The English Democrats are an English federalist political party, committed to the formation of a devolved English Parliament with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament. Despite not supporting English Independence, the English Democrats consider themselves the English equivalent of the Scottish National Party in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales. Their motto is "Not left, not right, just English". At the English local elections in June 2009, the party's candidate won the Mayoral Election for the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster.
In 1998, and in response to calls for the devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, Robin Tilbrook formed the "English National Party", with the aim of reforming the defunct English National Party which had been founded in the 1960s, but had ceased operating as a party by 1981. The English National Party formed by Robin Tilbrook included members of the Campaign for an English Parliament, a pressure group that lobbies for a devolved English Parliament.
The party was relaunched as "The English Democrats" in September 2002, after merging with several other smaller political parties. In October 2004, the party merged with the Reform UK Party, which was a small splinter group from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). The New England Party merged with The English Democrats in February 2007.
The English Democrats have an England-wide network of area, county and some Borough officers. In April 2006, it announced full national representative coverage of the nine Regions of England. In addition to the twenty-person National Council including nine area chairmen, there are 14 National Sub-Committees to expedite progress in the party development.
The party claimed a total membership of 1,011 at the end of 2004, and 1,202 at the end of 2005. The BBC reported 1,300 members in 2007.
The national chairman of the party is Robin Tilbrook, a solicitor, who attended Wellington College, Berkshire, and is a former member of the Conservative Party. He has stood for the party twice in European Parliament elections; for London in 2004, and the East of England in 2009.
