Reform replaces Ukrainian flag with St George's cross

Newly elected Reform UK has replaced the Ukrainian flag outside Suffolk County Council's headquarters with England's St George's Cross flag.

The blue and yellow flag was raised at Endeavour House in Ipswich by the Conservatives in solidarity with the Ukrainian people after the invasion of the country by Russia in 2022.

Michael Hadwen, Reform's leader at the council, said: "After four years, we believe it is right that the council's flagpoles should once again focus on flags representing our nation and our county."

Green opposition leader Andrew Stringer said the removal of the flag without discussion was "deeply concerning".

The other two flags that had been flying alongside the Ukrainian flag - the union jack and the Suffolk flag - have remained in place.

Stringer said: "The UK has really got behind the Ukrainians in their struggle against illegal Russian occupation in the last few years and Suffolk residents have welcomed them into our community and literally into their homes.

"If the leadership at Suffolk County Council can fly the flag of a saint born in Anatolia, why can we not also continue to fly the flag showing our solidarity with Ukraine?"

England's patron saint, St George, is believed to have been born in the 3rd Century in Anatolia - in what is now Turkey.

There are 1,683 Ukrainians being supported in Suffolk, according to government figures.

Hadwen said he had made the move to "celebrate our national identity, heritage, and the communities we serve".

He also went on to reassure Ukrainians who had settled in the county and said raising the St George's Cross was "not a statement against the people of Ukraine, nor does it diminish the solidarity and support Ukrainians in Suffolk have received from this council and local residents in recent years".

"We will continue to support those affected by conflict and hardship around the world while remaining true to our commitment to always put our communities first," he added.

The Conservative group were in charge of the council until Reform won a huge majority at the 7 May local elections.

As well as flying the Ukrainian flag, they signed an agreement with the Poltava Regional Military Administration in Ukraine to create closer links.

Its group leader Richard Rout said: "It's hugely disappointing and divisive that one of Reform UK's first acts controlling the county council is to take down the Ukrainian flag.

"It would have been quite possible to install an additional flagpole to fly the St George's Cross had they wished to do so."

Hadwen said that after four years now was the right time for a change.

"When the Ukraine flag was first raised, it reflected a moment of solidarity during an extraordinary international crisis. That support for the Ukrainian people continues, as does our support for Ukrainians living in Suffolk," he said.

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