The Labour tradition is both internationalist and patriotic. To its detriment patriotism is an under-used term in the lexicon of the British centre-left but internationalism remains. While patriotism deeply values and cherishes the hallmarks of one’s own nation, internationalism speaks of the virtue of transcending national borders and domestic concerns. On the one hand internationalism is about cooperation with other nation-states for mutual benefit such as trade agreements. On the other hand, it requires a collective view of global problems including an acute awareness of social injustice and an acknowledgement of the innumerable human rights violations which occur daily on each continent. Internationalism in the Labour tradition is underpinned more than anything else by the ancient truth that people, regardless of creed, religion or nationality, share innate moral worth bound by common humanity. Parts of the Labour movement struggle with patriotism. The New Left understood it as an emotional hangover from Britain’s imperial past. Some on the Labour right, self-styled ‘progressives’, deem it as a proclivity of the conservative mind. For other Labour politicians it is conspicuous by its absence; an unuttered sentiment that is best confined to the Party’s history. Here is the disconnect. Labour voters are comfortable with patriotism while its activists are less so. Like so many contemporary issues there is a divergence between citizens whose instinct is to vote Labour and die-hard politicos who pound the pavements in all weathers. This is a significant problem because Labour MPs are drawn from its activist base. While they have dedication and ambition they speak not for Labour voters on a number of issues. This is especially the case in England where Labour is socially, economically and culturally disparate. One need look no further than how the Brexit debate divided great swathes of Labour voters whose instinct was to vote to leave against the mainstay of its activists and MPs who voted to remain inside the European Union.

The truth is that most Labour voters are proud of the United Kingdom. They feel British and English, or Welsh or Scottish. Like most people they are aware that they are fortunate to live and raise their children in a democratic, free, nation-state. They are proud of English parliamentary tradition and common law liberties which have in great measure authored our British civic life.