Proposals to demand school leavers swear oaths of allegiance in an attempt to boost shared values and British pride have been slammed by a Sussex MP as "synthetic patriotism".

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert, the Conservative shadow justice secretary, said the recommendation, contained in a Government-commissioned report on British citizenship, was "profoundly un-British".

The report, which was published today by former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, proposed a number of ideas to encourage a new sense of citizenship and public-spirited acts.

They included a new British national day, a clear statement of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and for all young people to undergo a citizenship ceremony including an oath of allegiance to the Queen in an attempt to nurture a sense of belonging.

Mr Herbert, speaking at question time in the Commons, criticised calls for the swearing of oaths of allegiance along with subscriptions to statements of values and the flying of flags on lawns.

"The public will surely see straight through synthetic patriotism," he predicted.

"Last week the culture minister was attacking the BBC Proms. Why should the public have anything to learn from this Government about Britishness?"

Mr Herbert went on: "Surely ten years of learning about British history would be more valuable to instil British values than a ten-minute ceremony for 16-year-olds?

"Do you really think British values can be reduced to a slogan or a statement of values drawn up by focus groups, at taxpayers' expense?"

Justice Secretary Jack Straw responded that citizenship should not be a party political issue and doubted Mr Herbert's views were shared by many Tory MPs.

He noted that Conservatives had demanded action to ensure the Union flag was flown from Government and Parliamentary buildings and ministers had complied.

Mr Straw said: "We now have citizenship ceremonies for new citizens. When they were introduced, there was some scepticism on both sides of the House about these ceremonies.

"But they have turned out to be very valued rites of passage for new British people becoming British citizens and I think there is a lot to be said for us to get across to existing British citizens, born-British not adopted-British, what it means to be British. It should not be a party issue."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who commissioned the report but is not bound by its recommendations, said he welcomed the "interesting" review, adding that it had sparked "quite a lively debate".