Nigel Farage and Andrea Jenkyns celebrate Reform’s by-election and local election success (Image: Getty)
Reform UK will allow only Union Jacks or Crosses of St George to be flown in the 10 councils they now control after their stonking success at the local elections. That means that Ukrainian flags, which have become a fixture above council buildings across the country since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, will have to come down.
“No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flagpoles, balconies, reception desks or council chamber walls,” Chairman Zia Yusuf said. Besides Ukraine flags, pride flags won’t be flown over Reform-controlled councils either. After the May 1 vote, insurgents Reform took control of Durham, Kent, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Doncaster, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. Labour MP Mike Tapp tenuously suggested the decision was indicative of Reform leader Nigel Farage‘s support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, despite Mr Farage voicing his objection to the tyrant’s invasion and publicly supporting Ukraine.
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A Ukraine flag seen flying over Chippenham Town Hall, where the local council meets, in 2023 (Image: Getty)
The Labour MP said: “As VE Day reminds us, Britain has a proud history of working with allies to defeat dictators and tyrants.
“It tells you all you need to know about Nigel Farage’s Reform that their very first act after winning elections is to ban the Ukrainian flag from our town halls, in this of all weeks.
“But while it is sickening, it should come as no surprise: Farage told us that Vladimir Putin is the world leader he most admires.
“Farage and Reform councillors should stop sucking up to Moscow and drop their ban on flying the Ukrainian flag immediately.”
Andrea Jenkyns won the Lincolnshire mayoralty for Reform UK (Image: Getty)
Labour MP James Frith made a similarly baseless accusation: “On VE Day, we remember Britain’s proud tradition of standing with allies against tyrants.
“It speaks volumes that Reform’s first act after their election gains is to ban the Ukrainian flag in the very week we honour the fight against dictatorship.
“”arage and his councillors should stop pandering to Moscow and scrap this disgraceful ban now.”
A Reform spokesman said: “Reform UK will proudly fly the union jack, St George’s flag and county flags. Unlike Labour, we are proud of our country and history.”
Reform Vows to Ban All Flags Except Union Jack and St George’s Cross on Council Buildings
Reform UK has made the flying of flags on council buildings another flashpoint in Britain’s increasingly heated culture-war politics, with the party calling for councils under its control to restrict which flags can be displayed.
The proposal centres on a simple principle: public buildings should primarily display national and local symbols rather than flags associated with particular political, social or international causes.
Reform chairman Zia Yusuf originally said Reform-controlled English councils would move to allow only the Union Jack and St George’s flag on or inside council buildings. The party subsequently clarified that county flags would also be permitted.
The policy has since generated arguments over what public buildings should represent, and whether councils should be able to use flags to recognise particular communities, campaigns and international events.
A pledge that quickly caused controversy
The initial announcement was striking because councils routinely use flags to mark significant occasions.
The Ukrainian flag, for example, has been displayed by councils in solidarity with Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Pride flags have been used to recognise LGBTQ communities and Pride events.
Other flags have appeared for Armed Forces Day, Windrush Day, Black History Month, International Women’s Day and other commemorative occasions.
Under the original wording of Reform’s proposal, many of these displays would have disappeared from council buildings.
The party’s subsequent clarification made clear that county flags would remain acceptable.
That clarification became necessary after the original announcement appeared to put local county symbols, including the Lancashire rose, at risk.
Why Reform wants the change
Reform’s argument is fundamentally about what public institutions should represent.
The party has argued that council buildings should display symbols representing national and local identity rather than what it regards as political campaigns or causes.
For Reform supporters, the Union Flag and St George’s Cross are symbols that can be used consistently across council buildings.
The party has also linked the policy to its wider argument that councils should concentrate on core responsibilities rather than what it describes as political signalling.
Roads, housing, rubbish collection, local policing concerns and council finances are frequently cited as priorities.
The flag debate therefore forms part of a broader Reform message about changing the culture of local government.
Critics say the flags serve a different purpose
Opponents have taken a very different view.
They argue that councils do not simply represent a geographical area. They also represent the people who live there.
From that perspective, temporarily displaying a Pride flag, Ukrainian flag or Windrush Day flag can be understood as a civic gesture rather than an attempt to replace the national flag.
Southampton became a particularly prominent example of this dispute in 2026.
A Reform councillor proposed restricting the flags flown at the Civic Centre to the Union Flag, St George’s Cross and Southampton’s city flag. The proposal also included displaying the Union Flag at council-owned properties and council-run schools. The motion was later withdrawn after significant opposition.
