Rhondda Labour MP Allan Rogers agreed that a mistake had been made but said there were plenty of other opportunities on the census form to express one's Welshness.

BBC: Welsh 'hurt' by census omission

Others say that the separate promotion of Scottishness, Welshness and Englishness, already achieved through sports such as rugby and soccer, offers better prospects than trying to reinvent Britishness.

ECONOMIST: Will New Labour succeed in reinventing Britishness?