A Tory MP has welcomed the idea of a minister with responsibility for national symbols after the latest flag row.
Henry Smith warned symbols such as the Union Jack are “now under actual deliberate attack”.
His intervention comes after Team GB sparked outrage with a re-brand of the national flag.
The Crawley MP, who is chairman of the Flags and Heraldry All-Party Parliamentary Group, told GB News: “It wouldn’t cost any more, it would just fix a point of responsibility in government to make sure that our national symbols are protected.
“So many of our symbols are now under actual deliberate attack by those who are interested in pursuing the culture wars, trying to cancel what it is to be British, and all of the great things that we have done.
“One of the things I reflect on, is that actually the Union Jack is a very trendy popular symbol around the world.
“You see the Union Jack everywhere, probably one of the most recognisable flags in the world.”
On the controversial Team GB re-brand, he added: “We’ve seen this constant erosion of British identity.
“People died for freedom under the Union Flag and I think it should be respected.
“I’m fed up with this sort of constant erosion of respect for our national symbols and I suspect that this is something deliberate and I suspect Team GB, probably in a panic, just pulled it back to say that the Union Jack will be properly displayed on kit.”
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The updated Union Jack design on some merchandise for the British Olympic team features shades of purple and pink rather than the traditional red, white and blue.
Team GB said it had received “very positive public feedback” on the new design.
It added: “Rest assured the Union Flag will feature proudly on the team kit for Paris, as it always does.
“This image doesn’t replace the Union Flag, which we will wear with pride later this summer.”
It comes after a row over an updated St George’s Cross on England’s football team kit.
