A Labour council has become the first in the country to issue a pledge not to take down the vast majority of England flags from lampposts. York City Council, which has had a Labour majority administration since 2023, told the Daily Express this afternoon that it would break from Birmingham and Tower Hamlets, allowing dozens of flags to remain flying.
The country has been gripped this week by a new civil disobedience protest taking place across England, which has seen hundreds of Union Jacks and St George’s crosses go up on lampposts. However Labour councils in Birmingham and Tower Hamlets sparked fury by swiftly moving to take them down, with critics pointing out they resisted calls to remove Palestinian flags put up in the same manner. Thousands of pounds have since been donated to the cause, with Flag Force UK promising to replace any of the proud national symbols removed by left-wing councils.
In a statement this afternoon, York City Council said: “We have no plans in place to remove flags that have been put up recently by members of the public. The one exception is on a short stretch of road beside York racecourse – and that’s because of a number of high-profile events this week.”
It also welcomed Flag Force UK’s promise that alongside its ‘flagtivism’ it would put resources towards litter picking and other actions to improve local communities.
The council did note “some serious concerns about the safety of people doing this without the appropriate approvals or equipment”.
“There’s a proper process for requesting banners, signs or flags to be added to lampposts, working alongside our colleagues from Make It York,” they said.
“This means that we know where it’s safe to add advertising, for example, because the lampposts have been properly tested to check the weight they can bear.
“The banners, signs or flags are attached to the lamppost safely and the correct equipment is used to do the job.”
Flagforce UK told the Express in response: “We’re pleased that York Council does not intend to remove the flags that have been raised across the city. We look forward to working with them to put up more flags and flagpoles around York in the future. We encourage all councils to take this approach and work with patriotic flaggers across the country.”
York has been the centre of much of Flag Force’s actions in recent days, with flags going up both in the city’s outskirts and around the university.
A GoFundMe page for the activists has now raised £10,000, doubling in the past 24 hours, including £1000 from a single anonymous donor.
Earlier today, the Tories condemned Labour’s councils for the two-tiered approach to removing flags, depending on whether they were British or Palestinian.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Labour councils are enforcing rules when it comes to the England flag but turn a blind eye to Palestinian political banners. That’s the double standard, and it’s fuelling resentment in communities that feel ignored.
“Keir Starmer wraps himself in the Lionesses’ success but goes missing when it comes to showing real pride in our country. Leadership means setting the tone from the top, and right now, he’s nowhere to be seen.
“We should never be ashamed of our own national flags. Conservatives will always defend the right of people to fly them proudly: they should be symbols that unite us all.”
