St George's Cross replaces Ukraine flag at Endeavour House
The Ukraine flag has been removed from outside Suffolk County Council's Ipswich headquarters and replaced with the St George's Cross, with opposition councillors saying the decision was made without a vote or wider discussion.
Why it matters: The Ukraine flag had flown at Endeavour House for four years. Suffolk County Council administers the Homes for Ukraine programme, under which 1,100 Ukrainians remain in the county.
What they're saying: Council leader Cllr Michael Hadwen said: "We are proud to fly the flag of England and celebrate our national identity, heritage, and the communities we serve. The St George's Cross is an important symbol of our country."
Explaining the decision to remove the Ukraine flag, Cllr Hadwen said: "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. After four years, however, we believe it is right that the council's flagpoles should once again focus on flags representing our nation and our county."
He added: "Our decision to fly the St George's Cross is 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."
Speaking to passersby outside Endeavour House, one woman said: "I'm not sure if it is the position of any building that belongs to the government to put a sign on who they are supporting or not. Any flag, unless it's a UK flag, don't think it's appropriate".
Another called it "disgusting," saying, "We aren't going in the right direction, are we? We should be supporting the Ukrainians, definitely. And at the end of the day, we fly a flag of support".
What the opposition says: Green group leader Cllr Andrew Stringer, who leads the official opposition on Suffolk County Council, said the decision was made without discussion. "It is deeply concerning that so soon after taking power at Suffolk County Council, Reform UK have unilaterally removed the Ukrainian flag from outside Endeavour House, the council's headquarters without discussion," he 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. Anyone with any imagination can empathise with how it might feel to have to flee your home when it becomes a war zone, and you and your family are no longer safe. I'm proud of the generosity Suffolk has shown."
Cllr James Patchett, a newly elected Green councillor and Armed Forces Champion at Mid Suffolk Council, said: "Flags of all colours, including our own, remain a contentious issue in modern Britain. So, whilst I am not surprised to see the flag of another nation removed from local authority buildings, I am disappointed.
"Suffolk has stood in solidarity with Ukraine since the start of the invasion by Russia. This has been seen in our towns and villages across the county, accepting over 1,700 refugees, of which 1,100 still remain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. I would ask the administration in SCC to spare a thought for those Ukrainians in our county who may now feel unsupported. With the war in Ukraine intensifying, support from our local leaders is required more now than ever."
The Leader of the Suffolk Conservative Group, Cllr 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, which has flown here since Russia’s illegal invasion. It would have been quite possible to install an additional flagpole to fly the St George’s Cross, had they wished to do so.
“Reform’s leader in Suffolk famously said, ‘Russia is not my enemy’ - it hasn’t taken long for him to prove this. Clearly, he doesn’t stand with Ukraine and is no friend of the displaced Ukrainian families that now call Suffolk home.
"Russian groups continue to target the UK and our interests, including through direct attacks on UK council websites, and we now have a council leader who seemingly wants to turn a blind eye to it.
“In Essex, Reform UK at least had the courtesy to try to find a new home for the Ukrainian flag and attempted to liaise with the Ukrainian community. In Suffolk, no such steps have been taken, and we’re simply told the flag is being stored by the council’s facilities management team.”
The bigger picture: Suffolk is not the only council where this has happened. Earlier this month, Essex County Council also removed the Ukraine flag from outside County Hall in Chelmsford, replacing it with a second Union Flag.
Essex council leader Peter Harris said the move did not "diminish the support and generosity that Essex residents have shown the people of Ukraine since 2022." However, the decision drew criticism from the Conservative opposition, whose leader Lee Scott said it sent "the wrong message" and risked "importing the language and instincts of pro-Kremlin politics" into the county.
The bottom line: Suffolk County Council says the change reflects a return to flying flags representing national and county identity, but opposition councillors say the decision was made unilaterally and risks sending the wrong message to the 1,100 Ukrainians still living in Suffolk under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
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