Police are expected to accompany contractors tasked with removing St George’s flags that have been attached to lamp posts along the coast road from Peacehaven to Brighton.
Labour-run Brighton & Hove City Council said flags installed along the seafront will be taken down under the Highways Act 1980. The banners were put up by campaigners linked to an online initiative, Operation Raise the Colours, and follow similar displays recently removed by other authorities, including Tower Hamlets in east London and Birmingham.
Bridget Fishleigh, the independent councillor for Rottingdean and West Saltdean, said the operation had been paused after contractors faced verbal abuse. “The council has been making steady progress with the removal of the St George’s flags. However, some people have put up new ones,” she said, adding that contractors would not continue without police present. Sussex Police has indicated it cannot provide support until next week.
Nationally, Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch criticised councils for taking down the flags, calling the approach “shameful” and “selective.” She contrasted it with what she described as hesitation by some authorities to address the widespread appearance of Palestinian flags, arguing that suppressing the English flag fuels division rather than easing it.
Tower Hamlets Council, run by the Aspire party, has said it will remove any St George’s flags from council property, including lamp posts. In Birmingham, residents were ordered last week to take down hundreds of Union and St George’s flags from streets across the city.
