I would like to address the issue on how our country’s flags are being flown in our local area and around the country – whether these be English flags or British flags. I do recognise some people are writing to me saying they find this current situation to be offensive and, and worry they may be causing people of minority ethnic descent living in the community to feel unsafe and hurt. Conversely, many from those same communities, particularly 2nd or 3rd generation British people, feel strongly positive about our flag and are rightly proud to be part of this country.
I am proud of the United Kingdom. I am a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party and I embrace the St George’s Cross, the Welsh Dragon, the Scottish Saltire, and the Union Flag. They represent our countries, our histories, together and separately, and all the people who make up our nation. We should not be embarrassed or ashamed by them, nor should we see them, in my view, as offensive to our more recent citizens who have, after all, chosen to come to this island to join us, put down roots and become one of us.
If we want unity and cohesion across our multi-racial, multi-ethnic society, we will need to reclaim and embrace a common understanding and pride in our national and cultural identity, in Britain and British enlightenment values. We have a long way to go.
You may be interested in reading this piece by the Leader of the Conservative Party.
The Current Situation
In the letter of welcome from the Home Secretary which is given to those undergoing the British citizenship ceremony, introduced under the last Labour Government, British values are defined as – integrity and fairness, adherence to the Rule of Law and Order, commitment to democracy, protection of freedom of speech. To that, I would add – individual liberty, a belief in personal responsibility, equality under law, underpinned by tolerance and humour. A British civic identity – a foundation for a shared national life, a commitment to the freedoms and responsibilities our flag represents. We would all agree those becoming British should absolutely hold those values dear.
I do know there are some people who are feeling very uncertain and anxious about the state of the country at the moment. There is a lot of political and cultural polarisation with voices, from all sides, laying claim to their version of British values and British culture, amid the fracturing of old norms and the introduction of multiple cultures whose communities have been encouraged to retain and celebrate their traditions, customs and values while at the same time many feel English and British history, culture and beliefs have being denigrated, shamed, diluted and sidelined. Meanwhile, a great many people right across the country feel they have not been represented for a long time and their politicians and cultural leaders have let them down, leading to a feeling some people have that we have lost this shared civic identity.
As Members of Parliament, it is absolutely critical we provide clear and robust responses to the public on the complex challenges facing our society. We must take effective action to improve people’s lives, so that those who seek to exploit public concern cannot use people’s worries to serve their own ends.
One of these concerns is undoubtedly the impact on the country of mass immigration and illegal migration – the sheer scale, speed and nature is unprecedented and I do understand a lot of people are very unhappy with the costs it has, and is, imposing on their communities. Britain is rightly known for its generosity and tolerance, and its ability to absorb people from around the world - and nobody would ever want this to change. However, the mass migration of the past 30 years has not allowed this long successful practice of cultural assimilation, which has enabled so many to become culturally British as well as legally British over centuries, to take place.
In Our Constituency
Turning to our constituency, as you may know, the Copthorne Hotel has been in use as an asylum hotel since 2021 when it first offered sanctuary to Afghan refugees. This one hotel accommodates more asylum seekers than the whole of Surrey and takes more than half of all those in Sussex.
Copthorne is essentially a rural village and we must listen when Mid Sussex district residents tell us they now feel more than uneasy about the large groups of men reportedly congregating, that their children aren’t playing on the local green anymore, that the village now feels radically changed and there is division between residents themselves. This is an issue which local councillors and the parish council have been in contact with me about for some time as it was clear tensions have been rising.
I appreciate the local community has been very patient and supportive but I also recognise this patience has, understandably, worn thin and the community rightly feels it has done its bit.
Flag Flying
It is against this local and national backdrop, that we have seen flag flying appear and rapidly spread, reflecting a broader conversation about national identity and community cohesion. While many see the flags as a distinctive and visible way of expressing unity, pride and patriotism, others are viewing them as expressions of hate, exclusion and far-right narrow-mindedness.
In 2021, guidance was introduced to encourage the display of flags. No planning permission is required for individuals to showcase the England flag on their properties, as long as it falls within their boundaries and adheres to unrestrictive rules. As regards the festooning of lampposts, I must say I am not of the mind to object unless there is a clear safety issue and that is also the position of the Conservative Party more widely.
I, like others, have been very concerned by those Labour and Left-leaning councils – among them York, Brighton & Hove, Tower Hamlets, Lewes and Birmingham who have been quick to pull down our national flag but happy to allow Palestinian flags to fly, although in Birmingham, the council admitted it was actually ‘not safe’ to take down Palestinian flags – in itself, very worrying. In doing this, they have left themselves wide-open to accusations of hypocrisy and double standards.
I was particularly appalled to hear the Labour Leader of Hertsmere Council’s description of those raising the St George’s flag as ‘criminals, extremists, nonces’ and accuse councillors in support of endorsing sex offenders and convicted criminals. This is clearly outrageous. I am pleased the Leader of the Opposition has stepped in, warning it is completely unacceptable for local rules to be selectively enforced. Taking down English flags but leaving political or ideological symbols for other causes untouched could be viewed as a political act of censorship.
In conclusion, I do believe many people flying this country’s flags do want to show their pride in Britain and perhaps express anxiety over loss of national or cultural identity, to show that they are worried about the state and future of our country which is a perfectly valid and understandable position. Assigning ill-intent and meaning, often the worst possible interpretations, to people’s actions and words in any situation is unhelpful, often inaccurate and itself stokes division.
