Labour council to remove ‘dangerous’ British flags from city streets

Birmingham residents have installed Union and St George’s flags on lamp posts in ‘patriotic outpouring’

A Labour-run council has ordered the removal of Union flags from lamp posts.

Residents in Birmingham have installed hundreds of Union and St George’s flags on the city’s streets in the past fortnight in a “patriotic outpouring”.

However, on Tuesday the council announced plans to remove the flags, claiming that they put the lives of pedestrians and motorists “at risk” despite being up to 25ft off the ground.

“Placing unauthorised attachments on street furniture, particularly tall structures like lamp posts, can be dangerous,” the council said in a statement.

It has led to accusations that the council, which has been beset by bin strikes this year and declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023, is showing “utter contempt for the British people”.

Critics pointed out that Palestinian flags have flown elsewhere on the streets of the city, where 29.9 per cent of residents are Muslim, since the war in Gaza began in 2023.

Lee Anderson, the Reform UK MP, told The Telegraph: “This is nothing short of a disgrace and shows utter contempt for the British people. We should be flying our flags with pride. Our nation has a rich history of hospitality, generosity and innovation – something to be celebrated, not condemned.

“Any elected official who supports removing the British or English flags, restricting personal freedoms or silencing free speech should be removed from office for betraying the very country they serve.”

Residents have claimed there may be “trouble, even riots, if they take them down”.

Cllr Robert Alden, the leader of the authority’s Conservative opposition, added: “Our national flags are nothing to be ashamed of. Seeing our flags flying gives us all pride in our shared history and achievements as a great nation. Birmingham city council should be proud to fly them across the city. Labour rushing to rip them down is shameful.”

He said the council had not previously acted as speedily to take down other types of flags and fly-posted advertising on lamp posts and traffic lights elsewhere in the city.

The Union and St George’s flags, which fly in predominantly white British suburbs in the south-west of Birmingham, were put up using ladders and cable ties by a group of residents called the Weoley Warriors.

Funded by £2,500 of public donations, the campaign is intended to “show Birmingham and the rest of the country of how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements”.

A spokesman for the group said it planned to reinstall every flag taken down by the council.

“We guarantee that there won’t be any disorder from within our group,” the spokesman said. “This is about peace and pride. But as you have seen lately when people feel they are being singled out and pushed aside, then you never know. We would obviously hope that nobody resorts to violence or disorder.”

The suburbs now decked out with flags include Northfield, Weoley Castle, Bartley Green, Selly Oak and Frankley Great Park.

Some residents defended the campaign, with Hayley Owens saying there would be a “real battle” if the flags were removed.

“I think there will be trouble, even riots if they take them down,” Mrs Owens, 40, a former police officer, said. “We are sick of having to apologise for being British. The flags have had such a positive impact on the community – people love them. There is nothing political about it.”

Dr Ingram, a historian from Northfield, said: “We are a small mostly working-class community, and these flags have reinvigorated our collective pride and community spirit. I doubt we will win this, but we will fight our hardest to show that we are British and proud.”

The Government has previously issued guidance saying it wants “more flags flown, particularly the Union Flag”, as long as they are erected with “the permission of the owner of the site”.

The council said the flags would be removed to allow the installation of energy-efficient LED lights on the lamp posts, but residents have argued they should instead focus on the ongoing bin strike, which is continuing into an eighth month.

Simon Morrall, a Conservative councillor for Frankley Great Park, said the flags were a “clearly peaceful movement”.

“When the city council can’t fix potholes, are closing down youth centres and selling off assets, all while fly-tipping piles up in our community and graffiti is out of control, then finding resources to remove Union flags sends the wrong message,” he said.

Birmingham city council said it only opposed flying flags on publicly owned “street furniture” and would not take the Union or St George’s flag down from council housing or private property.

A spokesman said the council’s policy was to remove flags, posters and signs of any kind from street lamps or traffic lights, adding that the programme to upgrade lamp posts to energy-efficient LEDs could not continue if the flags were not removed.

The council spokesman said: “People who attach unauthorised items to lamp posts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk. We are continuing to do this every week, and would ask that staff doing this work are allowed to continue this work unhindered.”

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said the council should make “sensible decisions” about flags, which it said were a “vital part of celebrating our heritage”.

“Flags are a vital part of celebrating our heritage and tradition,” a spokesman said. “It is for councils to deal with specific issues in their areas, but we are clear they should make sensible decisions, taking into account the safety of their residents.”