Little Englander

"Little Englander" is an epithet applied in criticisms of British nationalists, English nationalists, or English people who are regarded as xenophobic or overly nationalistic and are often accused of being "ignorant" and "boorish". It is sometimes applied to opponents of globalism, multilateralism and internationalism, such as those who are against UK membership of the European Union. Originally it applied to a wing of the Liberal Party opposed to expansion of the British Empire in the 19th century, who wanted "England" to extend no farther than the borders of the United Kingdom. In the late 18th and 19th centuries the term was used for those Englishmen who looked upon the colonies of the British Empire as economically burdensome and wished the granting of self-government as quickly as possible,

The "Little England" movement originated among manufacturers in Manchester and found support among journalists such as Goldwin Smith. The movement objected to the protectionist stance of Canada exemplified by the tariff increase of 1859. The manufacturers resented paying taxes to defend a colony that took few British goods when Canada ( the post 1867 provinces of Ontario and Quebec) could be absorbed by the United States, which was an independent country and Britain's best customer outside Europe. Canada had some importance as a supplier of wheat and timber to Britain, but its climate meant that it could never supply Manchester's mills with cotton.

There was also a social element to the movement. The Manchester School resented the Empire for providing sinecures for the sons of the when the same money could be used for tax breaks to industrialists at home.

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