Flag of The United Kingdom - Flag Days

Flag Days

Until July 2007, the Union Flag was only flown on Government buildings on a limited number of special days each year. The choice of days was managed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Government buildings are those used by civil servants, the Crown, or the armed forces. They were not applicable to private citizens, corporations, or local authorities.

On 3 July 2007, the Justice Secretary Jack Straw laid a green paper before Parliament entitled The Governance of Britain. Alongside a range of proposed changes to the constitutional arrangements of the UK was a specific announcement that there would be consultation on whether the rules on flag-flying on Government buildings should be relaxed.

Two days later, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that with immediate effect the Union Flag would fly from the flag pole above the front entrance of 10 Downing Street on every day of the year. The intention was to increase feelings of 'Britishness'. Other Government departments were asked to follow this lead, and all Government buildings in Whitehall did so.

Scotland Yard however stated that they would follow the previous rules until they are formally abolished by DCMS.

James Purnell, Culture Secretary from June 2007 to January 2008 in Brown's administration, subsequently concurred with the abolition of the restrictions – pending consultation on longer term arrangements.

Until July 2007, the Union Flag was only flown on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal Family, the wedding anniversary of the Monarch, Commonwealth Day, Accession Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Sunday and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament. The flag days when the Union Flag should be flown from government buildings all over the UK were:

• 20 January: birthday of The Countess of Wessex
• 6 February: anniversary of The Queen's accession in 1952
• 19 February: birthday of The Duke of York
• Second Sunday in March: Commonwealth Day
• 10 March: birthday of The Earl of Wessex
• 21 April: The Queen's birthday
• 9 May: Europe Day
• 2 June: anniversary of The Queen's 1953 coronation
• 10 June: birthday of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• A Saturday in June: The Queen's Official Birthday
• 17 July: birthday of The Duchess of Cornwall
• 15 August: birthday of The Princess Royal
• Second Sunday in November: Remembrance Sunday
• 14 November: birthday of The Prince of Wales
• 20 November: anniversary of the wedding of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh

In addition, the flag should be flown in the following areas on the specified days:

• Wales – 1 March: Saint David's Day
• Northern Ireland – 17 March: Saint Patrick's Day
• England – 23 April: Saint George's Day
• Scotland – 30 November: Saint Andrew's Day
• Greater London: The day of the opening or proroguing of Parliament

Some non central government bodies still continue to follow the flag days.

In Scotland, the Scottish Government has decreed that the Flag of Scotland ("the Saltire") will fly on all its buildings every day from 8 am until sunset, but there is no specific policy on flying the Union Flag and as such it is sometimes flown alongside the Saltire and sometimes omitted. An exception is made for "national days". On these days, the Saltire shall be lowered and replaced with the Union Flag. These are the same as the flag days noted above with the exception of:

• 3 September: Merchant Navy Day

Another difference is that on Saint Andrew's Day, the Union Flag can only be flown if the building has more than one flagpole – the Saltire will not be lowered to make way for the Union Flag if there is only one flagpole.