Policy Statement

We will provide the environment which allows citizens to celebrate being British.

Performance Reporting

Annual report analysing well-being arising from national pride with improvement initiatives taken and planned.

Strategic Initiatives

Defining Britishness and British values (loosely and continually updated – like the OED)

Defining Britishness is a minefield because the inclusion of any factor is likely to have proponents and opponents.  Even things like fair play and tolerance could meet opposition from some quarters.  Yet it is worth persevering with this project because policies in so many areas, particularly in community relations, require there to be a commonly accepted definition.

1 year: As an early step we will come up with a tentative first definition of British values and expose it for consultation

5 years: We will then embark on a process of continual review and update

Set up the form of annual report and data sources

This area is new and we have no experience of measuring, monitoring or engendering pride in being British.  Yet we experience it from time to time – when England won the World Cup in 1966, when we see films of key historical events, when our health service does well in international rankings.  And it is an important source of well-being

1 year: We will initiate an annual report, in conjunction with the Cabinet Office’s overall annual survey of well-being, on the issues of pride in being British and identify any required initiatives

5 years: Over the medium term we will improve our reporting, our initiatives and overall pride.