A Tory former minister has called for Union flags to be flown from all public buildings across the UK to mark Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
Sir John Hayes said it would be a “fitting tribute” to the vote to leave the EU, and to show that Britain is “unafraid of our patriotism” and “unabashed” about its departure, as he made the request to Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay.
During Brexit questions in the Commons, he asked: “In celebration of this important occasion in our nation’s history, I wonder if (Mr Barclay) would arrange for Union flags to be flown from all public buildings across our kingdom.
READ MORE: Alister Jack confirms he has received Nicola Sturgeon’s request for a second independence referendum
“That would be a fitting tribute to the decision the British people made to leave the European Union, and we will remain unafraid of our patriotism, unabashed about the departure, and unwavering in our determination to make our future even greater.”
Mr Barclay replied: “I know my parliamentary neighbour, like me, always takes pride in seeing our Union Jack flown, and any occasion to do so is one that I think he and I would always celebrate.
“But I can’t be alone, given (Sir John’s) penchant for poetry, in thinking perhaps such an occasion may inspire him in due course to write something fitting for such an occasion.”
It came amid calls for the Government to set out its plans to mark Britain’s departure, with the SNP’s Patrick Grady asking Mr Barclay to confirm whether ministers will request the chiming of Big Ben at 11pm on January 31.
“It’s not going to be a moment of celebration for many people across the UK, it’s going to be a moment of considerable concern, not least my constituents who are citizens or nationals of the European Union,” he said.
“And perhaps what they should be asking on that side of the House, if they do want to hear the bells chime, is for whom the bell will toll.”
Mr Barclay replied: “As he will know, a decision as to whether Big Ben should bong or not is a question for the House authorities, and I won’t dare to step into such terrain.”
But he said the moment would be “historic” and “many members of the House will wish to celebrate it”.
READ MORE: SNP says Scotland has right to ‘alternative future’ ahead of UK Brexit talks
The Government confirmed this week that a request for the famous bell to chime on exit day has yet to be made by the Government.
Conservative Sir Paul Beresford said no approach has been received from ministers by the House of Commons Commission.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who chairs the commission, has previously suggested he would not personally block such a request if the House wished it to happen.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel