identify this plant please

It looks like some kind of bromeliad and the paler spike may be a flower spike.Repot it to keep up with the size of it but only into the next size of pot.

I agree with Voluteer. Definitely a bromeliad with a flower spike. Once the flower has finished you can cut the flower "stalk" off as close to the mother plant as you can. The mother plant will then start to produce baby plants (pups) and eventually will die off. The pups can be seperated and potted up once they reach about 1/2 the size of the original mother plant. Make sure you keep water in the "cup" formed by the leaf rosette. Freshen this water every couple of weeks by tipping the plant until the water runs out and then refilling the cup.

Yes this is a type of Bromeliad - Guzmania is the variety and can come in all the hot colours, red, orange and yellow.
Re-pot it in a crock pot in a cactus based soil with plenty of drainage (grit) as the soil is a holding medium rather than a necessity for a bromeliad because it is an epiphyte, which in the wild will attach itself on to another living thing, like a tree. It doesn't usually grow in soil and the roots are used purely as a way of attaching itself to the host. You can give it a feed occasionally which will gloss up the leaves as its natural habitat will provide all the nutrients it needs in the air and through photosynthesis which it probably won't get too much of in a house. I would use a cactus feed.

thank you all very much! i will follow your advice

I've seen the red ones, they look quite tropical. Maybe the flower will turn red as it grows??

They have some really bright yellow ones in asda.I have a red one which has faded so I think I will cut it out as you suggest Gilli The plant isn't very tall so I was just going to feed it and hope for the best but I have noticed that it already has a couple of 'pups',so I won't be too upset to loose 'mum':)