Labour's Keir Starmer blasts Tories as 'no longer a patriotic party' (2024)

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Sir Keir Starmer today declared he has 'no time for those who flinch' at flying the St George's flag as he claimed the mantle of Labour being 'the patriotic party'.

The Labour leader used a newspaper article in the run-up to St George's Day to warn his MPs against shying away from national symbols.

Sir Keir hailed the cross of St George as 'a symbol of pride, belonging and inclusion'.

He added he was 'proud to be English' and vowed his party would celebrate the day of England's patron saint 'with enthusiasm'.

Sir Keir also claimed the Tories had 'lost any right' to call themselves 'a patriotic party' after they had 'denigrated some of our proudest national institutions'.

His message, in an article for the Sunday Telegraph, comes aftera backbench Labour MP claimed the party's use of the Union flag on campaign material was 'detrimental' to its chances in areas with large ethnic minority populations.

This prompted condemnation from both Labour's leadership and Conservatives.

In 2014, senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry resigned from Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet after being accused of snobbery when she tweeted a picture of a house decked out in St George's flags while out campaigning.

In his newspaper article piece, Sir Keir said he had 'no time for those who flinch at displaying our flag'.

He said: 'The cross of St George belongs to every person who loves this country and seeks to make it better – a symbol of pride, belonging and inclusion.

'We cannot allow it to become the preserve of the tiny minority who want to drive hatred in our communities.'

Sir Keiralso spoke of his 'pride and gratitude' at being English and said Labour was 'at its best when it has celebrated, defended and served the values of our country and its people' and promised to 'always put country above party'.

Asking whether the Conservative Partywas 'really capable of serving anything other than itself', the Labour leader said: 'I don't think so.

'In fact, frankly, when you've trashed the economy, hammered mortgage holders, weakened the union, neglected our forces, repeatedly broken laws you expected others to follow and denigrated some of our proudest national institutions, from the BBC to the National Trust to the England football team, I'm afraid you have lost any right to call yourself a patriotic party.'

In recent years, Conservative figures have criticised the National Trust for examining its properties' links to slavery and colonialism, while others condemned England footballers for 'taking the knee' as a protest against racism.

Sir Keir suggested the Tories had overseen a period when pride in British identity had become 'more contentious', adding: 'Shouting 'woke' doesn't just undermine the proud British traditions of free speech, dissent and independent thinking.

'At best, it suggests they don't have faith in the strength of our history, identity and flag to withstand discussion.

'At worst, they don't care if division weakens our nation if it strengthens their grip on power.'

He added: 'I won't let the Tories chip away at our boldness and confidence.

'To be proudly English means to be proudly ourselves, to hold firm to our convictions and be able to speak our mind – and be civil when others speak theirs. No, Labour is the patriotic party now.'

Sir Keir's comments echoed those made by Tony Blair nearly 30 years ago when, as leader of the opposition, he too accused the Tories of lacking patriotism, telling the 1995 Labour Party conference: 'It's no good waving the fabric of our flag when you have spent 16 years tearing apart the fabric of our nation.'

ConservativesKeir Starmer

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• Labour is now the true party of English patriotism