Mr Philp replied that ministers “fully support the singing of the national anthem, Her Majesty the Queen, and other expressions of patriotism, including the flying of the Union Jack”.
“The more that we hear the national anthem sung, frankly, the better,” he said. “Of course, organisations like schools are free to promote it, and the more we can do in this area, the better.”
The decision to reinstate the national anthem lies with the BBC, not the Government, and the corporation has always refused on the grounds that BBC One programming no longer ends entirely at night, switching instead to content from the news channel.
A spokesman said: “The National Anthem is played every night on Radio 4 after the late shipping forecast and we continue to play it at appropriate times on television, such as during the Queen’s Christmas broadcast.
“We no longer play the national anthem on a daily basis on BBC One because it doesn’t close down in the evening.”
Mr Rosindell told The Telegraph he had been inspired by listening to the national anthem on BBC One as a teenager, saying: “It instilled something in me which has remained with me all my life.
“When I see young people today, they don’t know what the national anthem is and they don’t know the words. The national anthem is something that should bring everyone together. It should be something that we should sing with pride.”
