Eleanor Lawson and Will JeffordBBC News, West Midlands
A growing number of St George’s and union jack flags have been going up in cities, towns and villages in recent weeks – but why?
Groups responsible for putting up the flags have told the BBC they are motivated by pride and patriotism. But others have said it feels provocative at a time when tensions are running high across England over the issue of immigration.
Here’s a look at how the flag debate has unfolded so far.
How did it all begin?
St George’s flags grew in number as the Lionesses’ Euros campaign gathered pace in July.
Weeks later, the suburbs of Weoley Castle and Northfield in Birmingham had a mixture of the St George Cross and union jacks hanging from every lamp-post along several of their streets.
The sight of flags, uniformly flying in a row along residential streets and country lanes, was warmly welcomed by many people commenting on Facebook.
A group calling themselves the Weoley Warriors claimed responsibility, saying they were a “group of proud English men with a common goal to show Birmingham and the rest of the country of how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements”.
The fact both flags have been used as emblems for far-right political movements meant some Birmingham residents were uncomfortable with the motivations of some of those backing the Weoley Warriors’ crusade.
The flags then started to appear on lamp-posts across the country.
Are the flags being taken down?
There’s been some confusion over this.
After seeing the flags going up rapidly across the city, Birmingham City Council issued a safety plea on 15 August to residents attaching them to lamp-posts and other street furniture, due to maintenance work being carried out.
A spokesperson said the authority was upgrading streetlights to energy-efficient LED lighting and had so far removed about 200 banners and flags from the streets of the city since the start of the year.
“People who attach unauthorised items to lamp-posts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk,” they said.
However, a number of people took to social media questioning the council’s reasoning for wanting to remove the flags.
There have also been questions over why a small number of Palestinian flags flown from lamp-posts were not taken down as well.
The city council later confirmed it had not removed any England flags during August.
Elsewhere, in Tower Hamlets, London, where flags were put up several days later, council workers were pictured taking some down, prompting fury in the community.
What has happened since?
The suggestion flags would be taken down made a lot of people angry.
Rows of flags started appearing in other towns and villages overnight, including Bromsgrove and Worcester in Worcestershire, Bradford, Newcastle and Norwich.
The movement, fuelled by social media, has got a name – Operation Raise the Colours.
People have been pictured using cherry pickers and ladders to fly the flags as high as possible.
Joseph Moulton, from York, is co-founder of the national campaign Flag Force UK, which encourages people to submit instances of the flags appearing. He said the drive was about getting the country to unify under one flag.
More than £20,000 has been raised to support one campaign to put up flags in and around Birmingham, while more than 4,000 people have also signed a petition calling for the local authority to stop removing the flags.
One man in Worcester, Tom Conway, told the BBC he had put up more than 400 flags himself.
What else have councils said?
In Worcestershire, Reform UK lead the county council. They said they would not be taking down any of the flags flying from lamp-posts or other street furniture.
But councillor Karl Perks came out very strongly over the painted roundabouts, saying he could not condone “acts of vandalism, costing taxpayers money”.
Other councils have given mixed responses, including those run by the same party.
West Northamptonshire and north Northamptonshire councils, both Reform UK-led, urged residents to fly flags safely but not to tie them to lamp-posts or road signs.
The Reform-led county councils of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Kent said they would not be removing flags or, if they did, only if they posed a danger.
Elsewhere, Labour-led Derby City Council has asked people not to paint on roundabouts.
City of York Council, another Labour-run authority, said it would not take down Union and England flags but did raise safety concerns over them being added to lamp-posts “without appropriate approvals or equipment”.
Some flags were removed in the South West when they were deemed by a council to be unsafe.
In Sussex, contractors called in to remove the flags reported getting “verbal abuse” and ended up leaving them in place.
Why are some people unhappy about the flags?
While some people living in areas where flags have appeared are happy to see the displays, others have said they find them intimidating.
Some have questioned the motive behind the movement, with the St George’s flag being associated with some on the far right.
A man who lives in Kings Heath, Birmingham, where a roundabout was vandalised, stated it was “not patriotic, it just feels like an excuse for xenophobia”.
A spokesperson from Bristol charity Stand Against Racism and Inequality said that while not every flag was put up “with the intent to divide”, they “are making some minoritised people feel less safe”.
Malcom Farrow is a vexillologist – someone one who studies flags. He said the reason some associate the flag with far right groups is because Britain has never been a nation that has flown flags often and so “nutter extremists” have been able to hijack them as their own symbols.
In York, Claire Platz has twice had Pride flags torn down from her shop, This Shop Is So Gay, and a Trans flag torn down once. She said if the current flags campaign was about unity, it would have the “same enthusiasm” for Pride flags.
Essex County Council staff were told to speak out if they felt “unsettled” by St George’s flags being put up, although a spokesperson later said the message in an email was “not approved”.
What has the government said?
Labour frontbenchers have not waded into the debate in much volume.
Asked about Sir Keir Starmer’s views, his official spokesman said: “I think the PM has always talked about his pride of being British, the patriotism he feels.
“Patriotism will always be an important thing to him.”
What is the law around flying flags?
Helpfully, the government has a guide on its website – a “plain English” guide to flying flags.
It states flags are a “very British way of expressing joy and pride” which are “emotive symbols which can boost local and national identities, strengthen community cohesion and mark civic pride”.
It also states the government “wants to see more flags flown, particularly the Union Flag, the flag of the United Kingdom – it is a symbol of national unity and pride”.
In England, council legislation treats the flying of flags as an advertisement. This is to ensure they do not impact on safety and are flown in a convenient location.
Some flags require formal consent from the local planning authority but, crucially, the union jack and the St George’s flag do not.
A key aspect to the current debate is also covered in the government’s guide. It says all flags must “have the permission of the owner of the site on which they are displayed – this includes the highway authority if the sign is to be placed on highway land”.
The Highways Act 1980 states it is an offence to affix items to structures on the highway without the consent of the highway authority, without reasonable excuse.
Section 132(2) of the act states the highway authority can remove any such items.
