Havering Reform leader condemns Pride flag protest at town hall

Fresh tension has emerged at Reform-controlled Havering Council after protesters attached Pride and Trans Pride flags to unused flagpoles outside the town hall on 25 June.

The action was a response to the council’s decision not to fly Pride flags during Pride Month.

Council leader Keith Prince criticised the protest in a video posted to X on 25 June, calling the people involved “trespassers” who had “abused our flagpoles”.

After the flags were taken down, Prince said the poles were “once again abuse-free” and said that, once repairs were finished, only the Union Flag would fly above the town hall.

Earlier this month, Havering Council said it would stop displaying Pride flags on civic buildings and would instead fly only the Union Flag and the Armed Forces flag.

The council’s previous administration described the change as “disappointing”, while Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski called the policy “Trumpian nonsense” online.

A spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ charity Kaleidoscope told The Standard the decision was “devastating”, but said it would not erase Havering’s LGBTQ+ community.

The protest came days after the council also cancelled its planned Pride ceremony.

Reform UK says its policy is to fly only flags representing the United Kingdom or the Armed Forces, arguing that the Union Flag represents everyone.

Why it matters

The dispute reflects a wider argument over how local authorities recognise Pride and LGBTQ+ people in civic spaces. For many residents, flag-raising decisions are seen not just as symbolic gestures but as signals about whether public institutions are willing to visibly include LGBTQ+ communities.

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