Is England looking to replace its national anthem 'God Save the Queen'?
British MPs today initiated a debate in the House of Commons on whether to replace 'God Save the Queen' as the official anthem for England and get a song that represents only England and not Britain as a whole.
Labour's shadow defence minister Toby Perkins proposed in Parliament that a public consultation be launched to decide on a more appropriate song that represents only England and not Britain as a whole.
While Scotland has 'Flower of Scotland' and Wales had 'Land of My Fathers' as their own anthems, England uses the UK's anthem as its own.
"We do need a new settlement for England, seeing the devolution in Scotland and Wales. I was very much struck by this at the Rugby International when England played Wales. All the Welsh were up there singing their anthem. And then we were representing England but we were singing the British anthem," Perkins said.
"England is a component part of the UK but it competes as a country in its own right and I think a song that celebrated England rather than Britain would be more appropriate," he said.
The Labour MP wants England to adopt patriotic song 'Jerusalem' by poet William Blake as its official anthem.
Other options could include 'Land Of Hope And Glory' and 'There'll Always Be An England', to be decided by the English public.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative MP for North East Somerset, opposed the motion in the Commons.
"What greater pleasure can there be for a true born English man or true born English woman to listen to our own national anthem," said Rees-Mogg.
"To listen to those words that link us to our sovereign, who is part of that chain that takes us back to our history," he said.
One of the Queen's cousins has said that abandoning'God Save the Queen'would be seen by the monarch as "rather rude" and a "silly idea".
"We have been happily singing'God Save the Queen'for ever. I don't see the need to change it. The Queen has always said she's only there for as long as people want her, but I should think they'd think it's rather rude. As far as I'm concerned it's a silly idea," Rhodes was quoted as saying by theSunday Express.
MPs will have to vote on whether or not the bill should be introduced and if the motion is passed, it will go on to have a second reading.
