Anthem - epetition reply
16 November 2007
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to initiate a Parliamentary debate on the adoption of a national anthem for England that is distinct from the British national anthem."
Details of Petition:
"The British anthem - God Save the Queen - should not be sung by the English as an English anthem. It is disrespectful to England, Scotland and Wales to conflate England with Britain in this way; for England is a nation every bit as much as Scotland and Wales, and those Scots and Welsh that still consider themselves British are now obliged to boo their own anthem for fear of being regarded as traitors by an increasingly nationalistic tendency. http://anthem4england.co.uk/."
Read the Government's response
There are currently no plans to introduce an official English anthem, but the Government recognises that the constituent parts of the United Kingdom may quite properly have national songs for which they have a particular attachment. However, the choice of anthem at sporting events is entirely a matter for the sport concerned. The English Cricket Board, for instance, made the decision to play 'Jerusalem' when the team took the field. Any such suggestions are best addressed to the relevant sport's governing body.
Further Information
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