Downing Street has confirmed the St George’s flag will fly over No 10 from Wednesday to mark England’s progress in the World Cup, after Sir Keir Starmer faced accusations of being a “plastic patriot”.
Asked about the flag by journalists, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “It’s our flag, our heritage and our values. We will be flying our flag for the knockout matches and will put it up on Wednesday.”
England face the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday at 5pm in the Three Lions’ first knockout match of the tournament.
Sir Keir is known to be a keen football fan and regularly attends matches at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
The decision to fly the flag marks a U-turn after Sir Keir was branded a “plastic patriot” when it emerged he had quietly scrapped the 16-year tradition before reversing course.
It was initially reported that No 10 would not display the St George’s flag during the World Cup, despite earlier pledges to “fly our flag proudly” on St George’s Day.
Previous Prime Ministers have either flown the flag on match days or throughout entire tournaments, a tradition that became firmly established under David Cameron in 2010.
At the time, then Local Government Minister Grant Shapps urged councils across the country to show their support to avoid accusations of being overzealous or spoilsports.
Both the St George’s flag and the Union Jack have become flashpoints in recent years, with some critics describing displays of the flags as “far right” or “racist” rather than patriotic.
The Raise the Colours campaign has since sought to restore the flag’s place in public life and rebuild civic pride, with major international football tournaments often bringing renewed support.
Theresa May declared No 10 was “proud to fly the flag” during England’s 2018 World Cup run, while Downing Street was decked out in red and white for the Euro 2024 final early in Sir Keir’s premiership.
The street was also draped in England flags last year after the Lionesses beat Spain to retain the Women’s Euros.
Although Sir Keir initially appeared supportive of flying flags in public, the Operation Raise the Colours campaign saw him adopt a more cautious stance on the issue.
His spokesman previously said: “He has pride in the flag. He believes it is important that we take pride in our flag, as it represents our history, heritage and values. That is why he has an England flag in his flat.”
However, months later, Sir Keir reportedly drew up plans to “reclaim the flag” from the far right after activists raised banners across the country.
In an earlier speech, the Prime Minister said the Union Jack and St George’s Cross should be seen as symbols of inclusion.
On St George’s Day this year, Sir Keir said: “It’s our flag. It belongs to us, and we will fly it for the values we believe in.”
The flag was absent for all three of England’s World Cup group-stage matches, with plans shelved for games against Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
Sir Keir is also said to have planned to fly the Saltire if Scotland reached the knockout stages — a scenario that never materialised after Scotland were eliminated on Sunday night.
