Theresa May: Downing Street will fly St George’s Cross during England World Cup matches
2 min read
The St George's Cross will fly above Downing Street for every England World Cup match, Theresa May has announced.
The Prime Minister also urged other Government departments to follow suit and committed to doing the same for next year's women’s World Cup.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May said: “Number Ten will be flying the England flag on the day of each of England’s matches from now on and we will be encouraging other government departments to do the same.
She added: “I am going to go further than my predecessors. Next year we will do the same for the women’s World Cup.”
Former Tory minister Nick Boles, who raised the issue in the Commons, said: "Across the country people are taking great pride in the disciplined performance of Gareth Southgate’s young and diverse team."
He also took a swipe at Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry who was forced to resign from Ed Miliband's frontbench after appearing to mock a homeowner for flying the St George’s Cross outside their house during a by-election in 2014.
Mr Boles said the Islington South MP might need “special help… in raising her own St George’s Cross to support our World Cup campaign.”
Scottish Secretary David Mundell confirmed he would be flying England's national flag from his Dover House HQ.
Asked if he planned to fly a St. George's flag above his Parliamentary office, a spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said: "I'm sure that people will be throughout the country showing their support for the England team in the World Cup and Jeremy is a strong football supporter and he is supporting the England team and I'm sure he will find his own way of expressing that. You'll have to wait and see."
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