'It's not going anywhere!' Patriotic publican outraged as St George's Cross is dragged into flag row after NINE years

Mr Kunkler told host Martin Daubney that the mural was first painted on his pub back in 2016 for the Euros football tournament, and was kept up to support Britain's national teams.

He said: "What is the point of getting angry about it? At the end of the day, we're here to celebrate being an English pub supporting English teams, football, cricket, rugby, the ashes is due next week.

"And this has been up since 2016, for the euros, so nine years. Two years when we had the pandemic, so it's been up for nine years."

Making clear that his nine-year-old mural has "nothing to do" with the recent Raise the Colours flag movement, Mr Kunkler stated: "This is totally nothing to do with it at all. It's based on the fact that it's got a bit political.

"Now, unfortunately for me, I'm also a Wiltshire councillor for Pewsey. I've represented them since 1995, and now my own planning committee have decided that I'm going to have to have retrospective permission."

Questioned by Martin on whether the council will force him to "whitewash" his patriotic display, the landlord hit back: "I've actually got no intention of doing that, I'm afraid.

"This is a bit more of a political thing now, we've no longer got control of Wiltshire. The Lib Dems are a little bit naive when it comes to planning issues, and there are a lot of retrospectives going on."

He declared: "This will stay. I've applied for retrospective permission, my architects in Pewsey will have submitted that in the next 24 hours. So we'll wait and see what the planning committee come up with then.

"It's not going anywhere. It's not a flag, it's just a piece of paint on a wall. It's innocent, I'm an English supporting pub."

Noting the history and community atmosphere his pub represents, Mr Kunkler told GB News: "For all the time that I've been here, I've been here since 1981, but this has been up since 2016. I'm an Englishman and I support all English teams.

"When we have the Six Nations, we have banter with the other nationalities that come in, but this is all inclusive.

We're a family, a family friendly pub, and we have to make ends meet. And this is how I do it, I do it with Sky sports and TNT."

The singular complaint, made to the council by a local, claimed that flag looked like "the headquarters of the National Front".

Councillor Adrian Foster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management and Housing, said in a statement: "The Moonrakers at 57 High Street in Pewsey, is a Grade II listed building within the Pewsey Conservation Area. Listed Building Consent is sometimes required for external redecoration where there is a change of paint colour.

"The changes reported about this property will be investigated in accordance with the council’s Planning Enforcement Policy."