Meet the MP who just told Keir Starmer's Labour it's time to admit England is great

Jack Walters
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:06:24 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer faces a question this St George’s Day. Away from the furore over revelations about Lord Mandelson, the Prime Minister remains at the behest of another problem facing the Labour Party: Is Labour really proud to be English?

The answer, as The People's Channel was told in Canvey Island last St George’s Day, remains 'no' in some corners of the country.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson have both accused Sir Keir’s Labour of lacking on the matter of patriotism.

The row around Operation Raise the Colours also puts Sir Keir in a difficult position, with the Prime Minister being forced to insist that “patriotism is always an important thing”.

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However, for Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash, who is a leading member of Blue Labour’s eight-man caucus in the House of Commons, the question prompts a rather clearer answer.

The former teacher told GB News: "At times, parts of the left have been too hesitant to talk about nation, identity, and pride and that’s been a mistake.

"Because patriotism, properly understood, is about service, contribution, and responsibility to one another.

"Labour’s history shows that clearly. We are the party that built the NHS, backed our armed forces, and helped shape the international alliances that keep us secure. That’s something we should be confident in saying."

Mr Brash, who yesterday urged Sir Keir to quit as Prime Minister, added: "The argument I make within Labour is simple: we should never cede patriotism to others. Our values and our record are deeply rooted in the story of this country."

The Red Wall MP's fears about how the left has previously spoken about patriotism appear all too important to Sir Keir’s own electability.

Polling by More in Common at the time of the 2024 General Election found that 36 per cent of voters who identify as exclusively English voted Labour, compared to 28 per cent for the Tories and 23 per cent for Reform UK.

However, residents in Canvey Island, which is England's most English town, last year pinned any hope of a revival in English pride squarely on Nigel Farage's shoulders.

In a direct challenge to Mr Farage, Mr Brash said: "Patriotism isn’t owned by any one party and it certainly doesn’t belong to Nigel Farage or Reform UK.

"If you believe in the NHS, if you believe in backing our armed forces, if you believe in giving every child a fair chance, then you’re expressing a form of patriotism.

"Because that’s about wanting your country to succeed and your fellow citizens to thrive."

Despite the Hartlepool MP's insistence, some GB News readers may remain somewhat wary of Labour’s attempt to wrap itself, in this instance, in the flag of St George.

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Left-wing circles have been accused of being beset by intellectuals who berate symbols of patriotism for decades.

George Orwell, the great socialist writer of the 20th century, wrote: "In left-wing circles, it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution.

"It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during ‘God Save the King’ than of stealing from a poor box."

The problem resurfaced in 2014 when Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry was said to have sneered at a voter while taking a photo of his St George’s flag in Kent.

Ex-Labour MP John Denham previously admitted: "It is undoubtedly the case that people on the liberal left are largely responsible for stereotyping Englishness as an inevitably reactionary or racist identity, when it isn't."

The Prime Minister last night delivered his St George's Day message to the nation, placing "values of service, of generosity, and of respect" as cornerstones of what it means to be English.

Sir Keir added: "It’s really important we do that, because there’s no getting round the fact that there are voices both here and abroad, who would seek to divide us, who want to set us apart from each other, who want to pretend that in this country, what we really do is to distinguish between people, to find their points of difference, to have a sort of toxic culture of hatred between different individuals, different groups, different communities."

However, talk about national pride also triggered some Labour MPs to lash out at political rivals.

"The majority of us love our country, rather than a far-right fantasy version of it – and I believe it is for all of us to stand up and make our patriotism and our unity clear," Labour MP Calvin Bailey told GB News.

Mr Brash took a slightly different approach, saying: "For me, patriotism is about pride in our achievements and a determination to build on them."

He included the creation of the National Health Service, expanding opportunities for children regardless of their background, standing firm on the world stage as key chapters in Labour's proud history with England.

Mr Brash added: "Fundamentally, because of the values that have shaped our country, fairness, decency, courage, and a deep sense of looking out for one another.

"And I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together as a nation when we’ve been at our best."

However, Mr Brash is not alone in pushing for Labour to show its patriotic colours.

The gang of eight involved in Blue Labour, albeit a tiny minority in the parliamentary Labour Party, places itself firmly on its patriotic fringes.

Spearheaded by proud Brexiteer Lord Maurice Glasman, the group appears unapologetic in addressing the issues that matter most to GB News readers.

From migration to net zero to rape gangs and trans identity politics, Blue Labour serves as a reminder of a once proud tradition that found itself at home in the Labour Party.

Shabana Mahmood

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is perhaps the most high-profile member of Blue Labour.

Ms Mahmood, who is already ruffling the feathers of her own parliamentary colleagues with her steadfast push to shake up migration laws, was particularly forthcoming about her Englishness this week.

