REVEALED: Four times Labour bigwigs have poured scorn on the English flag as row sparks JD Vance intervention

The veeps intervention is the latest twist in the ongoing row, which was sparked by various councils taking down England flags and Union Jacks, including Tower Hamlets Council in east London, which vowed to remove the flags.

Opponents have been quick to point out that these councils are located in Labour-run areas. With the row to set to rage on, GB News looked into four times Labour bigwigs have scorned the England flag.

Emily Thornberry quits Labour following 'snobby' England flag tweet

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

Users were quick to accuse Ms Thornberry of "sneering" and "looking down her nose" at voters at a time when Labour was going against Ukip in the town.

Responding to the incident in 2014, Nigel Farage said: "The Labour party hates the concept of Englishness; they have done for a very long time.

"New Labour can't even stand the concept of patriotism; they think somehow the flag is unpleasant and nasty."

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Rachel Maskell warns England flag 'threatens the breakdown of society'

A Labour MP has called for the local Labour council to reverse its decision to remove St George's flags from lampposts.

Rachel Maskell, who was elected as a Labour MP for York before being suspended following the recent welfare cuts rebellion, made the call after York became a focal point for Operation Raise the Colours.

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."

Rosena Allin-Khan suggests St George's flag has been highjacked by the far-right 

Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan suggested the England flag has been tainted by Brexit and "far-right ideology".

During the time of the 2018 summer World Cup, Miss Allin-Khan said there was a "significant lack" of flags being flown.

She said: "I think that many people feel that flying a St George’s cross is synonymous with far-right ideology and that sometimes prevents them from doing so because they don’t want to be perceived as such.

"During previous World Cups between 2000-2010, you could walk 20 metres and see flags in windows, flags on cars, flags on shops. Despite more sprouting up as the tournament went on, there's been a noticeable difference.

"I think there is a reluctance to do so because shops may not want to feel they're not being welcoming to members of the community, and perhaps Brexit has a part to play in that."

Torsten Bell suggests for Reform is making political hay out of the public's concerns 

Labour minister Torsten Bell said Reform UK should focus on public services after Nigel Farage's party promised the councils under its control would not remove patriotic flags put up in the streets.

Treasury and pensions minister, Mr Bell, said: "I haven't seen any of those stories. But I'll tell you about an important flag, because it was VJ Day last week and I was in Swansea."

Speaking to Sky News, he continued: "There's a flag in the minster in Swansea which is a Union Jack made by people who were prisoners of war, captured in Sumatra during the Second World War, made out of what they could have to hand during that process. And they did that so that they could bury British military servicemen during that war who died in captivity, so flags can be really important.

"My honest view is that if Reform spent more time worrying about improving public services rather than which flags they were either wanting up or wanting to ban, then the country would be a better place."

Mr Farage responded, saying to The Telegraph: "I think Torsten Bell reveals the real Labour Party. They hate the English national flag with a passion which puts them at odds with working-class England."