The debate demonstrated how quickly a question about flags can become a wider argument about identity and belonging.
The Pride flag becomes a central issue
One of the strongest areas of disagreement concerns Pride.
Supporters of restricting flags argue that a council should not appear to endorse particular political or social movements.
Opponents argue that displaying a Pride flag for a limited period does not undermine the national flag and can instead signal that LGBTQ residents are recognised as part of the local community.
Southampton Pride made precisely that argument during the dispute there, saying that the flag represented a message of welcome and belonging.
The disagreement therefore goes beyond fabric and flagpoles.
It reflects two competing ideas about the role of local government.
One sees council buildings primarily as institutions representing the whole community through shared national and civic symbols.
The other sees them as places where public recognition can be given to different communities and important historical events.
County flags complicate the original proposal
The decision to allow county flags creates an interesting distinction.
Reform’s position is not that only national symbols can ever appear on council buildings.
County flags are explicitly permitted.
That means the policy recognises local identity while drawing a line around other forms of symbolic display.
The distinction has already produced debate.
When the original announcement appeared to exclude the Lancashire flag, critics pointed out the obvious contradiction: if Reform wants councils to celebrate British and local identity, why should a historic county symbol be prohibited?
Reform subsequently clarified that county flags would be allowed.
That change illustrates how quickly political slogans can encounter practical complications when translated into council policy.
Not every Reform council is identical
Another important point is that individual councils have their own governance arrangements.
The national Reform position does not automatically mean every council will implement precisely the same policy in precisely the same way.
Local councillors and council leaders still have to deal with existing policies, procedures and local political circumstances.
Kent, for example, adopted a policy under which the Union Flag, St George’s flag and Kent’s flag could be displayed, alongside flags connected with the monarchy, Royal Family and Armed Forces. The Pride flag was excluded under that council’s revised approach.
Wakefield later adopted its own policy allowing the Union Flag, St George’s Cross, Yorkshire flag and Armed Forces Day flag, with specific arrangements for commemorative occasions.
These examples show that the national political argument can produce different local outcomes.
The Ukraine question
The policy has also prompted debate over Ukraine.
Under Reform’s clarified position, the Union Flag, St George’s flag and county flags are permitted, but the Ukrainian flag does not fall into those categories.
Critics argue that removing the Ukrainian flag would send an unwelcome message of reduced solidarity.
Reform supporters can counter that public buildings should not be used to make foreign-policy statements through temporary flag displays.
Again, the disagreement comes down to what people believe council buildings are for.
Should they simply display permanent civic symbols?
Or should they occasionally reflect important events affecting the local community and wider world?
A wider culture-war battle
The flag dispute is part of a much broader political argument.
Reform has increasingly challenged what it sees as the influence of diversity, equality and inclusion politics within public institutions.
Its opponents argue that this approach risks turning ordinary council decisions into symbolic battles over identity.
That disagreement is likely to continue as Reform becomes more involved in local government.
The party can campaign nationally on immigration, energy, taxation and national identity.
But once its councillors are responsible for running actual councils, symbolic decisions can have immediate consequences.
A flag policy might appear relatively minor compared with council budgets or housing.
Yet it can generate national headlines because it touches on questions of patriotism, identity and belonging.
What happens next?
The practical impact of the policy will depend on how Reform-controlled councils implement it.
Some may adopt straightforward rules restricting flags to national and county symbols.
Others may develop policies covering special occasions, military commemorations or royal events.
There may also be continued arguments over whether certain displays should be classified as civic, commemorative or political.
That means the controversy is unlikely to disappear simply because Reform has stated its preferred position.
Every individual council will potentially face its own disputes.
A symbolic issue with political consequences
For Reform, the policy fits neatly into its broader emphasis on national identity.
For critics, it raises questions about whether councils should recognise the diversity of the communities they serve.
Neither side is really arguing about the mechanics of raising a flag.
The deeper disagreement is about what public institutions should communicate.
Reform’s position is that national and local identity should take priority.
Opponents argue that recognising different communities and causes can coexist with national symbols.
As Reform’s influence in local government grows, these questions will increasingly be settled not by Westminster speeches but by council votes.
And that is what makes the flag dispute politically significant.
A decision that might once have been treated as a minor matter of council protocol has become another test of what Reform-controlled local government will look like in practice.
For supporters, it represents a return to a clearer emphasis on national identity.
For critics, it represents a restriction on the ways councils can recognise the communities and causes within their areas.
The debate over Britain’s flags is therefore becoming part of a much larger argument about the future identity of local government itself.