One in eight Labour voters think the St George's Cross is 'RACIST and divisive and should not be displayed'

One in eight Labour voters think the St George's Cross is 'RACIST and divisive and should not be displayed'

WATCH: ‘It’s our heritage - We need more of it!’ Public share joy over St George's flag

GB News
Georgina Cutler

By Georgina Cutler


Published: 22/04/2024

- 07:38

Updated: 22/04/2024

- 07:59

The Labour leader said his Party was now 'the true party of patriotism'

The English flag is "racist and divisive and should not be displayed", according to one in eight Labour voters.

A new poll found that nearly three-quarters of voters say the flag is "a symbol to represent England and no-one should be offended by it".


Ahead of St George's Day tomorrow, the data revealed that Labour voters were 13 times more likely than Conservative supporters to describe England's flag as "racist and divisive".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has made a deliberate effort to rebrand the Party as patriotic, in the wake of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Keir Starmer with St George's flagThe English flag is "racist and divisive and should not be displayed", according to one in eight Labour votersGetty

The Labour leader said his Party was now "the true party of patriotism".

He said he had "no time for those who flinch at displaying out flag.... because the cross of St George belongs to every person who loves this country and seeks to make it better - a symbol of pride, belonging and inclusion."

"Labour is the patriotic party now. We will celebrate St George's Day with enthusiasm, an enthusiasm shared by each patrol saints' day on our isles," Starmer wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

However, the survey of 5,400 voters showed a divisive political split on the issue of the English flag.

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The poll found that while 74 per cent of voters overall say "no-one should be offended" by a flag which "represents England", the figures drop to 56 per cent of 2019 Labour voters, compared with 91 per cent of Tory supporters.

The new survey was conducted on behalf of former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft.

One per cent of Conservative supporters said the flag was "racist and divisive", compared to 13 per cent of Labour voters - equal to more than one in eight.

It follows reports last month that several Labour MPs refused to give out leaflets with the Union Flag, with some saying that its extensive use was "detrimental" in areas with large minority ethnic populations.

St George's flag

Ahead of St George's Day tomorrow, the data revealed that Labour voters were 13 times more likely than Conservative supporters to describe England's flag as "racist and divisive

Getty

The poll also found that support for the Union flag is greater in England than other parts of the UK.

Almost half of voters in England - 44 per cent - identified the Union flag as the flag which "best represents you", while 10 per cent said the Cross of St George and 29 per cent said both.

Just 24 per cent said the Union flag best represented their identity in Wales, followed by 46 per cent naming the Welsh flag and 23 per cent saying both.

In Scotland, only 17 per cent identified primarily with the Union flag, compared with 51 per cent for the Saltire and 23 per cent saying both.

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