EastEnders actor Ross Kemp has defended his pride in England and criticized far-right activists who he says have hijacked the Union Jack and St George's Cross for their own purposes. In an interview with The Mirror, the 61-year-old star said the flags “just mean being English” and he is “very proud of being English.” He suggested the symbols should be viewed as mainstream markers of national identity rather than tools for political agendas, noting the flag’s appearance on shirts worn by footballers, rugby players and other athletes.
The remarks come as a wave of flag displays has coincided with protests over migrants housed in hotels, including the Unite The Kingdom march that drew thousands of demonstrators last weekend. Organised by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim activist Tommy Robinson, the rally featured swathes of participants bedecked in Union Jacks and England flags. Reported estimates pegged turnout at about 150,000, making it one of the region’s largest right-wing protests in recent memory. The spectacle unfolded amid a broader push by some to display English and Union flags across England, counter to vocal opposition from authorities.
The public discourse has been underscored by actions and statements from local government leaders. In Birmingham, City Council announced it would remove hundreds of flags from lamp posts that had been put up in recent weeks by a group describing themselves as “proud English men,” a move the council said was necessary as it modernized street lighting and warned that unauthorised items could pose risks to pedestrians and motorists, even when flags hung as high as 25 feet. Critics noted that Birmingham had permitted Palestine flags to fly for months while also illuminating its library in the colors of Pakistan and India on successive days. The council privately acknowledged it needed police support to remove Palestine flags from lamp posts when initial attempts to take them down encountered resistance.
In London’s Tower Hamlets, officials were seen removing St George flags tied to a broader online movement called “Operation Raise The Colours.” The authority had previously declined to remove Palestinian flags, saying the move might destabilise community cohesion. Town halls across the country subsequently condemned paintwork and installations featuring St George’s Cross on mini-roundabouts as part of a wider debate about the place of national symbols in public spaces and in the context of protests outside migrant-hosting sites.
Political reaction has been swift and varied. The prime minister’s spokesman has maintained that Prime Minister Keir Starmer supports people displaying English flags, while some Conservative figures have raised concerns about divisions linked to such displays. Kemi Badenoch, the party’s leader, wrote in the Daily Mail that there is “nothing racist about flying the flag of your nation” and argued that the denigration of anything British in the name of diversity is divisive. Badenoch also criticized what she called double standards for allowing Palestinian banners and other nationalist displays to appear while opposing English flags. The debate has continued to divide opinion among lawmakers and anti-racist groups, who have warned that some flag campaigns risk being driven by far-right actors.
As councils, activists and national leaders wrestle with how to balance national symbolism, public safety and social cohesion, the use of the flags remains a defining, and polarising, feature of the country’s current cultural moment. The conversation shows no immediate signs of quieting, even as supporters like Kemp emphasise pride in English identity and call out attempts to frame the symbols as exclusively political tools. For now, the flags remain a visual shorthand for national belonging, contested in public spaces across towns and cities.