During an interview with podcaster Matt Forde in the West End on Monday, Ms Mahmood was repeatedly heckled for "out-Reforming Reform" and faced cries of "refugees welcome".

"I’m not going to let a tinpot racist or some random heckler or anybody else claw away at the foundations of who I am as a person,” the Home Secretary responded.

"I’m a proud Englishwoman. I’m a proud Brit, I’m a hugely proud Muslim. That is the absolute core of my life."

She added: "I do think there is that element of it which is: ‘How dare you, a brown woman, say a thing that we white liberals think you’re not allowed to say?’ Well, I’m saying it.

"That’s why I said this individual can just f**k right off, because I know I belong in my own country. You’re not going to be able to do that to me."

Dan Carden

Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden has argued that traditional left-right political labels are becoming less relevant, pointing to what he sees as a broader realignment in British politics.

Once a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, the 38-year-old is now associated with a strand of Labour thinking that combines left-wing economics with a stronger emphasis on community, culture and national identity.

Mr Carden has warned of a growing divide between liberal progressive politics and the lived experience of the working class, suggesting that Labour has become disconnected from the communities it was founded to represent.

He has also criticised aspects of contemporary progressivism, arguing that they can be damaging where they appear to undermine long-standing institutions such as trade unions and churches.

He has shown a willingness to engage with politically sensitive issues.

Mr Carden was the first Labour MP to call for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, breaking with many in his party and reinforcing his view that Labour must be prepared to confront difficult questions around crime, cohesion and social breakdown.

Jonathan Hinder

"It is the neglect of our national interest that has left us so exposed," Pendle & Clitheroe MP Jonathan Hinder said at a debate at the Cambridge Union in February.

The former police officer, who co-founded Blue Labour, added: "I am proud to fly the Union flag and what it represents... [and] I am immensely proud of our national history."

Mr Hinder, an unapologetic socialist who has also condemned the emergence of "ethno-nationalism", is cementing himself as Labour's leading common sense MP.

The 35-year-old is pushing to "reconnect with our working-class base" and "proudly reclaim our patriotism".

He has played a leading role in opposing NHS trials of puberty blockers, working alongside Rebecca Paul to rail against the "horrific" experiment.

Mr Hinder is also determined to ensure Labour gets a grip of the migrant crisis, even accusing liberals who support high levels of net migration of deploying an "absurd argument".

​David Smith

North Northumberland MP David Smith is the only Scotsman to make the list from Blue Labour.

The special envoy for freedom of religion, who previously worked in the charity sector, raised grave concerns about Christian persecution in the House of Commons earlier this year.

Mr Smith, who is himself a Christian, said: "One fact should make the scale of the challenge clear: more Christians are killed each year in Nigeria for being Christians than in all other countries combined."

He also put pressure on Sir Keir over the family farm tax and penned a joint article with his Blue Labour colleagues expressing his "proudly patriotic" position.

​Connor Naismith

For Crewe & Nantwich MP Connor Naismith, Blue Labour is just true Labour.

Mr Naismith, who is in his early thirties, previously warned Labour's 2019 defeat proved the leadership's decision to shift towards metropolitan liberalism left those who were once part of the party's tradition behind.

He also used the term "Boriswave" during a debate on immigration to criticise the Conservative Party's handling of Britain's borders.

The Blue Labour stalwart has even urged Sir Keir to capitalise on the benefits of Brexit and end the use of asylum hotels in Crewe.

Margaret Mullane

Margaret Mullane, a long-time ally of Blue Labour architect Jon Cruddas, has defended her Dagenham & Rainham constituents for something others in the party once found detestable: Brexit.

However, the former trade union railed against GB News at Labour's 2025 Conference.

She accused The People's Channel of "stoking the flames" by focusing its coverage on Channel crossings rather than austerity.

Ms Mullane also labelled Reform UK as "far-right", adding: "I do believe that Nigel Farage's message and what he's doing does align with the BNP."

​Preet Kaur Gill

Birmingham Edgbaston MP Preet Kaur Gill is the third female MP enlisted in Blue Labour's ranks.

She joined calls for an "unflinching" inquiry into the rape gangs scandal, dismissing the suggestion that doing so was an inherently right-wing position.

Ms Kaur Gill is also among a small group of Labour MPs who remain steadfast in the belief that single-sex spaces protect women's safety, dignity and equality.

The daughter of Sikh Indian immigrants, the 53-year-old is pushing for "honesty" about borders and belonging.

"Illegal migration is illegal and it matters that the public can see the law being enforced fairly and consistently," the Birmingham Edgbaston MP wrote in The Telegraph earlier this year.