Guidelines say government officials should instead refer to ‘31 December 2020’ – the date Britain left the EU
–
A Whitehall style guide advises civil servants to avoid using the word “Brexit” and instead refer to “31 December 2020”.
The guidelines say that government officials should only use the word when “providing historical context”.
Instead, civil servants are advised to refer to the date the UK left the European Union.
Officials are also told not to use the term “transition period” and instead use the dates during which the UK negotiated its departure from the EU.
The guidance has come to light just days after it was revealed that the Welsh government had imposed similar restrictions on its staff’s use of language.
The British Government’s language style guide, which is [published on Gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/style-guide/a-to-z-of-gov-uk-style), the Government’s official website, states: “You can use the term Brexit to provide historical context, but it’s better to use specific dates where possible.
“For example, use: 31 December 2020 rather than Brexit or when the UK left the EU”.
Other expressions that are allowed within the guidelines are “before 31 December 2020” rather than “during the transition period” and “after 1 January 2021” instead of “after the transition period.”
*Wales bans civil servants from using ‘Brexit’*
The news comes after Wales’ Labour government came under fire earlier this week for “banning” the term Brexit and telling civil servants: “Brexit has happened. Use transition period to refer to the time between 1 February and 31 December 2020.”
The devolved government’s guidelines, which were first published in 2019 and revised in December, also insist civil servants use “UK government” rather than “HM government”.
Another banned term is BAME. Instead of using the acronym for black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, staff are urged to use either “ethnic minority” or “ethnic minority community”.
Civil servants in Wales have also been told not to use the phrases “able bodied” or “vulnerable” instead they have been told to use “non-disabled”.
People with mental health conditions were also not to be referred to by the terms “mental patient, insane or mad”.
And those with dwarfism must be called “people with restricted growth or short stature”, under the Welsh government guidelines.
The terms “cripple” and “invalid” were also banned by the Welsh government.
The UK Government’s guide tells staff to “avoid passive, victim words” and to use language that “respects disabled people as active individuals”.
The official guide by the Cardiff-based Welsh government was drawn up for the 32,440 civil servants in Wales.
*‘Bonkers use of public money’*
Speaking to The Times, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Only last week we had ministers cancelling women from sex education in Wales, and now they’re consigning Brexit and Her Majesty to the political correctness bin.
“It’s a bonkers misuse of public money and a complete and utter waste of time. Civil servants who are just looking to get on with their day job shouldn’t be subjected to such nonsense.
“And to be frank, the Labour Welsh government has much more important things it should be tackling, such as the chronic problems in our NHS, and our crumbling road infrastructure which continues to serve as a national embarrassment.
“Wasting energy on problems that don’t even exist sadly epitomises the current socialist regime we have in Cardiff Bay, who seem intent on imposing a woke ideology right across Welsh public life.”
One civil servant said: “‘Some of these rules are ridiculous – they are just words and phrases used everyday by ordinary people.
“It is a massive A-Z but the only one missing is W for woke. It is just getting so nit-picking, well if I was allowed to say that.”
*Will Bolton*
29 December 2021 • 8:42pm
All seems reasonable when you consider how it’s used.
I.e. to provide advice on gov.uk and similar.
Whilst some of the alternatives are questionable I take major issue with the censoring of the word Brexit. It stinks of the government trying to sanitise, what has become, the biggest farce in living memory. The idiots in Whitehall may changing words around makes things better for the government I think it’s yet another ill thought out pile of junk.
I do agree to quite a lot of these guidelines, especially those political identity words like BAME that was used in click-baity BBC articles that “Everybody not white are more victimized than white”.
No ethnic or cultural context, no class based review. Just makes it seem like non-white people obtain everything by crying victim and white people are not allowed to complain about their struggles because they all have the same privilaged experience. It just insults people all directions.
