The Reform UK leader of Havering Council has condemned protesters who attached Pride flags to the town hall’s flagpoles, saying the poles were “once again abuse-free” after the flags were taken down — in the latest flashpoint in a row over the London borough’s refusal to fly LGBT+ colours during Pride month.
Councillor Keith Prince posted a video to X in which he described those responsible as “trespassers” who had “abused our flagpoles,” after the rainbow Pride flag and the blue, pink and white transgender flag were affixed to an unused pole outside the town hall on 25 June. Standing before a Union Flag backdrop, he said: “Let me make it very clear to everybody who lives in Havering, or anyone else who’s interested, there is only one flag that is going to be sitting atop the town hall once we’ve got the flagpoles fixed.”
The protest was a direct response to Havering Council’s announcement that it would fly only the Armed Forces flag and the Union flag on its civic buildings going forward, a decision made earlier in June that also led to the cancellation of a planned Pride ceremony. The Reform administration, which swept to a landslide victory in the May local elections to become London’s only Reform-controlled council, said the Union flag sufficiently represented all residents.
The decision drew criticism from across the political spectrum. Green Party leader Zack Polanski branded the Pride flag ban “Trumpian nonsense,” while a spokesperson for LGBT charity Kaleidoscope said it was “devastating” but “would not erase the LGBTQ community in Havering.” The council’s official opposition, the Havering Residents Association, called it “disappointing.” Former deputy mayor Councillor Barry Mugglestone said: “I am disappointed that the Reform administration at Havering Council has refused to fly the Pride flag, when openly saying they support our Armed Forces community. We need to remember that now lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel are fully integrated and welcome to serve openly in the UK armed forces.”
Reform UK’s policy across its elected administrations is to fly only flags representing the United Kingdom or the Armed Forces. London’s annual Pride parade is due to take place on 4 July, with events hosted across Vauxhall, Soho and the West End.
