Survey finds more than a third describe themselves as solely English or more English than British

English patriotism is on the rise at the expense of a sense of British identity, with voters in England increasingly likely to describe themselves as solely English, according to research.

The studyfound that almost a fifth of people describe themselves as English not British, up 5% from 2015, with more than a third of those surveyed describing themselves as either solely English or more English than British.

The YouGov data showed that the number of people who described themselves solely as British fell in 2016 from a year earlier. Last year just 18% of those surveyed said they felt only British or more British than English.

The study, led by the former Labour cabinet minister John Denham who now heads the University of Winchester’s Centre for English Identity and Politics, found a growing correlation between identity and political behaviour, with numerous polls during and after the referendum showing that those who felt most English were most likely to vote leave.

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Ukip’s new leader, Paul Nuttall, has said his focus will be to tap into what he sees as a renewed sense of English nationalism, after devolution in the other UK nations.

“The next big issue that’s going to come up in British politics beyond Brexit is Englishness,” he told the Telegraph on the eve of his election. The party plans to target Labour in its traditional English heartlands.

“There is a value that unites that vast majority of British people away from the small metropolitan clique, and that value is patriotism,” Nuttall has said.

Denham said he believed Labour needed to take note of a rising English consciousness. “Voters who most strongly identify as English are much more likely to reject Labour as a party and key Labour messages, like support for the EU,” he said.

“Without a change in Labour’s appeal, rising English identity may make attracting key groups of voters even harder.”

Labour’s priority in EU negotiations will remain full access to the European single market, Jeremy Corbyn will say on Tuesday in his first speech of the year. He will insist, however, that his party wants “managed migration” and to repatriate powers from Brussels that would allow governments to intervene in struggling industries, such as steel.

“Labour is not wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens as a point of principle. But nor can we afford to lose full access to the European single market on which so many British businesses and jobs depend. Changes to the way migration rules operate from the EU will be part of the negotiations,” he will say.

“Labour supports fair rules and reasonably managed migration as part of the post-Brexit relationship with the EU.”