Labour's Over-Zealous Response To The Union Jack Row Has Critics Waving The White Flag

Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper’s recent enthusiasm for the Union Jack has not exactly won over their online critics.

The flag has been a hot topic in recent weeks, as anti-asylum protesters used it as a symbol of their alleged “patriotism” during their summer demonstrations.

The St George’s Cross has also been graffitied on roundabouts and bus stops as anti-refugee sentiment – orchestrated by the far-right – spread across the country.

While some argue that the such flags are a sign of pride in their nation, others believe the banner has been co-opted by the far-right.

Prime minister Keir Starmer told BBC Radio 5 Live that he is “very encouraging of flags”, saying they are “patriotic” and a “great symbol of a nation”.

He said. “I’m the leader of the Labour Party who put the Union Jack on our Labour Party membership cards. I always sit in front of a Union Jack, and I’ve been doing it for years.

“It attracted a lot of comment when I started doing it and in our flat – which is upstairs from here – we’ve got the St George’s flag in our flat.”

He said: “I don’t think they should be devalued and belittled, and sometimes when they’re used purely for devices purposes, that actually devalues our flag. I don’t want to see that.”

Then on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, home secretary Cooper seemed to take it even further.

She said: “We actually have Union Jack bunting on our garden shed at the moment, I’ve got St George’s flags, I’ve got St George’s bunting, I’ve got the Yorkshire Rose bunting as well, I’ve got Union Jack flags and tablecloths... we’ve got the lot.”

So her critics quickly had a field day...

But plenty of others reacted with despair – some said it was “becoming embarrassing”...

Even Labour MP Ian Byrne said politicians need to focus on how to improve people’s live – “not the number of Union Jacks they have on their walls”.