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'English question' needs government attention, report says

25/02/2008

English people want something to be done about their perceived lack of political representation compared to other parts of the UK, but support for an English parliament remains restricted to a minority, new research shows.

Two new reports published today by the Institute for Public Policy Research North (IPPR North) warn that, while there are widespread concerns about English identity and English representation the government has yet to get to grips with, no clear solution is taking hold in the public imagination.

Professor John Curtice is the author of one of the reports, entitled Where Stands the Union Now? Lessons from the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election.

He explained: "Just as people in Scotland might support devolution rather than independence but would still like the terms of the settlement changed, so England may not want devolution, let alone independence, for itself, but might still want the apparent anomalies created by the current settlement removed."

Professor Curtice's research found that only 22 per cent of English people surveyed thought that an English parliament would address the inequalities created by Labour's devolution programme, which has seen the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh National Assembly and the Northern Irish Assembly.

While awareness of this issue is low, Professor Curtice warned that it has the potential to become a much bigger political issue in future if it is not addressed.

IPPR senior research fellow Guy Lodge said: "The English public is beginning to wake up to the anomalies created by devolution and want something done about them. This does not yet amount to a backlash against the Union, nor does there appear to be any serious support for radical policies like an English parliament.

"But it does suggest the need for the government to address the position of England within the union as part of their plans for further constitutional reform if it is to prevent disaffection within England growing."

The second report, Beyond the Constitution? Englishness in a post-devolved Britain, addresses questions of English identity, and concludes that the government has once again not pursued a coherent approach.

Report author Michael Kenny warned: "A modern, vibrant, English identity need not be a British loss. Indeed, the future strength of the democratic, civic Britishness that Gordon Brown wishes to advance is substantially dependent on the nature of the Englishness accommodated within."