In a first for central Government, the Cabinet Office is flying a rainbow flag to mark World Pride being held this weekend in London.
The iconic flag has been flown on the personal request of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Officials say that Mr Clegg thought it ‘was about time for Whitehall to bring itself up to date’ by flying the flag in solidarity with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “There has to be a first time for everything – flying this iconic flag in the heart of Whitehall is a small but important emblem that the Government and this country are behind equal rights.
“I’m absolutely delighted that, with a little bit of persuasion and determination, we’ve been able to fly the rainbow flag for this weekend’s festivities. I hope this is the start of a new era of pride across the historic Whitehall village.”
Designed in San Francisco in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, the original flag had eight stripes instead of today’s six horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.
Mr Clegg recently became the most senior politician to join the Out4Marriage campaign for marriage equality and yesterday said that churches and other religious institutions should be allowed perform same-sex marriages.
Subscribe
-
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
-
Like us on Facebook
-
Subscribe to our feed
-
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Most Read
Search
Op-eds
-
The Independent View: Are mutuals the answer to the water crisis? (People's Commission on the Water Sector)
-
William Wallace writes: We should talk more about Liberalism (Lord William Wallace)
-
The future of war has arrived: It’s the Navy (Edward Marsh)
-
The law has never told you which door to use (Tanya Park)
-
Lincolnshire – a flawed reform of local government and why it matters (Nigel Lindsay)
-
Latest voting intention and leadership ratings opinion polls
-
Democracy, defence policy, health care and more at Lib Dem Autumn Conference
-
Two more wards become Reform vs Lib Dem in council by-elections
-
Churchill and Lloyd George: Rivals for Greatness - new podcast series
-
The Joy of Six 1558
-
A murder mystery set in Parliament, written by a pioneering MP
-
Climate change ushers in record-breaking July
-
Council by-election results scorecard 2026-2027
-
"Making Liverpool a global force," Liverpool Lib Dem proposals for regenerating our economy
-
Before Paddington Bear there was Mary Plain
Recent Comments
Nigel Jones
Yes we need to think through and articulate our Lib dem approach to economics and the way we order society. I see the occasional attempt at this on LDV but out ...
Peter Davies
The broken part is not the provision of water (a commodity and natural monopoly supplied to households) but the disposal of sewage and rain water run-off (a ser...
Cassie
'Knee jerk adoption.. (be it mutuals instead of corporates) does not address the fundamental strategic problems'. Indeed. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is not-for-pro...
Peter Chambers
I would like to agree that the "It" is the Royal Navy. But I cannot. The necessary "It" is Social Democracy. The National Preparedness Commission said in the...
Rif Winfield
Whatever the multiple roles which the Navy must undertake (and here I fully agree with you, Edward), what is essential is the quantity of vessels. However effec...


6 Comments
Very glad to see this. It’s symbolic, while the real work is proceeding with equal marriage, international LGBT+ rights etc. across Lib Dem departments – but there’s nothing wrong with the outside of Whitehall reflecting what we’re doing on the inside in Government.
Symbolism, maybe, important definitely . It shows those on government benches who will oppose the current measures that it really is how not if with equality in the 21st century…
Religious groups should be allowed to perform same sex marriages. They should not be legally forced to do so.
Stephen W, that’s exactly the Lib Dem position on this issue.
Good on you nick. retweeted flag this morning.
Heavens, a LDV post with purely positively comments… and I add mine too: well done, Nick; we can be proud of the progress the Coalition is making in this area 🙂