A pub landlord in Wiltshire is set to lose his appeal to retain a giant St George's Cross painted on his Grade II-listed building, after complaints it resembled 'the headquarters of the National Front'. Jerry Kunkler, owner of the Moonrakers Inn in Pewsey, first painted the red cross on his white pub in 2016 and repainted it for the 2022 World Cup.
In 2025, a guest at a local Airbnb reported the flag to Wiltshire Council, prompting a planning investigation. Kunkler applied for retrospective permission, but planners have recommended refusal, citing the listed building's special interest. Council planning officer Pippa Card said the cross 'fails to preserve the special interest' of the 19th-century building and causes 'visual harm' to its character.
Card also noted the flag's 'presumed association with other organisations' and that it 'lowered the tone of the area'. The planning application received complaints labelling it 'racist' and 'anti-migrant'. Kunkler, also Wiltshire's longest-serving councillor, defended the flag as patriotic support for England sports teams, saying: 'It has never been anything to do with that.'
The matter will go before Wiltshire Council's planning committee next week, where refusal is likely. Adrian Foster, cabinet member for planning, confirmed the changes will be investigated under the council's enforcement policy.
