Flag row Anger over decision to fly EU symbol
ADECISION to fly the EU flag outside the offices of Cheltenham Borough Council has been criticised by a prominent member of the Brexit Party, who has called for it to be taken down.
The flag is one of three flown at a lower level outside their offices on the Promenade alongside the St George Cross and a flag campaigning to get rid of child poverty.
The Union Flag flies from the top of the buidling.
The Brexit Party’s Gloucestershire co-ordinator, Stuart Adair, said: “This is absolutely typical of the Liberal Democrats.
“They just will not listen to the will of the people.
“The Liberal Democrats should back Britain and immediately replace this flag, which represents an entity that the UK has three times voted to quit, with our own Union Jack.
“But they won’t.” Cheltenham Borough Councillor Steve Jordan, (LD, All Saints) and leader of the Council said he decided to fly the EU flag as: “I believe the EU embodies our core principles.”
Mr Adair, said: “Gloucestershire and the UK have now voted on three separate occasions to leave the EU - in the
2016 EU Referendum, the 2017 General Election and most recently in the 2019 elections to the European Parliament, which were won overwhelmingly by the Brexit Party.
“What is it about the word ‘Leave’ that the Liberal Democrats don’t understand?”
The Brexit Party was victorious in the South West, and nationally, in their first election since forming as a party at the end of May.
Three of their candidates in the South West region were elected to the European Parliament.
However, the Liberal Democrats topped the polls in Cheltenham’s EU Elections, receiving 36.2 per cent of the vote (13,631 votes.)
They were ahead of the Brexit Party, who received 26.8 per cent of the vote the only borough in the county where they did not come first.
Mr Jordan added: “Along with the Union Flag and the St George’s Cross, Cheltenham Borough Council is proud to fly flags that support its core principles of inclusion, partnership working, respect and collaboration.
“In recent months, we have flown flags to demonstrate our support for: The year of action programme tackling child poverty in Cheltenham by flying the ‘No Child Left Behind’ flag; LGBT+ equality by flying the Rainbow flag; our armed forces by flying the Armed Forces flag.
“I have decided that Cheltenham Borough Council should fly the European Flag as I believe the EU embodies our core principles.”
Mr Adair added: “The Brexit Party will be standing a candidate in Cheltenham at the next General Election and when the time comes I urge all of Cheltenham’s Tory Brexit voters to back him or her in order to avoid splitting the ‘Leave’ vote as Cheltenham’s only realistic opportunity of preventing either a ‘Remain’ Liberal Democrat or a ‘Remain’ Conservative MP being returned to represent the town.”
In response to the calls from the Brexit Party to pull down the flag and the reason for it being flown, Chair of Cheltenham for Europe, Philip Cole, said: “Quite simply - we are still part of the EU.”
There were a lot of comments on the original story.
One person said: “We haven’t left the EU yet and may never do so. So no point in objecting to the EU flag.
Another said: “Nothing wrong with flying the EU flag. All public buildings should fly it. Shows our loyalty to the brilliant community we remain part of (and will be for the foreseeable future).”
However, others shared a different point of view.
In the comments section for the article on Facebook, one person said: “We might still be a member of the EU but it doesn’t respect the result of the referendum.”
The majority of people responding to the article did not find an issue with flying the EU flag, ‘as we are still a member.’
There may be discussions in the future about the flag if and when the UK leaves the European Union.
The current deadline date is October 31.