Durham County Council leader has set the record straight after the Reform-run local authority was accused of taking down Union Jack bunting.
Andrew Husband, who was elected leader after Reform swept up the once-staunchly red county in the 2025 Local Elections, told GB News that the decision was made amid serious safety concerns.
The Chester-le-Street North Councillor also said he wants the Land of the Prince Bishops to fly more flags than any other county in England.
Speaking to the People's Channel this morning, Mr Husband said: "Flying the Cross of St George and Union flag is something we are proud of in County Durham.
"This wasn’t about banning flags — it was one rope for a bit of bunting that could’ve pulled down a lamppost.
"There are flags flying proudly and unencumbered everywhere in the county."
Taking aim at the local Labour Party, Mr Husband added: "Unlike Labour, who seem to prefer the Palestinian flag over our own, we’ll make sure ours fly proudly and safely.
"If it is a competition, I want County Durham to fly the most flags and make a statement now.
"Game on - just do it with common sense, safely and securely and that will do for me."
Andrew Husband became Durham County Council leader after the 2025 Local Elections
|X/REFORMUK
Reform UK has already removed a number of "foreign" and "political" flags from county hall following the party's victory on May 1, replacing the banners with the Union Jack, flag of St George and St Cuthbert's cross.
Prominent Reform UK figures have also been particularly critical of Tower Hamlets and Birmingham's decision to remove the UK and England's national flags from lampposts.
Liberal Democrat-controlled Hertfordshire County Council and Labour-run Brighton & Hove Council have also taken down banners, with the latter citing "health and safety obligations".
Ashfield MP Lee Anderson this week said: “It’s nearly 5 years ago since I wrote to the last government to ask for the Union flag to be flown from every single public building in the UK. I’m still waiting for an answer.”
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage reacted to Tory-run Essex County Council's decision to offer support to staff "unsettled" by national flags with fury.
Flags have been put up across the UK as part of 'Operation Raising the Colours'
| GETTYThe Clacton MP said: “I’ve got to tell you, as an Essex MP, and yes, I was in Clacton at the weekend and there are an awful lot of St George’s crosses.
“And yes, there are some in places they ought not to be. But I found this whole thing rather uplifting.”
However, Labour mega-donor Dale Vince has been among those to mock Reform UK over its decision to remove the bunting in Durham.
Mr Vince, who has recently unveiled an enormous Palestinian flag across his Ecotricity HQ in Stroud, said: "Reality continues to bite for Reform - when in power.
"They criticised so many other councils for taking flags down for public safety reasons - and now, they’re doing it themselves at a council they run. You gotta love it."
Operation Raise the Colours this week has seen defiant Briton hang hundreds of St George's flags across the country | GB NEWS Durham County Council initially released a statement yesterday morning explaining that "it is important to ensure such expressions do not compromise public safety".
The statement added: "A risk-based approach is being applied to this practice.
"While we are aware of some flags being taken down by third parties, we will initially only remove flags and decorations where they: pose a danger to highway users; obstruct visibility for drivers or pedestrians; or are poorly secured or loose, increasing the risk of falling.
"Yesterday, we were left with no choice but to remove bunting across a road at New Brancepeth, following a risk assessment.
"The rope involved was so strong that, had a high-sided vehicle driven into it, the poles it was attached to could have been pulled down."
The controversy stems from green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince's decision to display a massive 30-foot Palestinian banner at his company's headquarters in Stroud, Gloucestershire | GB NEWS However, County Durham also attracted GB News's attention last weekend when residents in Crook proudly raised the St George's cross across the town.
Crook resident Richard Morgan told the People's Channel that the display is "about pride, not politics" and added that "the flags are a symbol of unity, identity and tradition".
The flag row has also sparked an intervention from US Vice President JD Vance.
Mr Vance this week urged Britons to "push back against crazies" who criticise flag-flying, adding: "It's a good thing to be proud of your country."