The Reform UK Party is leading in the polls and recently won control of ten councils in the local elections. The party believes young people do not have enough respect for ‘traditional British values’. Its manifesto claims that “Reform UK wants an education system that ensures young people are proud of Britain …”. They also believe that “Only Reform UK will stand up for British culture, identity and values”. But what do patriotism and traditional British values mean? And is Reform really the party to defend them?
What are Britons proud of?
Policy Exchange’s report ‘A Portrait of Modern Britain’ shows that the net figure of the UK population believing children raised in Britain should be taught to be proud of Britain and its history is 58%. The report also said that the historical events which make people proud of their British identity were Britain’s role in the first and second world war (32% and 48% respectively), the abolition of the slave trade (22%), the Industrial Revolution (19%), and the signing of the Magna Carta (15%). The recent historical events which increased national pride and a sense of belonging in Britain are Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee (50%), her death and funeral (45%), the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony (45%), the England women’s football team winning Euro 2022 (44%), Britain’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout and Britain’s support to Ukraine (both 44%) and England men’s football team reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup (40%). Despite the pride in support for Ukraine, Reform chose to remove Ukrainian flags from Durham County Council. At Kent County Council, they have done the same thing.
In April 2024, YouGov published the results of a poll question “Regarding the UK, how patriotic would you say you are?”. Some 20% responded ‘very patriotic’ and 38% responded ‘fairly patriotic’. In September 2021, it also published a poll with responses to a question “Thinking about Britain today, would you say it was more something to be proud of, or ashamed of, or neither” – 24% responded with ‘more something to be proud of’.
National pride is falling – but most are still patriotic
According to the British Social Attitudes Survey 2024, there was a 22-point fall in the proportion of people saying they were proud of Britain’s history between 1995 and 2023. There were also marked declines in the proportion of people expressing pride in Britain’s democracy, its economic achievements and its political influence in the world. However, the levels of pride in Britain’s achievements in sport and the arts have remained high over the last ten years.
A report by Opinium , ‘Black History Month – Patriotism in the UK report’, revealed that 45% of UK citizens believe patriotism is defined by a shared duty of citizenship and service towards others and the state. Some 42% report that patriotism means sharing a love of national culture and art forms, whilst 35% express it is defined by a shared love of historical triumphs of nation and empire. Among the things that make UK citizens patriotic, 58% refer to the NHS, 39% to multiculturalism and 37% to the country’s natural beauty.
We see that national pride is an important component of British society and it is well-aware of the things in Britain that it should be proud of. The attitudes towards history are more complex as people are aware of the negative sides of British society. However, people consider diversity and multiculturalism as part of patriotism too.
Redefining British patriotism
The majority of people in the country still therefore consider themselves patriotic. But pride in the country has been falling. Why is this?
The Guardian journalist Kenan Malik writes that Britain’s history, especially its role as an imperial power and in the transatlantic slave trade, has come under more critical scrutiny in recent years. The fact that more people are aware of the problems of colonialism and more willing to question aspects of British history is something to be welcomed. Malik highlights that there is more than one way to understand the nation’s past. History “consists of many threads, some admirable, others despicable, yet others a mixture of the two”.
Sonia Sodha, also writing in the Guardian, proposes that patriotism is also frowned upon in some quarters because it is considered “as a bombastic retelling of flawed history, a euphemism for ethno-nationalism and a way to cast out outsiders”. She adds that “collective sense of national pride doesn’t have to be any of those things”, and that “the racial and class diversity of the England men’s team shows it’s perfectly possible to have a patriotism that doesn’t exclude people because of their skin colour or where they grew up”.
Andrew Bowie, a Conservative MP, writes that “one of the glories of modern Britain is that have been, unlike many other countries with similarly blemished histories, confident enough in who we are to be able to reflect, debate, and discuss the rights and wrongs of our past without feeling ashamed of who we are or who what we represent”.Bowie contendsthat there are many things to be proud about in Britain – foreign aid and charitable giving, combating climate change, universities, sport, theatres, galleries, film, television, technology, the armed forces who are“ready to fight and defend our friends and promote democracy and the rule of law”, multiculturalism and being one of the most LGBT+ friendly countries in the world. Reform also chose not to see the last fact as something to celebrate when it unapologetically refused to fly Pride flags from Durham County Council and Kent County Council.
Traditional and modern British values
There is no single agreed definition of British values. The Guardian journalist David Shariatmadari lists them as democracy, free speech, property, tolerance, institution building, eccentricity and comedy. And both Labour and the Conservatives have attempted to present themselves as the party that promotes and upholds British values.
In 2014, the government under David Cameron published guidance on promoting British values in schools. It said that “Schools should promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs”. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi wrote that British values have to be inclusive, not exclusive.Theresa May, in a speech in 2015, listed British values as “regard for the rule of law, participation in and acceptance of democracy, equality, free speech and respect for minorities”, however, Mohammed Amin, chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, writes that these values are not “exclusively British” and recommends talking about “values underpinning British society” and “our shared human values”.
Lucy Powell current leader of the House of Commons, wrote that Labour enshrines patriotic principles and that “progressive politics has been at its most successful and transformational when it captures the best of British values, nurtures our world-famous institutions and instils a belief that our best days lie ahead of us, not just in the past”. In September 2024, Keir Starmer condemned far-right rioting and said that rioters would not win because standing for British values meansnot just respecting the rule of law “but a love for this country and our neighbours, the respect for difference under the same flag, that is stronger than bricks”.
Despite the many different definitions, there do seem to be some common themes: democracy, freedom and tolerance. However, these are what some can call modern British values, and these contrast with traditional values which put emphasis on family, religion and discipline.
Reform don’t own patriotism, or British values
The political system in Britain is gradually changing from two-party dominance to a multi-party system. Reform, according to the latest YouGov polling, now holds a six point lead over Labour. Some believe that Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats will need to adapt their policies to appeal to Reform supporters. They must at least be open to understanding the ideas that attract people to Reform, who construct their policies by combining these ideas with their traditional interpretation of patriotism and British values.
But Reform’s version of patriotism is not the only one that exists.
Patriotism and national pride are broad concepts that give each person the freedom to decide what they want to be proud of. Emphasising modern British values like democracy, freedom, inclusivity and tolerance alongside an emphasis on national pride and a personal interpretation of patriotism is a different political approach to Reform’s, which could be attractive to voters if it is communicated in the right way.
Shunning divisions and inspiring hope and inclusivity
In my view, patriotism and national pride are about achievements and strengths. They mean remembering the price of these achievements and strengths. They are also about knowing what mistakes have been made, admitting them and learning from the consequences. They are about understanding our weaknesses and doing whatever is necessary to remove them. Patriotism is a product of hope to which people can turn when times are hard to remind themselves that not everything is lost.
When patriotism becomes a means of creating division, it weakens the fabric of the nation and erodes the inclusivity and tolerance we need to nurture a healthy society. Conversely, politicians and pundits alike may choose to encourage a form of patriotism and national pride that celebrates the deeper human values that define the best of who we are. Anything else would cheapen us.
