Reform UK council removes St George and union flags over safety fears
A Reform-led council has started to remove flags and bunting displaying the St George’s cross and the union flag after concerns were raised that they could cause accidents.Durham county council issued a statement on X on Friday saying that while the council “understand and respect the community’s desire to express national pride, celebration, or remembrance, it is important to ensure such expressions do not compromise public safety”.The council claimed it had been “left with no choice but to remove bunting” after a risk assessment found that “rope involved was so strong that, had a high-sided vehicle driven into it, the poles it was attached to could have been pulled down”.The statement said the council’s “priority remains ensuring the safety and integrity of the highway network, while being mindful of, and responsive to, the communities we serve”.It encouraged residents “to consider safer and more appropriate locations for flags or other displays that do not involve highway infrastructure and conform to all appropriate standards and regulations”.
In the past few weeks there has been increasing controversy over the number of flags being flown in towns across England.Some say it is simply a show of national pride and patriotism, while others argue the swell of interest in flying flags is linked to the far right and anti-migrant sentiment.Instances of vandalism have been recorded, including red lines being spray-painted on to white roundabouts to replicate the St George’s cross.Councils throughout the country have responded in different ways.Some, such as Lib Dem-run Hertfordshire council and Labour-run Brighton council have said that they will remove flags, with Brighton saying that “when it comes to items attached to lamp-posts or defaced roundabouts, it is normal council procedure for these to be removed on a regular basis, in line with our health and safety obligations”.
Darren Grimes, a political commentator who is the deputy leader of Durham county council and a member of Reform UK, has repeatedly commented on his X account about flags being flown in England, including a video with the caption: “This isn’t just flying a flag,It’s the start of the fightback,”The Reform MP Lee Anderson has also posted frequently about his desire for more flags to be flown around the country, including a post on Monday showing a letter he had written to the government five years ago, with the caption: “It’s nearly 5 years ago since I wrote to the last government to ask for the Union flag to be flown from every single public building in the UK,I’m still waiting for an answer,”Other posts from Grimes in the past month include him expressing support for union flags being hung from a bridge, while criticising the flying of Pakistani, Palestinian and LGBTQ+ pride flags throughout the country.
Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThe topic has attracted comment and debate beyond Britain, with the tech mogul and outspoken Reform UK supporter Elon Musk posting a St George’s cross to his X feed on Tuesday and the US vice-president, JD Vance, urging people in the UK to “push back against crazies” who criticise the flag-flying,The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has not commented on the recent flag debate, but was candid about his views on the line between patriotism and nationalism during a briefing on St George’s Day in April of this year,He said: “I do understand the fight over the flag … but that’s why we’ve got to reclaim it,It belongs to all of us,”
UK bank shares fall as City fears budget tax raid; US trade deficit surges – as it happened
Shares in UK banks are falling this morning as the sector fears it could be targeted in the autumn budget.NatWest (-3.7%), Lloyds Banking Group (-2.8%) and Barclays (-2.3%) are leading the fallers on the FTSE 100 share index, reflecting rising concerns that chancellor Rachel Reeves could target banks to help shore up the UK’s public finances
Rate-rigging convictions of five more bankers may be unsafe, says SFO
Five more bankers convicted of rigging interest rates may be a step closer to clearing their names after the supreme court overturned a decade-old ruling against the trader Tom Hayes last month.The Serious Fraud Office said it had assessed the cases of six individuals who were charged with manipulating the euro interbank offered rate (Euribor) or the now defunct London interbank offered rate (Libor) and determined that five convictions “may be considered unsafe” after July’s ruling.Both Euribor and Libor rates affected the value of hundreds of trillions of pounds and euros worth of financial products around the world, including ordinary people’s pensions, mortgages and savings. The SFO’s investigations, which were launched 13 years ago, resulted in nine fraud convictions against senior bankers, including Hayes, who had been accused of rigging the rates.But Hayes, who was the first banker jailed over Libor rigging in 2015, had his name cleared in July after the supreme court found faults in the original trial
Government faces questions after review of 11 major UK data breaches
The government is facing calls to explain why it has yet to implement all the recommendations from a 2023 review into a spate of serious public sector data breaches, including the exposure of Afghans who worked with British military, victims of child sexual abuse and 6,000 disability claimants.On Thursday ministers finally published the information security review, which was triggered by the 2023 leak of personal data of about 10,000 serving officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.The review by Cabinet Office officials into 11 public sector data breaches, encompassing the HMRC, the Metropolitan police, the benefits system and the MoD, found three common themes:A lack of controls over ad hoc downloads and exports of aggregations of sensitive data.The release of sensitive information via “wrong recipient” emails and failure to use bcc properly.Hidden personal data emerging from spreadsheets destined for release
ChatGPT offered bomb recipes and hacking tips during safety tests
A ChatGPT model gave researchers detailed instructions on how to bomb a sports venue – including weak points at specific arenas, explosives recipes and advice on covering tracks – according to safety testing carried out this summer.OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 also detailed how to weaponise anthrax and how to make two types of illegal drugs.The testing was part of an unusual collaboration between OpenAI, the $500bn artificial intelligence start-up led by Sam Altman, and rival company Anthropic, founded by experts who left OpenAI over safety fears. Each company tested the other’s models by pushing them to help with dangerous tasks
Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Ostapenko: why does anger keep boiling over at US Open?
Daniel Altmaier had nothing more to say. Moments after one of the biggest wins of his career, the German unwittingly found himself on the receiving end of Stefanos Tsitsipas’s ire during their handshake at the net. Before Tsitsipas could finish, though, Altmaier had walked away from the net and he refused to engage in the Greek’s attempts to argue with him.Altmaier shrugs at the first mention of the incident: “Even if I would have lost, I would not enter discussions because it’s just like heat of the moment. You need to cool down; let’s see if he reacts to it or he sticks to his opinion while cooling down on an exercise bike in the player gym late at night
US Open tennis 2025: Sinner survives, Gauff and Osaka set up last-16 meeting – as it happened
… before Altmaier misses a second set point … and takes the breaker 9-7 on his third. Just as Venus Williams continues her doubles run with a straight-sets win alongside Leylah Fernandez in the second round. The crowd are cheering as if the 45-year-old has won the singles title. She’s smiling as if she has too. It’s time to wrap up our live coverage now, but do join us again tomorrow
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