Governance, politics and political economy–England’s questions after Brexit

Abstract

In the aftermath of Brexit there is frequent reference to an ascendant ‘English nationalism’ in British politics. This article challenges the conceptual and empirical adequacy of this epithet. It provides a rather different characterization of developing trends within English national consciousness, and the main dynamics animating it in recent years, pointing to the emergence of a number of distinct English ‘imaginaries’ at both popular and elite levels. It examines how England became an object of concern in debates about devolution to other parts of the UK, and in the context of attempts by successive governments to develop a functional model of subnational government within England. It also explores the implications of the contrasting understandings of English devolution that prevail within the British party system.