By Southampton Stand Up To Racism.
Southampton Stand Up To Racism is issuing the following statement on the motion brought by Reform UK councillors, due to be debated at Full Council on Wednesday 15 July, which seeks to restrict the flying of flags at the Civic Centre to only the Union Flag, the St George’s Cross and the Southampton City flag.
This motion is not really about flags. It is about identity, belonging and the kind of city Southampton chooses to be. It forms part of a wider political strategy that turns diversity, equality and inclusion into manufactured “culture war” battlegrounds, distracting attention from the real issues facing local people.
For many years, Southampton City Council has flown flags to mark Black History Month, Windrush Day, Pride, Pride, International Women’s Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, Armed Forces Day and other significant occasions. The Civic Centre also flew the Ukrainian flag for more than two years in solidarity with people fleeing war and with the local families who welcomed them. These are civic acts of recognition that acknowledge the contribution different communities have made to Southampton.
Rather than addressing the issues residents are genuinely concerned about – housing, the cost of living, NHS waiting lists and struggling public services – Reform UK has chosen symbolic battles that divide communities. It is easier to argue about flags than to solve the problems affecting people’s daily lives.
If passed, this motion would send a deeply disappointing message. It would imply that while many communities are good enough to work in our hospitals, teach in our schools, serve in our Armed Forces, volunteer in our charities and contribute to our economy, they are somehow not worthy of civic recognition. That is not leadership. It is division dressed up as patriotism.
Southampton has always been an outward-looking city. For centuries, people from across Britain and around the world have arrived through our docks, built our industries, staffed our hospitals and schools, served in our Armed Forces, rebuilt our city after war, and helped make Southampton what it is today. Our success has never depended on uniformity. It has depended on people from different backgrounds building a shared future.
The Union Flag belongs to all of us: Black Britons, Asian Britons, LGBTQ+ people, people of every faith and none, disabled people, and everyone who calls Southampton home. Flying a Pride flag, commemorating Windrush Day or Holocaust Memorial Day, or recognising other important civic occasions does not diminish the national flag. It demonstrates confidence in a Britain—and a Southampton—where everyone belongs.
The England team shows modern British identity at its best
Reform UK asks us to believe that recognising diversity weakens our national identity. Yet one of the clearest rebuttals to that claim is the England men’s national football team—a team that reflects modern Britain far more accurately than any restrictive flag policy ever could.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad, now through to the semi-finals, is a portrait of contemporary Britain: players whose stories span different communities, family histories and life experiences, all choosing to stand together under one flag. Many of the 26 selected players were eligible to represent other nations, yet chose to commit themselves to the Three Lions. The squad includes players with Caribbean family ties, African heritage, and family roots across Europe and Ireland. Figures such as Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane embody this multi-layered national identity.
Far from weakening national identity, this diversity strengthens it. It allows millions of supporters to see themselves reflected at the highest level of international sport. When England scores, nobody asks about a player’s background—they celebrate because it is England. That truth speaks far louder than any argument over which flags should fly above the Civic Centre.
Southampton deserves better
Southampton Stand Up To Racism urges councillors from all political parties to reject this motion and reaffirm Southampton’s long tradition as an open, welcoming and inclusive city. We also stand in solidarity with the peaceful demonstration organised by Trans Pride Southampton outside the Civic Centre before the Council meeting.
No family will get a more affordable home, a shorter NHS waiting time or a better-paid job because fewer flags fly above the Civic Centre. But many people will feel less welcome if this motion succeeds. Southampton deserves better than politics that manufactures division instead of solving real problems.
We will continue to oppose attempts to divide our communities through fear, exclusion and scapegoating. We will continue to stand for a Southampton that is proud of its history, confident in its diversity and united in its future—a city where everyone belongs, where everyone’s contribution is valued, and where our differences are recognised not as a weakness, but as one of our greatest strengths.
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