Not sure about Brexit. Part of me thinks it has become a political identity word that is being used by the the common folks for non-constructive statements (I’ve recently only seen it used in real life and it created divisive tension where people diss the other’s Brexit stance), but then again I don’t trust Boris after he tried to hide hard-Brexit as Australia style agreement when it was a critical word.
[removed]
That’s ok, we’ll do it for you.
“Brexit is a disaster”. See? Easy!
It should never have been used in the first place, by Civil servants or MPs. It was a slay way of introducing US political media practice.
Fuck that, this shit show will always be referred to as Brexit
” The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
They will continue to hear it, they brought it on themselves. I hope it rings in every Brexit supporter’s ears like tinnitus every single day and the last words spoken on their deathbed will be the screaming for the ringing to end. Even better would be to see all their faces when (Yes when) we rejoin.
“31 December 2020: no matter how you put it Brexit means Brexit.”
Most of this doesn’t seem to bad to me. Brexit is a word used to mean about 10 different things. Leaving the EU under a hard deal, joining EFTA and about 100 other things. Mostly though it’s used for the decision to leave. Now we’ve left we need a new term for it. Transition period or after we left the EU are better terms. Plus they aren’t meaning this always has to be done, just in official documentation.
13 comments
Guidelines say government officials should instead refer to ‘31 December 2020’ – the date Britain left the EU
–
A Whitehall style guide advises civil servants to avoid using the word “Brexit” and instead refer to “31 December 2020”.
The guidelines say that government officials should only use the word when “providing historical context”.
Instead, civil servants are advised to refer to the date the UK left the European Union.
Officials are also told not to use the term “transition period” and instead use the dates during which the UK negotiated its departure from the EU.
The guidance has come to light just days after it was revealed that the Welsh government had imposed similar restrictions on its staff’s use of language.
The British Government’s language style guide, which is [published on Gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/style-guide/a-to-z-of-gov-uk-style), the Government’s official website, states: “You can use the term Brexit to provide historical context, but it’s better to use specific dates where possible.
“For example, use: 31 December 2020 rather than Brexit or when the UK left the EU”.
Other expressions that are allowed within the guidelines are “before 31 December 2020” rather than “during the transition period” and “after 1 January 2021” instead of “after the transition period.”
*Wales bans civil servants from using ‘Brexit’*
The news comes after Wales’ Labour government came under fire earlier this week for “banning” the term Brexit and telling civil servants: “Brexit has happened. Use transition period to refer to the time between 1 February and 31 December 2020.”
The devolved government’s guidelines, which were first published in 2019 and revised in December, also insist civil servants use “UK government” rather than “HM government”.
Another banned term is BAME. Instead of using the acronym for black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, staff are urged to use either “ethnic minority” or “ethnic minority community”.
Civil servants in Wales have also been told not to use the phrases “able bodied” or “vulnerable” instead they have been told to use “non-disabled”.
People with mental health conditions were also not to be referred to by the terms “mental patient, insane or mad”.
And those with dwarfism must be called “people with restricted growth or short stature”, under the Welsh government guidelines.
The terms “cripple” and “invalid” were also banned by the Welsh government.
The UK Government’s guide tells staff to “avoid passive, victim words” and to use language that “respects disabled people as active individuals”.
The official guide by the Cardiff-based Welsh government was drawn up for the 32,440 civil servants in Wales.
*‘Bonkers use of public money’*
Speaking to The Times, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies said: “Only last week we had ministers cancelling women from sex education in Wales, and now they’re consigning Brexit and Her Majesty to the political correctness bin.
“It’s a bonkers misuse of public money and a complete and utter waste of time. Civil servants who are just looking to get on with their day job shouldn’t be subjected to such nonsense.
“And to be frank, the Labour Welsh government has much more important things it should be tackling, such as the chronic problems in our NHS, and our crumbling road infrastructure which continues to serve as a national embarrassment.
“Wasting energy on problems that don’t even exist sadly epitomises the current socialist regime we have in Cardiff Bay, who seem intent on imposing a woke ideology right across Welsh public life.”
