Keir Starmer has hit out at those fueling hatred and division in the UK, using St George’s Day to deliver a passionate call for unity — and to take back the English flag from those using it to spread fear.
Speaking at a Downing Street event packed with NHS workers, police officers, charity staff, and a few famous faces like Ross Kemp, the Prime Minister took direct aim at groups he says are twisting patriotism into something toxic. His words came just as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Britain is “losing its identity” due to mass migration and shifting culture, reported the Sun.
But Starmer wasn’t having it. He recalled the summer of 1996 during the Euros, when the country came together in a way that still sticks with him — a contrast, he said, to what he’s seeing today. “We can see 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,” he said, referencing the riots that broke out last July after the Southport killings, which later spread to London and Manchester.
He said the true spirit of England was shown not during the chaos, but the morning after, when everyday people came out with shovels and brooms to clean up and rebuild. “It’s in that spirit that we reclaim our flag,” he said, “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.”
As Reform makes gains in the polls ahead of next week’s local elections, especially in Red Wall seats where many voters say they feel the country’s “broken,” Labour is feeling the pressure. But Starmer insists true patriotism is about more than political rhetoric. “That flag doesn’t belong to me as Prime Minister, it doesn’t belong to my party or any political group,” he said. “It belongs to all of us, to England in all of its wonderful diversity.”
Guests at the event were served classic English fare like Melton Mowbray pies, Bakewell tarts, and Eccles cakes — a nod to tradition while celebrating modern English identity. Number 10 said invitees were chosen for showing a “strong sense of English patriotism.”
In a pointed response to Farage’s cultural comments, Starmer made it clear: the English identity isn’t vanishing — it’s evolving. And the flag? It stays with the people, not the politics. Keir Starmer has hit out at those fuelling hatred and division in the UK, using St George’s Day to deliver a passionate call for unity — and to take back the English flag from those using it to spread fear.
Speaking at a Downing Street event packed with NHS workers, police officers, charity staff, and a few famous faces like Ross Kemp, the Prime Minister took direct aim at groups he says are twisting patriotism into something toxic. His words came just as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Britain is “losing its identity” due to mass migration and shifting culture.
But Starmer wasn’t having it. He recalled the summer of 1996 during the Euros, when the country came together in a way that still sticks with him — a contrast, he said, to what he’s seeing today. “We can see 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,” he said, referencing the riots that broke out last July after the Southport killings, which later spread to London and Manchester.
He said the true spirit of England was shown not during the chaos, but the morning after, when everyday people came out with shovels and brooms to clean up and rebuild. “It’s in that spirit that we reclaim our flag,” he said, “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.”
As Reform makes gains in the polls ahead of next week’s local elections, especially in Red Wall seats where many voters say they feel the country’s “broken,” Labour is feeling the pressure. But Starmer insists true patriotism is about more than political rhetoric. “That flag doesn’t belong to me as Prime Minister, it doesn’t belong to my party or any political group,” he said. “It belongs to all of us, to England in all of its wonderful diversity.”
Guests at the event were served classic English fare like Melton Mowbray pies, Bakewell tarts, and Eccles cakes — a nod to tradition while celebrating modern English identity. Number 10 said invitees were chosen for showing a “strong sense of English patriotism.”
In a pointed response to Farage’s cultural comments, Starmer made it clear: the English identity isn’t vanishing — it’s evolving. And the flag? It stays with the people, not the politics. Keir Starmer has hit out at those fuelling hatred and division in the UK, using St George’s Day to deliver a passionate call for unity — and to take back the English flag from those using it to spread fear.
Speaking at a Downing Street event packed with NHS workers, police officers, charity staff and a few famous faces like Ross Kemp, the Prime Minister took direct aim at groups he says are twisting patriotism into something toxic. His words came just as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Britain is “losing its identity” due to mass migration and shifting culture.
But Starmer wasn’t having it. He recalled the summer of 1996 during the Euros, when the country came together in a way that still sticks with him — a contrast, he said, to what he’s seeing today. “We can see 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,” he said, referencing the riots that broke out last July after the Southport killings, which later spread to London and Manchester.
He said the true spirit of England was shown not during the chaos, but the morning after, when everyday people came out with shovels and brooms to clean up and rebuild. “It’s in that spirit that we reclaim our flag,” he said, “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.”
As Reform makes gains in the polls ahead of next week’s local elections, especially in Red Wall seats where many voters say they feel the country’s “broken,” Labour is feeling the pressure. But Starmer insists true patriotism is about more than political rhetoric. “That flag doesn’t belong to me as Prime Minister, it doesn’t belong to my party or any political group,” he said. “It belongs to all of us, to England in all of its wonderful diversity.”
Guests at the event were served classic English fare like Melton Mowbray pies, Bakewell tarts, and Eccles cakes — a nod to tradition while celebrating modern English identity. Number 10 said invitees were chosen for showing a “strong sense of English patriotism.”
In a pointed response to Farage’s cultural comments, Starmer made it clear: the English identity isn’t vanishing — it’s evolving. And the flag? It stays with the people, not the politics.
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