Keir Starmer declares England's flag 'belongs to us' in St George's Day message

Oliver Partridge
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:02:02 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer hosted a St George's Day celebration at Downing Street on Monday evening, where he championed "service, generosity, and respect" as quintessentially English values.

The reception brought together members of the public, alongside well-known faces, to mark England's patron saint's day - officially celebrated on Thursday.

Sir Keir singled out three individuals present at the No10 gathering who he believed exemplified true English characteristics.

Among them was Isaac Davidson, a York-based window cleaner who assisted in removing racist graffiti from a Chinese restaurant in the city last year.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

The Prime Minister also praised George Sutherland, who volunteers at a Telford food bank, and whom Sir Keir had previously referenced during his 2025 Labour Party conference address.

The third person honoured was Ben Huntley - the nurse who provided care for the Prime Minister's brother Nick Starmer during his final months battling stage four cancer.

During his address, the Prime Minister also cautioned against those attempting to create division within the nation.

"There are voices both here and abroad, who would seek to divide us, who want to set us apart from each other," he told guests, warning against those promoting "a sort of toxic culture of hatred between different individuals, different groups, different communities".

Speaking about his brother's death, Sir Keir's voice reportedly wavered as he addressed the gathering.

"Sadly, my brother passed on Boxing Day 2024 and it hit me like a bus," the Prime Minister said.

He spoke of how Ben Huntley's compassionate approach had made a profound difference during an incredibly difficult period.

"But because of Ben, my brother always felt cared for and respected, because of the way that he was treated by Ben and the whole team, and that was really important to a vulnerable man with stage four cancer going through a really challenging time."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Labour MP calls for Keir Starmer to quit live on GB News amid Mandelson scandal: ‘When, not if!’

Pat McFadden gives two reasons why PM rushed through Mandelson appointment amid vetting fury

Half of young people say they would NEVER fight for Britain

Addressing the nurse directly, he added: "Ben, I'll never forget what you did for me and my family."

Sir Keir drew attention to violence targeting religious communities, describing attacks on synagogues and mosques as "acts of violence designed to send a message to the Jewish and Muslim communities of this country that they are not safe".

The Prime Minister made clear his rejection of such attempts to fracture society.

"We reject their division completely, and we will fly our flag proudly.

"It's our flag. It belongs to us, and we will fly it for the values that we believe in, and they are the values of the people I've named in this room tonight."

The reception featured a notable guest list from the worlds of sport and entertainment.

Former England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman attended, alongside ex-England footballer and Strictly Come Dancing winner Karen Carney, as well as actor Joe Thomas - best known for his role in The Inbetweeners.

Olympic cycling champions Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Jason Kenny introduced the Prime Minister, recalling how they had first encountered him at the Pride of Britain awards some years earlier.

Following a challenging afternoon fielding parliamentary questions about Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador, Sir Keir quipped that he enjoyed occasions where conversation steered away from politics.