On 18th January I tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons that
states:
"That this House believes that the Union Flag should be flown daily on all public buildings in the United Kingdom as a demonstration of national confidence and pride.”
I am pleased to see that, to date, 49 Members of Parliament have signed up to the motion to show their support. The United Kingdom has got a wonderful flag, not for us some unrecognisable tri-colour. Our flag is unique and rich in history and symbolism. It is a flag that is instantly recognised the world over and it is a flag for which Britons past and present have been proud to fight for. I am appalled that in Whitehall, at the very heart of UK Government, there are many empty flag poles. Ministers tell us that they cannot fly the flag over their departments due to restrictive ancient "protocols" that require the flag be flown only on certain days at certain times. This is surely nonsense. Surely these protocols can be rewritten. What kind of impression do we show visitors from the rest of the world when our Governmental buildings are topped by dreary, flag-less flagpoles? It is a tremendous honour for me that one of my roles as a Member of Parliament is as Secretary of the All-Party Gibraltar Group. I have long been a keen supporter of Gibraltar and impressed by the loyalty to the British crown shown by the Gibraltar people. Whenever I have visited Gibraltar, I have always been struck by their sense of Britishness. It is heartening to see the Union Flag flying from so many buildings in this territory and I have always felt slightly ashamed that we, in Britain, don’t do the same. It is time that we, in Britain, show our national pride. I am proud of being British and of our flag and I call for it to be flown from every Government and public building in the land. | 