One civil servant said: “‘Some of these rules are ridiculous – they are just words and phrases used everyday by ordinary people.
“It is a massive A-Z but the only one missing is W for woke. It is just getting so nit-picking, well if I was allowed to say that.”
*Will Bolton*
29 December 2021 • 8:42pm
All seems reasonable when you consider how it’s used.
I.e. to provide advice on gov.uk and similar.
Whilst some of the alternatives are questionable I take major issue with the censoring of the word Brexit. It stinks of the government trying to sanitise, what has become, the biggest farce in living memory. The idiots in Whitehall may changing words around makes things better for the government I think it’s yet another ill thought out pile of junk.
while on the subject:
>NYT: [What a Year of Brexit Brought U.K. Companies: Higher Costs and Endless Forms](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/29/business/uk-companies-brexit-trade.html)
>
>While the worst of the Brexit trade disruptions are over, British exports to the European Union are down and companies are frustrated.
>
>([mirror](https://archive.is/uiI8J))
if that weren’t bad enough…
>FT: [Businesses struggle to prepare for UK’s post-Brexit import controls](https://www.ft.com/content/eabd3113-c669-4792-95cf-b5ad0ea6da3b)
>
>Introduction of rules delayed by a year to keep trade flowing will add to pressure, warn companies
>
>([mirror](https://archive.is/A7E2Y))
–
>Guardian: [What the UK and hauliers can expect from long-delayed Brexit controls](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/29/eu-exporters-to-uk-face-a-rude-awakening-as-brexit-controls-bite)
>
>From 1 January checks and paperwork will finally begin and EU exporters face a rude awakening
–
>Guardian: [‘It won’t be easy’: the European exporters battling Brexit bureaucracy](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/29/it-wont-be-easy-the-european-exporters-battling-brexit-bureaucracy)
>
>Paperwork and Covid culminate in another year of headaches for food and wine producers
–
and:
>Politico: [EU’s Šefčovič warns of Brexit deal ‘collapse’ if UK exits Northern Ireland Protocol](https://www.politico.eu/article/sefcovic-warns-of-brexit-deal-collapse-if-uk-exits-northern-ireland-protocol/)
–
hmm… me bloody forgetting:
>GGF: [Brexit, AI governance, and public service leadership: 2021 in review](https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/brexit-ai-governance-and-public-service-leadership-2021-in-review/)
I do agree to quite a lot of these guidelines, especially those political identity words like BAME that was used in click-baity BBC articles that “Everybody not white are more victimized than white”.
No ethnic or cultural context, no class based review. Just makes it seem like non-white people obtain everything by crying victim and white people are not allowed to complain about their struggles because they all have the same privilaged experience. It just insults people all directions.
Not sure about Brexit. Part of me thinks it has become a political identity word that is being used by the the common folks for non-constructive statements (I’ve recently only seen it used in real life and it created divisive tension where people diss the other’s Brexit stance), but then again I don’t trust Boris after he tried to hide hard-Brexit as Australia style agreement when it was a critical word.
[removed]
That’s ok, we’ll do it for you.
“Brexit is a disaster”. See? Easy!
It should never have been used in the first place, by Civil servants or MPs. It was a slay way of introducing US political media practice.
Fuck that, this shit show will always be referred to as Brexit
” The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
They will continue to hear it, they brought it on themselves. I hope it rings in every Brexit supporter’s ears like tinnitus every single day and the last words spoken on their deathbed will be the screaming for the ringing to end. Even better would be to see all their faces when (Yes when) we rejoin.
“31 December 2020: no matter how you put it Brexit means Brexit.”
Most of this doesn’t seem to bad to me. Brexit is a word used to mean about 10 different things. Leaving the EU under a hard deal, joining EFTA and about 100 other things. Mostly though it’s used for the decision to leave. Now we’ve left we need a new term for it. Transition period or after we left the EU are better terms. Plus they aren’t meaning this always has to be done, just in official documentation.