Dad of flag dress girl says Brits are sick of being told national pride is 'offensive'

The father of a 12-year-old girl who was barred from a school cultural day for wearing a Union Jack dress has said the surge in flags flying in towns and cities across the UK is driven by patriotic Brits "sick of being told their pride is offensive". Stuart Field's daughter Courtney made national headlines in July when she was told she could not take part in a Culture Celebration Day with classmates because of her Spice Girls-inspired outfit.

Bilston School, in Rugby, Warks, issued an apology after sparking outrage when Mr Field revealed Courtney had been told her outfit was "inappropriate" and she was excluded from class. Speaking to the Daily Express Courtney said she had been "embarrassed" by the school's actions, and that "it upset me because I came in really proud, I bought the dress, I chose it myself as I was going to be Ginger Spice, it's iconic".

Since the incident national flags have increasingly appeared flying from lampposts as far and wide as Birmingham and Durham as part of a campaign dubbed "Operation Raise the Colours", which organisers claim is a non-partisan bid to inspire national pride. But some local councils have sparked anger by taking down the banners, citing "health and safety" concerns, and a few commentators have raised concerns the flag flying could embolden the far-right.

Speaking to the Daily Express, Mr Field, 47, said it was time the country needed to show some national pride and branded local authorities seeking to remove English and British flags as "absolutely disgraceful".

He said: "It's about time we stood up and showed some pride in our country. Our grandparents didn't fight two world wars for us to be embarrassed about flying the Union Jack. The flag isn't extreme, it isn't political, it's who we are. If we can't even fly our own flag in Britain without being attacked for it, then something has gone very, very wrong."

"These councils are quick to lecture us about 'community values' yet they're the first to trample on our traditions. We're not going to be bullied into silence. Ordinary Brits are sick of being told their pride is 'offensive'. Enough is enough, the flag stays up."

The treatment of Courtney for wearing a Union Jack dress to school this summer even attracted comment from Downing Street, with a spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer saying "the Prime Minister has always been clear that being British is something to be celebrated".

Number 10 has also been vocal in support of the right of Britons to fly their national flag, with the Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage both backing banners too.

Mr Field revealed since the incident in July his family had received "thousands of messages of support" from people all over the UK. He said he believed the migrant hotel crisis showed "how broken the system has become" when it came to local communities not being able to show national pride, adding: "Local people are ignored, decisions are forced on communities, and anyone who dares question it is labelled a bigot. That's not democracy."

A court battle is ongoing between the Government and a council in Epping, Essex, over the housing of migrants in a hotel. The High Court first supported the local authority with an injunction stopping migrants being resident, but the Court of Appeal sided with the Home Office and ministers on Friday and lifted the ban.

It's thought the legal wrangle could now head to the Supreme Court for a final ruling.