HAMMOND FLAG ROW
SERVICE veterans have blasted ex-Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond after it emerged he refused to fly their flag at his department on Armed Forces Day.
The new Chancellor’s successor at the Foreign Office, Boris Johnson, has now vowed to scrap the ban after outrage at the snub to British troops.
The Veterans In Action charity’s founder Billy MacLeod branded Mr Hammond’s stance “a disgrace”. He added: “June 27 is a day to show solidarity with our troops. It is disrespectful to veterans that the FO refused to fly their flag.”
Gay rights groups previously attacked Mr Hammond for banning British embassies from flying rainbow flags.
Mr MacLeod said: “On Armed Forces Day and at events for gay pride or anything else, you show support for that cause. The Foreign Office’s approach has to change.” A Government source said: “The first question to Boris as he addressed staff was if the FO will now fly different flags on Armed Forces Day and the Pride event. Hammond had this hugely unpopular thing against flying any flag other than the Union Jack.
“So the FO didn’t fly them on those days, despite other departments doing so. Boris has vowed he will.”
A spokesman for Mr Hammond said long-standing policy was for the FO to fly only the Union flag plus occasionally other national and territorial standards “rather than those of organisations”.