The icons: Cup of tea, Stonehenge, the FA Cup, the Spitfire aircraft and the Routemaster double-decker bus

London, Jan. 9: In a bid to promote a sense of national unity, the British government has nominated “a cup of tea” as one of the icons, which best represents England.

And this is in a nation, which still cannot make up its mind whether the milk should go in first or last.

The Icons project, costing ?1 million, was launched today by Culture Online, part of the department of culture, media and sport which invited members of the public to send in their own nominations.

The other suggested icons for “A Portrait of England” are Stonehenge, the Neolithic monument on Salisbury Plain, the Football Association Cup, the Routemaster double-decker bus, the Punch and Judy puppet show, the SS Empire Windrush, a ship which brought West Indian immigrants to British shores in 1948, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the King James Bible, Holbein’s portrait of Henry VIII, Antony Gormley’s sculpture, the Angel of the North, the Spitfire fighter aircraft, and the hymn Jerusalem (which became the England cricket team’s song last summer).

One of Britain’s rising black politicians, culture secretary David Lammy ? after Keith Vaz’s fall, Tony Blair has refused to give ministerial jobs to any of his Asian MPs ? launched the project today at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on London’s South Bank.

“This project is about the things people care about that make England the place we all love,” said Lammy. “Look at Stonehenge, Henry VIII, Punch and Judy ? you get a real sense of what it means to the English,” he said. “Who hasn’t ached for a proper cup of tea when they’ve been on an overseas holiday or yearned for their team to pick up the FA Cup at the end of the season?”

The next 12 will be announced in April, and others will follow at regular intervals.

“Ultimately the hope is that more of us will pass through the doors of the nation’s museums and galleries as we grow in awareness about the fascinating things housed in them,” said Jerry Doyle, managing director of Icons.

Organisations supporting Icons include the National Trust, the Black Cultural Archives, English Heritage, the Museum of Rugby, the V&A Museum of Childhood, the National Portrait Gallery, the Football Association, the Muslim Council for Great Britain and national and city museums in Bristol, London, Birmingham, Gateshead, Brighton & Hove and Manchester.

The National Trust’s director of historic properties, Sarah Staniforth, said: “From Stonehenge to the White Cliffs of Dover, the world-famous gardens at Sissinghurst to the national lawnmower collection, the National Trust cares for many of the country’s most cherished icons. I’m delighted, therefore, that we are contributing to the Icons ? A Portrait of England project. I’m really passionate about engaging more people in our cultural heritage and believe the project offers an exciting and fun way to broaden our appeal.”

Responding to the news that the FA Cup has been chosen as an icon of England, the Football Association’s chief executive, Brian Barwick, said: “The nomination is a great tribute to what is undoubtedly the world’s greatest club cup competition and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate moment, given that this season the FA Cup is being played for the 125th time. The FA Cup has a unique place in English sporting culture and a magic all of its own.”

A separate survey commissioned for the project revealed the London Eye to be the icon which best represents 21st century England. Big Ben was voted the nation’s favourite landmark.

The monarchy was the icon which people felt best summed up traditional England, just ahead of roast beef. And England winning the “Ashes” last year was named as the nation’s most iconic sporting event.

Lammy nominated the red telephone box as his favourite national icon.

Surprisingly, the nation’s favourite food, chicken tikka masala, has not been listed yet as a national icon.

He expressed sadness that the Routemaster bus, which made the list of 12 icons, was taken off London’s roads last year in favour of the unpopular, extra long, one-man operated “bendy buses”.

“I personally was very sad indeed to see the last Routemaster bus,” he said. “I grew up as a Londoner seeing those buses and I have many memories of going to school on them.”

Surprisingly, the nation’s favourite food, chicken tikka masala, has not been listed yet as a national icon.