THE attitude of English voters toward the Union have been revealed in a new report published on St George’s Day.
The research by Professor Ailsa Henderson of the University of Edinburgh and Professor Richard Wyn Jones is titled The Shameful Conquest of England and found that less than half of respondents (45%) said it was a “priority” that the UK stays together.
It also found that there is a sense of “grievance about the perceived cost and political influence of other nations".
This includes 33% of those asked believing Scotland receives more than its fair share as part of the Union compared with just 9% thinking the opposite.
Those who identified as being more "English" than British also had an "ambivalence" towards the Union, according to the report.
The report read: “[There is] a striking degree of ambivalence about the continuing territorial integrity of the UK state among English-identifiers, including a tendency to regard the goal of Brexit as being far more important than maintaining the place of either Scotland or Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.”
Meanwhile, the research also found that a majority of voters in England describe themselves as “angry” or “fearful” of politics.
It found that 60% of voters in England say current politics makes them feel angry, 55% say it makes them fearful, and a huge 78% say it makes them frustrated. By contrast, only 9% reported feeling hopeful and a tiny 3% said it made them happy.
Reform voters are the angriest (82%) according to the research, followed by Greens voters (72%). Although, there is a sense of frustration across the board, with even Labour’s own supporters (80%) reporting high degrees of frustration, ahead of the Conservatives (77%) and tied with the Liberal Democrats (80%), but still behind the Greens (85%) and Reform voters (93%).
Responding to the findings, co-author Henderson said: "Almost 10 years after the Brexit referendum and after electing a new government last year English politics is marked by continued grievance, frustration and anger rather than hope.”
She added: "Addressing the UK’s relationship with Europe remains a top priority, but it is former Remain voters or rejoiners who now list it as a top concern. Grievance with the Union, and how England is governed, continues to suggest that the English feel their voice is not heard, and their culture and identity are not given the attention they deserve."
Jones, meanwhile, said that Englishness remains a “powerful force” in UK politics and one that has been “most successfully translated into political capital” by Reform UK.
“Meanwhile, there is little in our findings to suggest enthusiasm for the UK Union among the English, and neither leavers nor Remainers are happy with the Brexit settlement – although it seems that most Leavers would prefer not to have to think about it,” he said.
