A LEFT-WING MP said her “stomach churned” when fellow Labour members waved the St George’s cross at the party’s conference.
Rachael Maskell also described flags hanging from lamposts as “tatty bits of cloth” that should be removed.
The veteran York politician was elected a Labour MP but had the whip suspended this year after rebelling against Sir Keir Starmer’s welfare cuts.
Speaking at a university event, Ms Maskell said: “I personally think we need a little bit of a break from flags right now, and my stomach churned at Labour party conference when everyone got out their St George’s flag… that’s not the Labour party.
“And Keir Starmer with his two Union Jacks regimented behind him… that’s not the Labour party.
“The Labour party is the insurgent to the colonial state, you know, it’s not about owning it.
“So I think having a bit of a break from flags would be therapeutic for us all in having to wrestle with this.”
During Sir Keir’s keynote speech in Liverpool he urged members to “fly our flags”, which triggered members to wave the English St George’s cross, the Scottish Saltire and the Welsh Red Dragon.
A campaign called Operation Raise the Colours has seen scores of British and English flags go up in public places in recent months.
The movement caught fire on social media when two councils began tearing them down.
A Labour source said: “We’re proud of our country’s flags and we’ll never apologise for that.”
Ms Maskell later told The Sun that she is trying to “build unity and not division” following racist incidents in York.
