Reform to ban councils from flying ‘woke' flags
Reform UK councils will only be allowed to fly the Union Flag and the St George's Cross, the party chairman has said.
Zia Yusuf announced on Monday that 'no other flags' would be allowed to be displayed in the local authorities under the party's control.
He said that this policy would include 'flag-poles, balconies, reception desks or council-chamber walls'.
Reform now controls 10 councils in England, including Kent, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire after sweeping gains in the local elections last week.
But the policy has already come under fire from Labour, who have said that it would mean a ban on the display of Ukrainian flags from public buildings.
The announcement comes as Britain begins celebrations of the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Mr Yusuf wrote on X on Monday: 'Reform controlled English councils will move at speed to resolve that the *only* flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George's flag.
'No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flag-poles, balconies, reception desks or council-chamber walls.'
Under the policy, flags flown by councils for specific days in the year, such as the Pride flag, the Pan African flag or the Armed Forces flag, would not be allowed.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly sought to claim Labour is the party of patriotism as part of his strategy to take on the party.
He became the first prime minister to host a St George's Day reception in No 10 last month, and has attacked Nigel Farage for his 'fawning over Putin'.
Labour will ramp up its attacks on Mr Farage over his previous supportive comments of the Russian president from over a decade ago in which he said he admired Vladimir Putin.
'Shameful to ban Ukraine flag'
Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, accused Reform of being 'Putin's puppets' over the decision to ban all other flags from being displayed on council buildings.
He wrote on X: 'Reform are to ban the flying of Ukrainian flags from public buildings. A gesture of solidarity we see across the whole country.
'Shameful! And as VE Day approaches. Putin's puppets.'
Government buildings in Whitehall have displayed the Ukrainian flag in solidarity with Kyiv since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Critics also condemned the policy as a ban on county flags, but Reform sources insisted that they would still be permitted to be displayed.
Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said: 'If Reform UK's chairman gets his way, Reform-run authorities would ban flying the Yorkshire flag – even on Yorkshire Day. Is that really what Reform stand for in Yorkshire?
'We should celebrate our proud identity and culture, not erase it.'
Tom Tugendhat, the former security minister, said: 'The White Horse has been the symbol of Kent for almost 2,000 years.
'The first king of Kent, Hengest, is said to have used the flag as he and his brother, Horsa, conquered their new kingdom. Denying our flag is denying our history.'
Mark Francois, the shadow Armed Forces minister, said: 'Flags are important symbols and should be respected as such. So, does this new policy mean no flying of Ukrainian flags, in solidarity with them?
'Does it mean councils couldn't fly the Armed Forces day flag, either? And what about county flags, too? This sounds like something which just hasn't been thought through.'
A Reform UK source said: 'The Tories seem more upset about Reform councils flying the Union Flag than their councils flying the trans flag.
'It sums up the state of the Tory party, the sooner they're consigned the dustbin of history, the better.'
The announcement by Mr Yusuf is the latest in a string of policies unveiled by Reform since their triumph in the local elections.
Mr Farage has vowed to set up mini-Doge units, modelled after Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency in the US, in councils under the party's control.
He also suggested that council workers in diversity, equity and inclusion roles should look for other jobs.
The party has also pledged to use legal levers to crack down on renewable energy projects being set up in the countryside, as well as the establishment of migrant hotels.
A flag row erupted last year over Nike's changes to the St George's Cross on the England football team's kit, with both then-prime minister Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer condemning it.
The Football Association defended the multi-coloured cross design which it said was a 'tribute to the 1966 World Cup winning team'.
A number of Labour MPs last year complained about the widespread use of the Union flag on Labour campaign leaflets, which unnamed MPs were said to claim that it might alienate voters from ethnic minorities.
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