A school in Rugby has sparked outrage on GB News after a 12-year-old pupil was removed for wearing a Union Jack outfit to their "cultural diversity day".
Courtney Wright was sent home from Bilton School after choosing to celebrate Britain's history and traditions, penning a speech on British culture.
Taking to social media, Wright's father recalled the incident and revealed the school had told his daughter that the cultural diversity day was "not for her".
Discussing the incident on GB News, host Eamonn Holmes said the move by the school was "awful", stating that British culture is the "culture of the country".
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|Former Conservative MP Anna Firth expressed her outrage at a 12-year-old pupil being removed by her school for her patriotic outfit
Expressing her outrage at the decision, ex-Conservative MP Anna Firth told GB News: "This lovely girl, who I think looks absolutely gorgeous, came in in a Union Jack dress and she'd written a speech about Shakespeare, about fish and chips, about the Royal Family, she'd really done it properly.
"Having had three children, these days are a big deal, and a lot of preparation goes into them.
"And what's the school's response? To say 'no, that's not the sort of culture we want in our school'. She wanted to celebrate our own culture, this is what we should be teaching our children!"
Highlighting the issue of "migration" among such events in celebrating "culture", former Labour MP Bill Rammell said Britain should be "celebrating its culture" instead of cancelling it.
Rammell explained: "We do live in a multicultural society, and I think it's right you celebrate cultures, but within a British context. And this is at the heart of the debate about migration and integration.
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Google | The academy trust which runs Bilton School has since issued an apology"We ought to be recognising British culture, we ought to be celebrating it, and we ought to be celebrating the values that exist within it, that they're a given that everyone here should sign up to."
Agreeing with Rammell, host Eamonn Holmes admitted that although the Union Jack can be "divisive" to Irish cultures, he still accepts that "having moved to mainland England, this is the culture and these are the rules".
Eamonn stated: "It's their own culture, the culture of the country. I am not English, and the Union Jack is a very divisive thing in Northern Ireland where I'm from.
"However, I buy into the fact that I have come to mainland UK and this is the main club and those are the rules.
"And I think people, if they come to live in England they should buy in to the rules, no debate, no argument."
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|The GB News panel were astonished at the 'awful' treatment of the pupil
Eamonn added: "I can celebrate St Patrick's Day and I can do lots of things as well, but this just seems awful. They're reflecting different cultures in the school but won't reflect a culture like this, which is their own."
Calling for the school to take action and allow Wright to "deliver her speech to an assembly", Firth concluded: "To be fair to the school, they have subsequently apologised.
"But what they should they should actually allow this girl to give her presentation. Make a presentation to the full assembly and celebrate her hard work."
A spokesman for Stowe Valley Trust, which runs the secondary school, told Warwickshire World: "At Bilton School, we are proud of the diversity of our students and the rich heritage they bring to our community.
"We are committed to fostering an environment where every pupil feels respected, valued, and included.
"On Friday, July 11 an incident occurred during our Culture Celebration Day that caused considerable upset to one of our pupils, her family, and members of the wider community.
"We deeply regret the distress this has caused and offer our sincere and unreserved apologies.
"We have since spoken directly with the pupil and her family to listen to their concerns and reflect on how this could have been handled better."