voting “yes”.
Just three percent (224) said “no”, with less than one percent (22) opting for “don’t know”.
Readers then took to the comments to explain why they thought Britons should focus on buying UK goods – as the UK tries to salvage its economy in the wake of the Covid crisis.
One person said: “Yes, we should always support local producers above foreign competitors.”
A second user wrote: “Buy the Best. Buy BRITISH.”
A third said: “I have been doing this for years. Shop local and support your local economy.”
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A third wrote: “Britain first has to be a good idea.
“The sooner we are out and away from the negotiating table the better.
“The UK will govern itself and choose its own future way forward after years of paying into the EU and getting nothing from it.”
Another user drew parallels to the ‘I’m Backing Britain’ campaign launched in the late 1960s.
The move was aimed at boosting the British economy and started in December 1967 when five secretaries at a ventilation and heating company volunteered to work an extra half hour each day without extra pay to help boost productivity.
Other companies started to follow suit and the Government endorsed the campaign.
The reader wrote: “We had this in the early 70’s when the then Government asked for the same.
“Shops were handing shopping bags out with the slogan: ‘I’m backing Britain’.”
