The Reform UK leader of Havering Council has condemned protesters who affixed LGBT+ Pride flags to the town hall. Councillor Keith Prince said that “trespassers” had “abused our flagpoles” by hanging the rainbow Pride flag and the transgender flag on an unused flagpole on 25 June. The action appears to be a direct response to the council's earlier decision not to display any Pride flags throughout Pride month.
Council's Pride Flag Ban
Havering Council had announced in June that it would exclusively fly the Armed Forces flag and the Union flag on its civic buildings moving forward. The Reform administration, which won control of the town hall in a landslide victory in May, announced the Pride flag ban just days before a Pride ceremony, which was similarly scrapped. The leadership said the Union flag sufficiently represented everyone.
Reaction to the Protest
In a video posted to X, Councillor Keith Prince stood before a Union Flag backdrop and stated: “Let me make it very clear to everybody who lives in Havering, or anyone else who’s interested, there is only one flag that is going to be sitting atop the town hall once we’ve got the flagpoles fixed.” After taking the flags down, the poles were “once again abuse-free”, he added.
The move attracted criticism online, with Green Party leader Zack Polanski branding it “Trumpian nonsense”. A spokesperson for LGBT charity Kaleidoscope said that it was “devastating” but “would not erase the LGBTQ community in Havering”. The council’s official opposition group, the Havering Residents Association – which controlled the council prior to its defeat in the May elections – called it “disappointing”.
Criticism from Former Deputy Mayor
Former deputy mayor Councillor Barry Mugglestone said: “I am disappointed that the Reform administration at Havering Council has refused to fly the Pride flag, when openly saying they support our Armed Forces community. We need to remember that now lesbian, gay, [and] bisexual personnel are fully integrated and welcome to serve openly in the UK armed forces.”
Reform UK has a policy of only flying flags that represent either the United Kingdom or the Armed Forces. London’s annual Pride parade will be held on 4 July, with events hosted across Vauxhall, Soho and the West End.
