On St George’s Day, Keir Starmer says the English flag must be "wrenched out of the hands" of those who use it to divide as he cites the Southport riots
"While this is a day for celebration, we cannot be under any illusions that there is a never-ending fight for our flag and what it represents.... there are people trying to sow division in our communities, people taking the red and white of our flag with them, as they throw bricks at businesses... and that’s why the battle for our flag is really important because that is what happened and that was only last year. So, we have to fight for our flag and for our values.
"Because it was the aftermath of the riots that showed what it means to be English. It marked the coming together of a country. People who got together the morning after, all across Britain with shovels, brooms, and brushes, to clean up their communities. Rebuilding walls, repairing damage and it’s in that spirit that we reclaim our flag and that was incredibly uplifting to go from rioting to people coming out to do what they could for our country. So that’s what we must do for our country, for English decency, honour and fairness. Wrench it out of the hands of those who want to divide this nation and reclaim it for good.
"Because that flag doesn’t belong to me as Prime Minister or any group or political party and that is the point. It belongs to all of us to England, in all its wonder and diversity. And we should be proud of that flag, we must never concede it, because it is an expression of our values and our patriotism. And patriotism for me is about serving the country we love."