Luke Graham was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ochil and Perthshire South from 2017 to 2019, the candidate in Perth and Kinross-shire in 2024, and a former head of the Downing Street Union Unit.
Conference season is well underway and alongside the marching bands of the LibDems, Reform sing-a-longs and Labour disappointments, a common phrase has returned – the use of “British”: British people, the British working woman/man, British economy, British landscape, British teacakes…regardless of the party, the B-word is back.
This is a welcome change – I remember under New Labour being “British” was discouraged – many of the key Government buildings in London did not fly the Union flag and UK government replaced British government abroad. The drive for devolution also focused minds on Scotland and Wales verses the UK as a whole.
In the devolved parts of the UK, nationalists have repeatedly tried to erase to “British” from the national vocabulary. I remember a senior Welsh Labour SPAD shouting down the phone at me for daring to say that people can be Welsh and British. I also remember during the EU Referendum when remain campaigners in Bristol were happy to wave EU flags but not our own, Union flag. In fact, just two weeks ago John Swinney, SNP First Minister of Scotland, was having a typically nationalistic convulsion against the Labour government’s “Britcard” proposal, not because he has a strong objection to digital ID, but because the card carried the fact that every citizen is of course, British. It is this self-evident fact that one that nationalists are desperate to hide as they try to divide the UK and destroy the British state.
British as a term and as an identity has been battered over the past 20-30 years, with left wingers and nationalists of all colours condemning the identity in classrooms, speeches and in official documents. Similarly, if you hear any SNP and Plaid Cymru communication, they will never refer to British identity, only to Scottish or Welsh and “Westminster” i.e. England.
But the bashing hasn’t just come from nationalists who want to deny a British identity. It has comes from many folks in England referring to England instead of the UK or implying British and English are the same thing. Furthermore, many TV shows and films confuse the multiple identities of the UK. Frankly, if I see one more Netflix show that refers to HM The King as only being the King of England instead of the King of the United Kingdom I may need put my TV in a blender.
British identity is often used to represent something old fashioned, out of touch or worse, portrayed as discriminatory or ignorant. And this is why redefining and fighting for our British identity matters. The rise of the Reform, the resurgence of the SNP and Plaid means that if we are not careful, we will face a very English-sounding Reform vs. two nationalist parties who will use disenchantment to drive up separatist sentiment and return us to referendum politics. Condemning those waving Union flags as “British nationalists” trying to destroy Scottish/Welsh identity.
So, the fight is on – those who feel, like the majority of the population, comfortable with being English/Welsh/Scottish/NI and British need to work to define and argue for this to prevent more nationalistic narratives taking hold.
To win, I firmly believe that we need to look forward and not back. We can and should of course recognise the legacy of what being British means: our long history, empire, industry, rationalism (very much needed right now), The Enlightenment and multiracial integration. But we should also focus on what we want it to mean: innovation, progress, rigour, integrity, clear and fair justice, democracy and an insatiable desire to improve the lot of everyone.
We want to fight for being British, but better. We have to seize our multi-layered identities from who are dedicated to destroying them to ensure the next generation can be as comfortable cheering team GB as team England. To be as emotional about the red, white and blue of the Union flag as the Welsh dragon, Scottish Saltire, St Patrick’s or St George’s crosses.
To do this we need to reinforce the principles and aspirations of Britishness in our schools, through our civic institutions, sport and culture. We cannot be passive, nor can we lean back and rely on tradition, we need a clear and consistent campaign to elevate Britishness to be an identity and brand that people want to be associated with. Where citizens can feel comfortable and at ease being proud of their village, town, country, nation and our state. Where they know that being British is not a retrograde slur, but a commitment to be better, to shared values from democracy and justice to opportunity and innovation. I want to hear Britons speaking with pride not just about our shared past successes such as the NHS, but our shared vision and optimism for where we are going next. This requires thought, vision and those ready to argue for such a vision with the same tenacity as the SNP, Plaid or others who argue for the opposite.
The fight for Britishness has not been won; it has just begun.
