Tag Archives: flags

A grave crime has been committed across Britain; an act of egregious theft. The culprits? Fascist thugs who intimidate those who don’t look or sound like them. The crime? Stealing the flag that unites four great nations and their people, the flag that belongs to everyone who calls Britain home.

From using the British flag as a weapon of intimidation to protesting outside hotels, vandalising roundabouts, attacking police officers, and marching through London to voice their opposition to basic decency, Britain’s far-right has become more emboldened by the rise of Reform UK and their normalisation of hatred. With extensive coverage by the BBC, Nigel Farage’s platform for hatred has pushed Britain’s political landscape further to the right, dominating issues such as asylum, immigration, climate scepticism, and opposing what they call “woke politics.”

The Liberal Democrats have long championed causes such as equality, social justice, combating climate change, and adopting a more compassionate and understanding approach to asylum and immigration. Yet, one area we must be more vocal about – an issue we began addressing at the 2025 Conference – is reclaiming the British flag from those who seek to divide our country, demonise those fleeing war, strife, and starvation, and turn Britain into a vassal state for figures like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

There’s a misconception that supporting the flag is merely performative, serving only to play into the far-right’s hands with symbolism alone. But I disagree. The British flag cannot be allowed to remain a symbol of hate.

It stood proudly in victory over the Nazis. It flew as part of a broader European effort to establish peace across the continent. It is a symbol of Britain’s long parliamentary history, from the Magna Carta to universal suffrage, the rule of law, liberal democracy, and NHS internationalism. Doctors and nurses from around the world have made Britain their home, saving lives and enriching our social fabric.