National anthem not seen inclusive

LONDON - Support is growing for a change to the words of the national anthem so that it includes all Britain's people, a former Labour minister charged with reviewing citizenship believes.

Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General, has proposed changes be made to "God Save The Queen" to make it more inclusive.

Goldsmith, who quit when former Prime Minister Tony Blair left public life in June, is currently reviewing citizenship for Gordon Brown.

"God Save the King" was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745 and which came to be known as the national anthem at the start of the 19th century.

The words and tune are anonymous and, according to the official Web site of the British monarchy, may date back as far as the 17th century.

Goldsmith said there were problems with the later parts of the anthem, particularly references to "rebellious Scots" being crushed.

His review, he added, had uncovered parts of the community arguing for a change.

"There is some problem with part of it absolutely," Goldsmith told Sky News. "Part of it is not actually that inclusive, but that is if you go on to the later verses.

"Some people have suggested we might think about whether there are different words that might be put in place which would be more inclusive."

Brown unveiled constitutional reform proposals earlier this year, with plans including a citizens' summit which could lead to a possible British Bill of Rights.

Downing Street played down the anthem comments, with sources saying Brown, a Scot, did not back the plan for changes.

"This does not reflect the Government's views," a No 10 source told The Daily Telegraph.

"We are proud of our national anthem and the traditions that it represents."