The Prime Minister has been accused of being unpatriotic after failing to fly the St George’s Cross outside No 10 for the World Cup. Sir Keir Starmer opted against flying the English national flag for the group-stage games in the summer competition, despite many of his predecessors doing so.

It comes after the prime minister last year declared on St George’s Day last year that “we should be proud of that flag”. Previous prime ministers famously flew the flag on match days during the group phase of the World Cup, while others insisted that the flag remain flying throughout the entire tournament. For example, in 2018, Theresa May announced that the Cross of St George would fly above Downing Street for each of England’s World Cup matches, a tradition solidified by David Cameron in 2010, who flew the flag for the entire tournament in South Africa.

Speaking on Sir Keir’s decision, Kevin Hollinrake, the chairman of the Conservative Party, described him as “just another Labour Party plastic patriot”, The Telegraph reported. “Keir Starmer claims to love his country but won’t fly the England flag for the World Cup.”

“He should show some backbone and pride in our flag and our history. These are the things that bring us together,” he added. “Regardless of what Starmer and his colleagues think, millions of us will be cheering the England team on to the final whistle in all of their games.”

During the 2010 World Cup, Mr Cameron’s then minister for local government, Grant Shapps, urged councils across the country to show their support “to avoid accusations of being overzealous or spoilsports”. Then, in 2018, Ms May spoke openly about No 10 being “proud to fly the flag” in support of the team. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson decked out Downing Street in St George’s flags ahead of the England team playing in the UEFA Euro 2020 final in 2020. He also posed outside No 10 with a giant flag ahead of their quarter-final against Ukraine.

The move not to fly the flag comes despite Sir Keir using his St George’s Day address last year to stress the importance he placed on it. In 2025, he said: “We should be proud of that flag, we must never concede it, because it is an expression of our values and our patriotism”.

A spokesperson for No 10 confirmed that, while there were plans to fly the England flag during knockout matches if the team progressed in the competition, Sir Keir opted not to follow the “tradition” for group-phase games. They added that the same would apply to the Saltire and to any Scotland matches in the tournament’s knockout phases.

A spokesman for Reform UK said: “Even by Labour’s standards it’s surprising that the Government has chosen to drop the tradition of flying the St George’s flag while England are playing.

“Starmer spent St George’s Day talking about how ‘very encouraging’ he is of the flag, yet that now looks like more empty rhetoric and meaningless drivel. They will go down as one of the most unpatriotic governments in modern British history.”

The No 10 spokesperson added: “The Prime Minister is incredibly proud to support England and to see the whole country come together behind the team.”