BBC Newsnight faced backlash after presenter Richard Bacon suggested that displaying the Union Jack flag today could be interpreted as a statement in favour of a 'more white Britain'. The comments were made during a discussion on Friday's edition of the programme, which also featured TalkTV host Alex Phillips, academic Ben Ansell, and journalist Kirstie Buchanan.
The debate followed remarks by former footballer Gary Neville, who claimed the Union Jack was being used in a 'negative fashion' to divide the country. Neville made the comments after an attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, carried out by Jihad Al-Shamie, and blamed 'angry middle-aged white men' for enforcing division.
Bacon, 49, said: 'Right now, if you stick a pole and a Union Jack tomorrow outside your house I think you're making a statement. I think that statement is you'd probably prefer Britain to be more white.' His remarks prompted interruptions from host Nick Watt and Phillips, with Watt questioning: 'That's quite a thing to say. If you put a flag in your garden you're saying you want Britain to be more white?'
The comments divided social media, with some users condemning Bacon's interpretation as 'malicious' and 'absolute nonsense', while others agreed that the flag had been 'hijacked'. One user wrote: 'The Union Jack is not an ethnic banner it represents every citizen of this country regardless of colour, faith or background.' Bacon has since doubled down, reposting the clip on his social media.
