Alok Sharma (politician) · "I am proud to have been part of a government that delivered Brexit and took ba..."

Speech during 2019 Conservative Party leadership campaign (as Brexit supporter) · Checked on 4 March 2026

I am proud to have been part of a government that delivered Brexit and took back control of our laws, borders, and money.

Analysis

Alok Sharma served as a junior minister in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (July 2016‑Jan 2018) and then as Minister for International Trade (Jan 2018‑July 2019) under both Theresa May and Boris Johnson. The government he served in negotiated and implemented the Brexit withdrawal agreement, leading to the UK's formal exit on 31 January 2020, which restored parliamentary control over UK law, border enforcement, and fiscal policy. His statement reflects his role within that government, making the claim factually accurate.

Background

The 2019 Conservative leadership race culminated in Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister, after which the government passed the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, completing Brexit. These measures returned legislative sovereignty, border management, and fiscal autonomy to the UK. Alok Sharma, as a minister, was part of that administration.

Verdict summary

Alok Sharma was a member of the UK government that oversaw Brexit and the subsequent regaining of legislative, border, and fiscal control.

Sources consulted

— https://www.gov.uk/government/people/alok-sharma (official UK government profile listing ministerial posts)

— BBC News, "UK formally leaves the European Union", 31 January 2020 (covers the legal and practical hand‑over of laws, borders and money)

— Parliamentary record (Hansard) of Alok Sharma’s statements on Brexit, July 2019 (evidence of his involvement in the government’s Brexit agenda)