| Philip Proudfoot | |
| Office: | Leader of the Northern Independence Party |
| Term Start: | 21 October 2020 |
| Term End: | 22 July 2022 |
| Birth Date: | 28 November 1987[1] |
| Birth Place: | County Durham, England |
| Party: | Green Party of England and Wales (2023–present) |
| Otherparty: | Northern Independence Party (2020–2023) Labour (until 2020) |
| Residence: | Brighton, East Sussex, England |
| Alma Mater: | London School of Economics (PhD)[2] |
| Occupation: | University lecturer |
| Profession: | Academic |
Philip Proudfoot (born 28 November 1987) is an English political activist and anthropologist. Born and raised in County Durham, he is the founder of the Northern Independence Party (NIP), a minor political party which advocates that Northern England becomes an independent country under its historic name, "Northumbria",[3] and campaigns against what it sees as political and economic centralisation in the UK. He also lectures at the University of Sussex.[4]
A former member of the Labour Party, Proudfoot founded the NIP in October 2020 in response to dissatisfaction with the centrist outlook of Keir Starmer's leadership and what he sees as the treatment of the North during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] He told Big Issue North that the centralisation of power in London had also played a part, highlighting the North–South divide in healthcare, transport, education, and general standard of living as motivating factors.[6]
Proudfoot lives in Brighton and Hove, having moved there due to a lack of job opportunities in his field in County Durham.[7] In response to critics wondering why someone living in the South of England would support Northern independence, he said that this is an issue which epitomises the North–South divide: younger people from the North of England having to leave their hometowns to find work in cities, predominantly in the South.[4]
On 25 April 2022, the actress Tracy-Ann Oberman announced that she had agreed to pay Proudfoot substantial damages after falsely accusing him of antisemitism.[8]
Proudfoot stepped down as leader of the NIP in July 2022 due to "professional commitments".[9] On 19 November 2023, he announced that he had joined the Green Party, citing its support for a ceasefire in Gaza, among other policies.[10]