British parliament paves way for a new national anthem for England

England would ditch 'God Save the Queen' and have its own national anthem under a measure put forward in the British House of Commons Wednesday by MP Toby Perkins.

The politician who represents the Yorkshire constituency of Chesterfield wants an anthem for England to fall in line with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which each has its own national anthem.

Currently England uses the traditional national anthem for Great Britain, 'God Save the Queen'.

Under parliamentary procedures in the House of Commons the bill laid today by Perkins will be given a second reading in March and be debated by parliament. Perkins also plans a parliamentary petition to help ensure a debate at Westminster.

If it wins support from the Conservative Government it stands a chance of becoming law, paving the way for the introduction of an official English anthem.

Currently the song 'Jerusalem', which talks of England's 'green and pleasant land' is used as an unofficial English anthem. It started life as a poem written by William Blake.

The Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron has said previously he favors 'Jerusalem' as an English anthem.

Other options cited include 'Land of Hope and Glory', one of the favorites sung, along with 'Jerusalem', at the traditional Last Night of the Proms concert series held at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The origins of God Save the Queen are said to date back to the 1600s, with famous British composer John Bull credited with creating a song in 1619 with similarities to the anthem. The first published version of the present tune appeared in 1744 when it appeared in a publication, the Gentleman's Magazine.

Around a century ago British monarch King George V, said he preferred "Jerusalem" over "God Save the King".

There is no British law stating which national anthem should be used, the current anthem was adopted by custom and practice.

If Perkin's parliamentary bill for a national anthem is adopted, England may have its first legal national anthem. It could be 'Jerusalem', Elgar's 'Land of Hope and Glory' or an entirely new anthem.

Perkins defended Britain's national anthem, but said at major sporting events England could be competing against teams from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who each used their respective national anthems.

"The national anthem represents all four parts of the United Kingdom, so I believe there should be a separate official anthem for use when events representing only England are taking place," Perkins said.

Currently the English Commonwealth Games team uses Jerusalem as its anthem. Some politicians have already indicated they want to retain God Save the Queen as the anthem for the UK as well as for England.

Pressure for an anthem for England has grown particularly in recent years with the introduction of devolved powers for Scotland, with its own Parliament and self-rule government assemblies in both Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scotland uses two unofficial national anthems, 'Scotland the Brave' or 'Flower of Scotland'. Wales uses 'Land of My Fathers', and Northern Ireland uses 'Londonderry Air'. Endit