Sir Keir Starmer will unveil plans to transform the Union Jack into a “symbol of inclusion” on Friday, bidding to “reclaim the flag” from the far-right in his final address before the Labour Party conference begins in Liverpool.
The Prime Minister’s speech comes just days after Tommy Robinson’s controversial “Unite the Kingdom” rally drew an estimated 110,000 to 150,000 demonstrators to central London last Saturday, with violent clashes leaving 26 police officers injured, four seriously.
A Downing Street source told The Telegraph that Sir Keir will be “keen on reclaiming the flag,” echoing his words from St George’s Day earlier this year. “The flag is for all of us. It should be a symbol of unity rather than a symbol of division. A symbol of pride, a symbol of inclusion,” the source said.
The timing appears deliberately provocative, coming as Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses continue to fly across Britain following a summer of heightened tensions over immigration and national identity. Saturday’s Robinson rally saw demonstrators carrying both flags whilst chanting “we want our country back” and directing crude refrains at the Prime Minister.
In what promises to be a combative address, Sir Keir will directly attack Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as a “toxic” force whose vision of Britain must be challenged. The Prime Minister will also extend his hand to left-wing leaders globally, urging them to “fight for the values they hold dear: decency, tolerance and respect.”
Sir Keir has repeatedly pointed to football as emblematic of his pride in national symbols. Writing in The Sun last weekend, he recalled attending Euro ’96, saying it “felt like we were part of something larger than ourselves.
“An England that belonged to our grandparents and our history, but also to our children and our future,” the Prime Minister wrote. “And I felt like I was part of it. That’s the power of our flag. To make us all feel like part of Team England.”
The speech represents a calculated attempt to wrestle control of patriotic imagery from the political right, following a summer in which national flags proliferated across the country. The Unite the Kingdom march saw participants carrying the St George’s red-and-white flag of England and the Union Jack, with some demonstrators also displaying American and Israeli flags.
Saturday’s rally, billed as a demonstration for free speech and British heritage, featured international far-right figures including French politician Eric Zemmour and Germany’s Petr Bystron. Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared via video link, condemning what he called “massive uncontrolled migration” and telling the crowd to “fight back or die.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told the hoarse-voiced crowd that migrants now had more rights in court than “the British public, the people that built this nation.” The march stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo station, a distance of approximately three-quarters of a mile.
Violence erupted in the late afternoon when Unite the Kingdom supporters threw projectiles at a counter-demonstration organised by Stand Up to Racism, which drew approximately 5,000 participants. Police reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed as demonstrators attempted to breach crowd-control barriers separating the two groups.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist condemned the violence, stating: “There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence. They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse and making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe.”
The Prime Minister had already responded to Saturday’s events on Sunday, posting on X: “People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values. But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin.
He added: “Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division.”
The language deliberately echoed Winston Churchill’s famous 1940 Commons speech vowing Britain would never surrender to Nazi Germany, signalling the gravity with which Downing Street views the current political climate.
Sir Keir’s intervention comes as his government faces criticism from multiple directions over its approach to national identity and immigration. In May, the Prime Minister sparked controversy with comments about Britain risking becoming an “island of strangers” due to high immigration levels, language critics compared to Enoch Powell’s inflammatory Rivers of Blood speech.
The Prime Minister later apologised for the phrase, saying it “wasn’t right” and he “deeply regretted using it,” claiming he and his speechwriters had been unaware of the similarity to Powell’s words.
Friday’s speech appears designed to reset the narrative ahead of Labour’s annual conference, which runs from Sunday 28 September to Wednesday 1 October in Liverpool. It marks Labour’s first conference as the party of government in 14 years, with Sir Keir likely to face scrutiny over his administration’s early months in office.
The Prime Minister’s attempt to claim patriotic symbolism for progressive politics reflects broader tensions within British society over national identity, immigration, and cultural values. Recent polling has shown Reform UK establishing itself as a significant political force, with some surveys suggesting it could be Britain’s largest party if an election were held today.
Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally, whilst drawing significant numbers, fell short of the estimated 300,000 who attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London last November. However, the event’s scale and the violence that accompanied it have heightened concerns about political polarisation and the rise of far-right activism in Britain.
The Metropolitan Police deployed over 1,600 officers to Saturday’s demonstrations, including 500 brought in from other forces. At least 25 arrests were made for offences including violent disorder, assaults, and criminal damage, with investigations continuing.
Sir Keir’s forthcoming speech represents a high-stakes gambit to define Labour’s vision of patriotism and national identity against what the party characterises as divisive populist politics. Whether voters will accept the Prime Minister’s framing of the Union Jack as a symbol of inclusion, rather than viewing it through increasingly polarised political lenses, remains to be seen.
The speech also signals Labour’s intention to directly confront Reform UK and its narrative on immigration and national identity, rather than ceding ground on these emotionally charged issues. With the Labour conference set to begin immediately after Friday’s address, Sir Keir appears determined to set the tone for his party’s approach to these fundamental questions about Britain’s future.
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Image Credit:
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives a press statement (15 January 2025) — photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, OGL 3.0.
