Brown launches mission to find a national motto to make us all feel British

The "statement of values" summing up what it means to be a British citizen could even be written on UK passports and birth certificates as a way of engendering a sense of national pride.

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Ministers want the motto to reflect the national identity and be as commonplace as America's "In God We Trust" or the French "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity".

Insiders said the motto will be chosen by a "citizens' summit" of 1,000 people for it to be "truly representative" of Britishness rather than be imposed by ministers or dreamt up by a team of highly-paid consultants.

Members of the public will be asked to come up with five or six-word slogans, perhaps based around ideas of fair play or national pride.

Sources described the plan as a "once in a lifetime chance" to capture Britishness in a few words. But the prospect of a motto being chosen by a popular vote risks comparisons with celebrity talent shows such as the X-Factor.

The motto idea is part of a package of constitutional reforms ordered by the Prime Minister as one of his first acts in Downing Street.

The UK motto would appear at the entrances of public buildings such as libraries, Government offices and schools. When parents register their newborn babies it will be written on birth certificates, effectively signing the child up to the British way of life, one Government insider said.

Ministers also want to produce a British version of the Gettysburg Address, the 270-word speech delivered by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 which summed up America's belief in freedom.

The source added: "This is not about imposing our view of what sums up British values. It's about giving the people a say, letting them decide what it means to be a citizen of this country.

"If we get it right, it's there for ever - if we don't, it's a lost opportunity."

In July, Mr Brown broke with tradition by trailing the contents of this year's Queen's Speech which included a Constitutional Reform Bill to hand back powers from the Government to Parliament and the public. But details of the plan have not been revealed until now.

Although there is no official national UK motto, the sovereign's motto is "Dieu et mon droit", which translated from French is "God and my right".

U.S. coins carry the modern motto "In God We Trust" and also the traditional Latin "E Pluribus Unum" or "Out of Many, One".

Tory leader David Cameron has called for a similar statement of values for the Tory Party, based around the idea of "built to last".

When Mr Brown first unveiled the idea in July, he said: "This has to be a living statement of the British people. It won't take root unless there is a real sense that it has been raised by the people themselves."

He has also pledged wider consultation on his idea of a British Bill of Rights and Duties.

The "citizens' summit" - an extension of Mr Brown's "citizens' juries" plan - will be held in Westminster at the end of this year.

A survey for the Daily Mail this week found that voters believe the juries are missing many of the burning issues that affect them - including curbing immigration and pulling troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.