Reform UK to ban county flags

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusef has announced a plan to ban county flags from all Reform controlled council buildings

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusef has announced a plan to ban all flags on and within Reform controlled council buildings, except the St. George’s cross and the Union flag (which he incorrectly refers to as the Union Jack).

This ban on all but two flags obviously encompasses all of the county flags of the councils that Reform took control of in the May local elections, and since it’s been announced as party policy by one of Reform’s highest ranking politicians, it’s got to be taken at face value.

It’s obvious that this policy was dreamed up as an effort to ban flags like the pride flag and the trans flag, as well as the flag of Ukraine, but they clearly didn’t think through the implications.

It’s going to be hard for them to pretend that they didn’t intend to ban county flags, when the policy explicitly states "Reform controlled English councils will move at speed to resolve that the *only* flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George’s flag. No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flag-poles, balconies, reception desks or council-chamber walls".

It seems like Reform (an organisation that has only existed since 2018) is keen to eradicate our regional identities, and local symbols that date back for centuries, in order to enforce their version of ultranationalist conformity.

So here’s a quick guide to the county flags in Reform controlled councils that will no longer be allowed in or on public buildings.

The flag of Kent has been in use since the 19th Century and incorporates the white horse of Kent which dates back even further to the 17th Century. It’s one of the most recognisable county flags, but Reform have stated their intentions to eradicate it from public buildings in order to enforce their narrow-minded ultra-nationalism.

The flag of County Durham incorporates the cross of Saint Cuthbert, one of Britain’s most under-rated saints, and probably the most important saint from northern England.

It’s a sad state of affairs that this working class Labour stronghold of County Durham has been taken over by a bunch of radically right-wing ultranationalists who are intent on erasing the county’s history. No doubt the Durham Miners’ Gala will be next in their firing line.

The flag of Nottinghamshire features Robin Hood, so it’s no surprise to see a billionaire-bankrolled political party eager to tear down flags referencing a guy who famously redistributed wealth from the greedy rich to the needy poor.

The flag of Staffordshire features the historical Staffordshire knot on the de Stafford coat of arms. The Tories controlled the council from 2008 to 2025, but after their near-total wipe out by Reform, it seems like the county flag is destined for the bin.

The red rose of Lancashire has to be one of the most recognisable county symbols of all, along with the white rose of Yorkshire, and the three swords of Essex.

Reform has taken control of Lancashire Council, so under their ultranationalist flag policy, the county can forget about their famous red rose.

Thankfully Reform don’t have the power to completely eradicate the famous white rose of Yorkshire, having only taken control of East Yorkshire council.

However they’re intent on binning the flag of the East Riding of Yorkshire, which features the white rose in East Riding style (one sepal on top, rather than at the bottom) on a bicolour of blue and green representing the sea, and agriculture.

Reform has taken control of both Northamptonshire councils (North and West), so the county flag is set to be banned from public buildings. The current version is fairly recent, but it contains the traditional rose symbol of Northamptonshire, and the colour scheme is inspired by the County Cricket team and Northampton Town Football Club, with a nod to the county’s traditional leather industry in the black border.

The flag of Lincolnshire includes five elements. The cross of Saint George to represent England; the yellow border to represent the arable crops grown in the county; blue to represent the sea on the east coast; green to represent Lincolnshire’s fenlands; and the fleur de lys which is a traditional symbol of the city of Lincoln.

The flag of Derbyshire features the Tudor Rose, which has been a symbol of the county since the 15th Century. The green and blue colours represent the county’s countryside, and its rivers and reservoirs.

Reaction

Reform’s flag ban has provoked outpourings of delight from frothing ultranationalists.

It’s difficult to understand the mindset of people who are so obsessed with their Englishness that they’d wilfully bin centuries of regional history and symbolism to enforce nationalist conformity, but these people exist, they vote Reform, and they’re delighted.

It’s also difficult to understand how people are so happy that the first instincts of the Reform politicians they voted into power are not to do anything to help ordinary people, but to set about banning flags and imposing restrictions on free speech.

The British people have suffered a decade and a half of austerity ruination; failing public services; debilitating local government cuts; infrastructure underinvestment; social security vandalism; stagnating wages; and collapsing living standards.

Add in energy profiteering; private water pollution; exploitative slumlords buying up all the affordable housing; the inflation crisis; and successive governments that prioritise the wealth hoarding of the mega-rich over the welfare of ordinary people, and it’s clear that there’s so much that could actually be done to improve ordinary people’s lives.

But what have the Reform politicians who have swept into power on the back of massive public discontent got to offer?

Their first instincts are to ban words and bin regional flags!

And the worst thing about it is that this kind of ignorant culture war bollocks is that it’s so damned popular.