Suspended Labour MP says her 'stomach churned' when seeing colleagues waving St George's flags

Ms Maskell had the whip removed this year after rebelling against Sir Keir Starmer's welfare cuts.

Speaking at a university event, Ms Maskell said: "I personally think we need a little bit of a break from flags right now, and my stomach churned at Labour party conference when everyone got out their St George's flag… that's not the Labour party.

"And Keir Starmer with his two Union Jacks regimented behind him… that's not the Labour party.

"The Labour Party is the insurgent to the colonial state, you know, it's not about owning it.

"So I think having a bit of a break from flags would be therapeutic for us all in having to wrestle with this."

The Prime Minister encouraged members to "fly our flags" during his speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

Sir Keir echoed his speech on social media, tweeting: "Our flag is a symbol of unity, diversity, and pride in our community.

"It belongs to all of us - every neighbourhood, every community."

This is not the first time Ms Maskell has criticised the English flag, previously saying it "threatens the breakdown of society".

She told YorkMix: "Over recent days, I have been inundated with messages from residents concerning the placement of flags and painting of the highways by members of the public.

"Placing flags on lampposts and painting infrastructure is not within the law. There is good reason for this. If laws are breached, societies can break down, and we all ultimately lose.

"I can't put up my own signs and symbols without prior permission, nor can anyone else. It's caused some issues around altercations in communities. We need to take that out of communities, and the simplest way is just saying we will apply the law."

Ms Maskell is not the only Labour bigwig to scorn the Union Jack and St George's flag.

Former Labour MP Emily Thornberry famously quit the party in 2014 after posting an image of a house with a white transit van parked outside and three England flags with the accompanying caption: "Image from Rochester."

Social media users accused her of "sneering" and "looking down her nose" at voters.

The-then Ukip leader Nigel Farage described the tweet as "unpleasant and nasty", saying in 2014: "The Labour party hates the concept of Englishness; they have done for a very long time."

Only last week, a Labour-run council announced it would tear down hundreds of St George's flags from lampposts and walls.

Derby City Council offered residents the opportunity to collect their own flags before starting their widespread removal.