Should people with ancestry in the British Isles be recognised as an indigenous people of the UK?
The UK Government does not recognise any group within the UK as an indigenous people. Its stated position is that national minority and ethnic groups in the UK fall outside the scope of 'indigenous peoples' under UNDRIP and ILO Convention 169, which the UK has not ratified. Petitions asking for the English to be recognised as indigenous were rejected in 2019, 2024 and 2025. A petition on ILO 169 and recognising the peoples of Britain as indigenous was noted by the Petitions Committee on 13 October 2026. The Equality Act 2010 already protects ethnic and national origin from discrimination.
9 Opinions
Obviously yes. The Māori are considered indigenous to NZ even though Oxford University was built by Britons earlier than that, & we’re not considered indigenous. It’s one of these things where progressives insist that it can only ever apply to minorities It’s the kind of hypocrisy which ordinary reasonable people have had enough of.
Yes but I ain't painting myself blue and sticking a bone through my nose.
I don't think there are any real indigenous people in the UK, we seem to be a mix of European, Asian, Middle Eastern. What worries me about having a group of people being "indigenous" is it could lead to some sort of tribalism/racism. There's enough of that in the world already, it does nothing but cause trouble.
Indigenous people anywhere in the world should have their own rights. Without indigenous rights, voting rights, citizenships, land and property rights become nothing more than tradable commodities.
Claiming indigenous status is dangerous, divisive and downright racist. Only bigots say: 'I'm indigenous and therefore special and more deserving than the others'. Its a disgusting sentiment.
Why is this even questioned?