Mr Babarinde, who has received cross-party support for his St George’s Bill, believes England must broaden its Census options in line with Wales and Scotland.

He said: “I’m a proud Englishman and Englishness is about more than the colour of your skin. Most people in this country already agree that you don’t have to be white to be English. Just look at the England football team. But our Census hasn’t properly caught up.”

He added: “This bill is about standing up to those want to gatekeep Englishness exclusively for white people and standing up to those who seek to divide us over who counts as English. This is about bringing people together around our shared Englishness.”

Ex-Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and former Foreign Secretary Sir James Cleverly have both given the Liberal Democrat MP their backing.

The bill also has the backing of Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, Labour’s Adam Jogee and Liberal Democrat Munira Wilson.

Mr Babarinde brought forward the Ten Minute Rule Bill after Reform UK MP Suella Braverman said she considers herself British but not English because of her South Asian heritage.

The former Home Secretary, who was born in Harrow and raised in Wembley, argued: “I’m not English. I’m proud to be British. My family and ancestors have a link to Britain which spans centuries. But in no way are we English.”

Mrs Braverman claimed that describing anyone born in England as English amounted to taking a “laissez-faire, anything-goes” approach to ethnicity, citizenship and identity, adding: “I take the conservative approach. Englishness is an ethnicity.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who was once close friends with Mrs Braverman, rejected the suggestion that English identity should be restricted to ethnicity.

Mrs Badenoch accused her former colleague of engaging in “identity politics, where people keep putting other people into boxes”.

“I don’t understand why all of a sudden some people are policing other people’s identity,” she added.

“I think identity is something very personal. If that’s how she feels about herself, I think that’s fine, but what I’m worried about is, you know, politicians running around telling some people that they are not English.”

Mrs Badenoch, whose children are mixed race, said Britain was a multiracial country, and politicians should be proud of that.

“My children, they are half-white and half-black. We are a multiracial country. I think we should be proud of that,” she said.

The Tory leader added: “I think politicians should be talking about how we bring people together. I am tired of identity politics, where people keep putting other people into boxes. I think it just creates more division.”

The dispute has also exposed differences within Reform UK, with the party’s home affairs Zia Yusuf distancing himself from Mrs Braverman’s position.

He said: “I’m a Chelsea fan and in my view Ashley Cole is the best English fullback in history, and I won’t take any other position. So in my view, Ashley Cole is English. The argument that he’s not English doesn’t hold water with me.”

The debate has also brought renewed attention to Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain.

Mr Lowe was grilled on whether King Charles, whose late father, Prince Philip, was born in Greece, would be considered a white Briton under the definition used in the report he had cited about demographic change.

The Great Yarmouth MP declined to give a definitive answer, saying there were different interpretations of the term.

Under the current Census system in England, the ethnic group question offers “English” within the White category.

People from Asian, Black, mixed and other ethnic backgrounds can identify as British but do not have an equivalent option to describe themselves as English.

The same is not the case in Scotland and Wales, where respondents can select options such as “Scottish Asian” and “Black Welsh”.

Mr Babarinde is introducing the legislation under Parliament’s Ten Minute Rule, which allows backbench MPs to propose laws to the House of Commons.

An MP introducing a Ten Minute Rule Bill is given up to ten minutes to explain its purpose in the House of Commons.

Another MP can then speak against the proposal for the same amount of time.

MPs are subsequently asked whether the Bill should be introduced.

If permission is granted, it receives a first reading.

However, the procedure does not mean the legislation will automatically become law.

Ten Minute Rule Bills rarely complete the parliamentary process and must secure time for further debate and pass through the necessary stages in both Houses of Parliament before receiving Royal Assent.

MPs Push to Redefine Englishness With ‘Black English’ and ‘Asian English’ Census Shake-Up

A new political controversy has erupted in Westminster after a cross-party group of MPs proposed changing the way English identity is recorded in the national census. The proposal would allow people from Black, Asian and mixed ethnic backgrounds to identify themselves as English, creating new categories such as ‘Black English’ and ‘Asian English’.

The proposed changes have reopened a wider national debate about identity, immigration, integration, national heritage and what it means to be English in modern Britain.

The initiative, led by Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde, has attracted support from senior politicians across the political spectrum, including former deputy prime minister David Lammy and Conservative MP James Cleverly.

Andy Burnham has also indicated that he would be inclined to support the legislation, describing the political arguments surrounding racial definitions of Englishness as divisive.

However, the proposal has generated questions about whether the census should record national identity and ethnic heritage together, and whether changing official categories risks creating further political disagreements.

What Is the Proposed Census Change?

Under the current ethnic-group question in the English census, the word ‘English’ appears within the White category.

People from Black, Asian and other ethnic backgrounds can select categories such as ‘Black British’ or ‘Asian British’, but they do not have an equivalent standard option to identify themselves specifically as Black English or Asian English.

Josh Babarinde believes this creates an unnecessary distinction between people who consider themselves English.

His proposed English Ethnic Identity (Census Particulars) Bill, also called the St George’s Bill, would require future censuses in England to provide options allowing people from different ethnic backgrounds to identify as English.

The suggested categories include:

• White English.
• Black English.
• Asian English.
• Mixed English.

The proposal would not remove existing British identity categories.

Instead, it would give respondents additional choices, allowing them to describe both their ethnic heritage and their English identity.

Babarinde argues that the existing system does not adequately reflect modern England, where people from many different backgrounds are born, raised, educated and employed.

Why Has the Proposal Become So Controversial?

The controversy is connected to a broader disagreement about the meaning of Englishness.

Some politicians argue that English identity is fundamentally connected to ancestry, historical heritage and ethnic origins.

Others believe that national identity should be open to anyone who has a genuine connection to England through birth, upbringing, citizenship, culture and shared experiences.

