WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A Daily Mail article says the UK government is considering a ban on public displays of the England flag.
OUR VERDICT
False. The article is fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - A fake news headline about the UK government considering a ban on the England flag in public is being shared online as a campaign to display the St George's cross spreads throughout the country.
Flags have appeared on lampposts, streets and bridges in several English towns and cities and have also featured at recent anti-immigration demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers.
The fabricated headline appears in Facebook posts shared by both British and Australian users.
It claims to show a Daily Mail news article from August 24, 2025, with the headline: "Government considers BANNING England flag from being displayed in public."
The byline is Mail on Sunday political editor Glen Owen.
There's no evidence the Daily Mail published this article.
Mr Owen wrote a different piece, on August 24, 2025, about a poll indicating Chancellor Rachel Reeves should be sacked, which includes the same image of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as the one used in the fake article.
A spokesperson for the Daily Mail's publisher, dmg media, confirmed to AAP FactCheck the article was not published by the outlet.
The government told UK fact-checking organisation, Full Fact, it has no plans to ban public displays of the flag.
"Flags are a vital part of celebrating our heritage and tradition," a government spokesperson said in a statement to AAP FactCheck.
Referencing reporting that some local authorities had removed flags, the spokesperson added: "It is for councils to deal with specific issues in their areas, but we are clear they should make sensible decisions, taking into account the safety of their residents."
The BBC has reported Sir Kier's official spokesperson as saying patriotism will "always be an important thing" to the prime minister, adding he is "absolutely" supportive of people who put up English flags, which the spokesperson said Downing Street does every time the England football teams are playing.
A rise in public flags began in early August 2025 across the West Midlands and London, Sky News UK reported.
The movement appears to have originated with two Birmingham-based groups who describe themselves as "proud English men" on a GoFundMe page.
A separate campaign, titled "Operation Raise the Colours", has received support from far-right anti-immigration party Britain First.
Supporters of the movement said it represents unity and patriotism, while others have questioned its intentions and expressed concern about its association with anti-immigration protests.
Some councils, including Birmingham City and London's Tower Hamlets, have removed flags attached to lampposts citing maintenance work being carried out and safety concerns.
In a statement, Tower Hamlets Council said flags may be displayed on private property but anything attached to council infrastructure would be taken down.
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