A Reform-led council has started to remove flags and bunting displaying the St George’s cross and the union flag after concerns were raised that they could cause accidents.
Durham county council issued a statement on X on Friday saying that while the council “understand and respect the community’s desire to express national pride, celebration, or remembrance, it is important to ensure such expressions do not compromise public safety”.
The council claimed it had been “left with no choice but to remove bunting” after a risk assessment found that “rope involved was so strong that, had a high-sided vehicle driven into it, the poles it was attached to could have been pulled down”.
The statement said the council’s “priority remains ensuring the safety and integrity of the highway network, while being mindful of, and responsive to, the communities we serve”. It encouraged residents “to consider safer and more appropriate locations for flags or other displays that do not involve highway infrastructure and conform to all appropriate standards and regulations”.
In the past few weeks there has been increasing controversy over the number of flags being flown in towns across England. Some say it is simply a show of national pride and patriotism, while others argue the swell of interest in flying flags is linked to the far right and anti-migrant sentiment. Instances of vandalism have been recorded, including red lines being spray-painted on to white roundabouts to replicate the St George’s cross.
Councils throughout the country have responded in different ways. Some, such as Lib Dem-run Hertfordshire council and Labour-run Brighton council have said that they will remove flags, with Brighton saying that “when it comes to items attached to lamp-posts or defaced roundabouts, it is normal council procedure for these to be removed on a regular basis, in line with our health and safety obligations”.
Darren Grimes, a political commentator who is the deputy leader of Durham county council and a member of Reform UK, has repeatedly commented on his X account about flags being flown in England, including a video with the caption: “This isn’t just flying a flag. It’s the start of the fightback.”
The Reform MP Lee Anderson has also posted frequently about his desire for more flags to be flown around the country, including a post on Monday showing a letter he had written to the government five years ago, with the caption: “It’s nearly 5 years ago since I wrote to the last government to ask for the Union flag to be flown from every single public building in the UK. I’m still waiting for an answer.”
Other posts from Grimes in the past month include him expressing support for union flags being hung from a bridge, while criticising the flying of Pakistani, Palestinian and LGBTQ+ pride flags throughout the country.
The topic has attracted comment and debate beyond Britain, with the tech mogul and outspoken Reform UK supporter Elon Musk posting a St George’s cross to his X feed on Tuesday and the US vice-president, JD Vance, urging people in the UK to “push back against crazies” who criticise the flag-flying.
The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has not commented on the recent flag debate, but was candid about his views on the line between patriotism and nationalism during a briefing on St George’s Day in April of this year. He said: “I do understand the fight over the flag … but that’s why we’ve got to reclaim it. It belongs to all of us.”