The debate became particularly prominent following comments by Reform UK MP Suella Braverman, who has argued that Englishness is an ethnicity and said she does not consider herself ethnically English because of her South Asian background.

Her position has attracted criticism from politicians who believe that English identity should not be restricted by skin colour or ancestry.

However, the wider discussion also raises legitimate questions about the distinction between ethnic identity, national identity and citizenship.

These concepts are related, but they are not identical.

A person can have Nigerian, Indian, Pakistani or Caribbean ancestry while also being English by birth, upbringing and national identification.

Similarly, somebody can become a British citizen without necessarily identifying culturally or ethnically as English.

The census debate therefore concerns how the government should allow individuals to describe themselves rather than establishing a single official definition of national belonging.

Andy Burnham Signals Support

One of the most significant developments came when Andy Burnham indicated that he would be inclined to support the proposed changes.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on 11 November 2026, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey challenged Burnham over the arguments surrounding whether people from minority ethnic backgrounds could identify as English.

Davey urged him to support the legislation and reject what he described as the idea that only White people could be English.

Burnham responded that he had not yet examined the full details of the bill but believed he would want to support it.

He also called for politicians to move beyond divisions and work together on issues affecting national unity.

His comments are significant because they suggest that the proposal has support beyond the Liberal Democrats and could attract backing from politicians across several major parties.

Nevertheless, expressing support for the principle of a proposal is not the same as guaranteeing that the legislation will become law.

What Does the Census Actually Measure?

The census is one of Britain’s most important statistical exercises.

It collects information about the population, including age, housing, employment, education, ethnicity and household circumstances.

The information is used by government departments, councils and public organisations when planning services and distributing resources.

Ethnicity statistics can also help researchers identify inequalities in healthcare, education, employment and housing.

Supporters of the proposed change argue that the existing English categories do not fully capture how some people understand their identities.

If somebody considers themselves both Black and English, they believe the census should provide an appropriate way to record that identity.

However, critics may question whether combining ethnic heritage and national identity in a single question will make statistical comparisons more complicated.

There is also a wider methodological issue: should ethnicity questions primarily measure ancestry, cultural background, national identification or a combination of these factors?

The government and statisticians will need to consider these issues carefully before changing the format.

Scotland and Wales Already Offer Different Options

Supporters of the proposal point to Scotland and Wales as examples of how national identity can be reflected in census categories.

The Scottish census provides options such as Scottish Asian, while Welsh census categories include Black Welsh.

Campaigners argue that England should offer similar opportunities.

They believe it is inconsistent for someone to identify as Scottish Asian or Black Welsh while someone from a comparable background in England has no equivalent standard English option.

For Babarinde, this is a question of recognition and equal treatment.

The proposal would allow people to identify with their English national identity without having to abandon their ethnic heritage.

It would also recognise that modern English society has developed through centuries of migration, cultural exchange and historical change.

The England Football Team and National Identity

Babarinde has used the England football team to illustrate his argument.

Modern England squads include players from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

For millions of supporters, these footballers represent England regardless of their ancestry or skin colour.

The same principle, supporters argue, should apply to ordinary people who are born and raised in England.

The success of multicultural England teams has helped shape a broader understanding of national identity, particularly among younger generations.

However, football is only one part of a much larger discussion.

English identity also involves language, regional traditions, historical institutions, local communities and shared cultural experiences.

People can have different views about the relative importance of these elements without questioning somebody else’s right to identify with the country.

Could the Bill Become Law?

The proposed legislation was introduced in the House of Commons on 10 November 2026 through the parliamentary 10-minute rule procedure.

The motion allowing Josh Babarinde to introduce the bill was agreed without opposition.

It was subsequently printed as Bill 178, with its second reading scheduled for 23 April 2027.

However, 10-minute rule bills rarely become law unless they receive sufficient parliamentary time and government support.

Consequently, the proposal still faces a considerable legislative challenge.

If the government supports the changes, the issue could receive further consideration.

If it does not, the bill may struggle to progress through Parliament.

The Office for National Statistics and other relevant authorities would also need to consider how any changes could be implemented consistently and how the resulting information would be used.

What Does This Mean for British Society?

The debate reflects a broader transformation in how national identity is discussed in Britain.

Modern England includes communities with different religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Many people have family histories connecting them to several countries while considering England their permanent home.

For some, being English is primarily a matter of ancestry and historical heritage.

For others, it is about birthplace, citizenship, language, upbringing and belonging to a shared national community.

These perspectives do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.

The challenge for politicians is to encourage a national conversation that recognises Britain’s history while respecting the different experiences of people living in the country today.

The census is an important public document, but it should not become a tool for deciding who is entitled to belong.

Conclusion: Who Has the Right to Call Themselves English?

The proposed introduction of ‘Black English’ and ‘Asian English’ census categories has become a significant political issue because it touches on fundamental questions about national identity and belonging.

Josh Babarinde and his supporters believe that the existing census system should be updated to reflect the diversity of modern England.

Andy Burnham’s indication that he would support the proposal has given the campaign additional political attention, while cross-party backing demonstrates that the issue extends beyond traditional party divisions.

However, the legislation still needs to overcome parliamentary hurdles before any changes can be implemented.

Ultimately, the debate is about how Britain records the identities of its population and whether official statistics adequately reflect the way people describe themselves.

England has a long and complicated history, shaped by different peoples, migrations and cultural influences. Its national identity continues to evolve, while many people remain deeply attached to its traditions, institutions and heritage.

The next census could therefore become more than a statistical exercise. It could represent an important moment in the continuing national discussion about what it means to be English in the twenty-first century.

The central question is whether the census should give everyone the opportunity to express both their ethnic heritage and their English identity.

That is a question Parliament, statisticians and the public will continue to debate.