Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of being unpatriotic after opting not to fly the St George's Cross outside Number 10 Downing Street for the group-stage matches of the World Cup. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from political opponents, with Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake branding him a “plastic patriot”.
Starmer's decision breaks with tradition
The move comes despite Starmer declaring last year on St George's Day that “we should be proud of that flag”. Previous prime ministers, including Theresa May, David Cameron, and Boris Johnson, all flew the flag during World Cup and European Championship matches. In 2018, Theresa May announced that the Cross of St George would fly above Downing Street for each of England's World Cup matches, a tradition solidified by David Cameron in 2010, who flew the flag for the entire tournament in South Africa.
Political backlash
Kevin Hollinrake, chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “Keir Starmer claims to love his country but won’t fly the England flag for the World Cup. He should show some backbone and pride in our flag and our history. These are the things that bring us together.” He added: “Regardless of what Starmer and his colleagues think, millions of us will be cheering the England team on to the final whistle in all of their games.”
No 10 spokesperson responds
A spokesperson for Number 10 confirmed that while there were plans to fly the England flag during knockout matches if the team progressed, Starmer opted not to follow the “tradition” for group-phase games. They added that the same policy would apply to the Saltire for any Scotland matches in the tournament's knockout phases. The spokesperson also said: “The Prime Minister is incredibly proud to support England and to see the whole country come together behind the team.”
Reform UK criticism
A spokesman for Reform UK said: “Even by Labour’s standards it’s surprising that the Government has chosen to drop the tradition of flying the St George’s flag while England are playing. Starmer spent St George’s Day talking about how ‘very encouraging’ he is of the flag, yet that now looks like more empty rhetoric and meaningless drivel. They will go down as one of the most unpatriotic governments in modern British history.”
Historical context
During the 2010 World Cup, then-minister for local government Grant Shapps urged councils across the country to show their support “to avoid accusations of being overzealous or spoilsports”. In 2018, Theresa May spoke openly about Number 10 being “proud to fly the flag” in support of the team. Boris Johnson also decked out Downing Street in St George's flags ahead of the England team playing in the UEFA Euro 2020 final in 2020, and posed outside Number 10 with a giant flag ahead of their quarter-final against Ukraine.
