Flying the flag costs taxpayers £163,000

The Government has spent more than £163,000 on Union flags in two years as part of its drive to boost pride in the national symbol.

New figures showed spending had increased in virtually every Whitehall department since Boris Johnson became prime minister.

The £163,000 spent in 2020 and 2021 amounted to 85% of flag purchases over the past four years.

The Ministry of Defence has spent £118,000 since the start of 2018 while the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spent £54,420.89 last year alone as worn-out flags were replaced.

The figures, revealed by Freedom of Information Act requests, revealed the Cabinet Office has spent more than £3,000 since the start of 2018.

Robert Colls, professor of cultural history at De Montfort University, said: “I think what we are seeing at the moment from the Government is a kind of pushback against devolution and threats to the Union.”

In March, the DCMS published new guidance calling for the flag to be flown every day above Government buildings.

At the time, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the flag was a “proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us”, and “people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings”.

Exemptions apply when other flags – such as national flags of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, county flags or other flags to mark “civic pride” – are flown.