Labour usually ducks the question. We can\u2019t any longer, and it\u2019s about more than flags and football. Englishness does require some sense of England as a nation: as a physical and historic place with borders, boundaries, villages, towns and cities. England is part of Britain, but not the same as Britain. It has distinct political and social interests identified in opinion polls and, after all, domestic policy across the UK has been devolved for 25 years. <\/p>\n
To be English carries a sense of English history: we have been shaped by, and have shaped, historical events. Englishness implies an understanding of who the people of England are. While most people in England say they are English and British, those who are most strongly English are the most patriotic about both identities. They are more likely to identify with a particular place in England.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scroll to keep reading the story below\u2026.<\/strong> READ MORE: \u2018Politics has a problem with young women. I\u2019ve seen it first hand\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n All these ideas of England are contested, of course. That\u2019s what the fight with the populist right is all about. Labour leaders usually choose only to talk about Britain (except on the occasional trip to Wales or Scotland). Much of the left is often uncertain on this terrain. Left activists often come from the 10-15% of the population which feels much less patriotic than the majority. Some think England and Britain are the same, despite history, geography, devolution and nationalist aspirations. <\/p>\n Some worry \u2013 correctly \u2013 about ideas of England as top nation that was always right, rather than an identity that intertwines the stories of everyone living here. Others fear that \u2018the people\u2019 means a fixed ethnic group or the people with \u2018generational ties to English soil and ancestral stories tied to the towns or villages of this land\u2019 as Braverman puts it. In truth, Englishness has historically incorporated newcomers who invest in their lives here. As we confront the populist right we can\u2019t be spectators. Whose idea of England will win?<\/p>\n \u2018We can reject the appeal of the populist right but talk proudly of an England in tune with its people\u2019<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of progressive potential to build on. 90% think you don\u2019t have to be white to be English (the same as for Britishness). 80% believe that being born here, like Sunak, entitles you to be English, which means that over time everyone of migrant origin gains an English birthright. Historians like David Olusoga have given us confidence to confront true history without culture wars.<\/p>\n Recent events have opened new arguments.\u00a0 The US turn against Europe and Ukraine, and the global economic chaos unleashed by Trump, have made Labour start talking about us as a nation that makes its own choices. The Southport riots and grooming gangs have disturbed our cohesive society, requiring a new national story.\u00a0 More nationalist economics and a new commitment to defence appeals to English (and British) ideas of patriotism while\u00a0 Labour\u2019s aspirations to radically decentralise\u00a0 England can tap into deep local identities.<\/p>\n To take advantage, Keir Starmer\u2019s government should clearly and directly take on the challenge of appealing to England, not just to Britain. We can clearly reject the racist appeal of the populist right, whether Tory or Reform, but talk proudly of an England that is in tune with most of its people.<\/p>\n The English Labour Network will host a discussion of Labour\u2019s English identity in Westminster this afternoon at 5.15pm. Speakers include Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Margaret Mullane MP, Fred Thomas MP, Gareth Snell MP, PPI\u2019s Claire Ainsley and British Future\u2019s Sunder Katwala. Find more information and book tickets here.<\/a><\/p>\n For more from LabourList, subscribe to our daily newsletter<\/a> roundup of all things Labour \u2013 and follow us <\/strong>on\u00a0 <\/strong>Bluesky<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, <\/strong>Threads<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>X<\/a> or <\/strong>Facebook .<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Value our free and unique service?<\/p>\n LabourList has more readers than ever before – but we need your support. Our dedicated coverage of Labour’s policies and personalities, internal debates, selections and elections relies on donations from our readers.<\/p>\n
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