EU flags seemed to outnumber Union Jacks during parts of the BBC concert, and two politicians had things to say about it
A Sea of Blue and Gold at the Albert Hall: Last Night of the Proms 2026 and the Great Flag Row
EU flags seemed to outnumber Union Jacks during parts of the BBC concert, and two politicians had things to say about it
By Lowri Griffiths, patriotism and current affairs correspondent
What Happened
Euronews reported on 13 September 2026 on the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, held at the Royal Albert Hall on the Saturday before. According to the article, footage showed a sea of blue-and-gold EU flags across the crowd, which seemingly outnumbered Union Jacks during parts of the show. The twelve gold stars were especially prominent during Land of Hope and Glory, and EU flags hung from the venue’s balconies.
I am relying on the article for the description. I did not see the broadcast, and I cannot say what proportion of the hall carried which flag.
What the Rules Say
The Royal Albert Hall’s website says that flags are permitted at the Proms, according to the same article. Flags are a traditional part of the Last Night, as long as they do not disrupt the concert. That is the whole of the rule as reported, and it is a good deal more relaxed than the average car park sign.
So, on the evidence of the article, nobody broke anything. People brought flags to a flag-friendly event and waved them in time to the music. This is not usually described as a scandal.
The Reaction
Andrew Rosindell, a Reform UK MP, called it a “wonderful evening, spoilt by selfish pro-EU fanatics,” and urged the BBC to introduce a flag policy for future events, the article says. Jane Stevenson, a former Conservative MP, said the show was “taken over by Remain propaganda pushers.”
Those are the two reactions quoted. The article does not carry a response from the BBC, so I cannot tell you what the corporation thinks, only that it has not been quoted as thinking anything. For the BBC that is a familiar position.
Ten Years On
The article notes that the Brexit referendum was ten years ago and that the issue remains divisive. It adds that Andy Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, said in August that Britain must be “bolder” in rebuilding relations with the EU.
A decade is long enough for a dispute to become a tradition. The Proms has been through two world wars and a pandemic and is now being asked to referee a disagreement about a ballot paper from 2016. It has the stamina, if not the jurisdiction.
A Flag Policy?
It is worth thinking through what a flag policy would involve. Someone would need to decide which flags are acceptable, who checks the bags and whether a Welsh dragon with a European sticker counts as one flag or two. The Albert Hall’s current approach, which is to allow flags unless they interfere, has the advantage that it fits on a sign.
The wider debate over flags has already given us plenty of guidance on how this goes. In Wakefield, a council has written a list of permitted flags, and I look at that in another piece. A list is clean on paper. On the day it needs a person with a clipboard.
The Song Itself
Land of Hope and Glory is a curious choice of soundtrack for an argument about Europe. It is an Elgar tune with words added later, and it asks the nation to be “mother of the free.” That a hall full of people can sing it together while waving different flags may say something about the tune’s flexibility, or about the fact that many people simply like to sing.
I would not read too much into it. A crowd with a flag in one hand and a pint in the other, at the end of a long concert season, is not a manifesto.
The Case for Calm
Supporters of both flags can claim some of the evening. The Union Jack was not banned, and the EU flag was not forbidden. If the report is right that Union Jacks were outnumbered in places, the remedy for anyone who minds is available at any souvenir stall.
There is also a point about numbers. A flag is cheap, and a flag count is a poor guide to a nation’s views. The Demos poll I cover elsewhere suggests the country has other things on its mind than who brought the larger banner.
Wave Responsibly
If you are planning to attend next year, bring the flag you like, keep it at a height that does not block the person behind, and sing at a volume that suits your neighbours. That is the unwritten policy, and it has served the Proms for a long time.
Nobody has ever been moved to tears by a clipboard.
Property Nerves, Seen From Elsewhere
Fear of a market travels fast. The same jitters turn up in the comic dispatches on the Cebu condominium story: a Manila News report on a Mactan broker with three brochures, a London Prat account of the references demanded of British retirees (direct link: https://prat.uk/cebu-estate-agents-demand-character-references/) and a Bohiney piece on two-hour open houses. Read them for the human detail a market report leaves out. The wider network is at prat.uk and bohiney.com.
Note: Philippine authorities are examining unproven allegations about Thomas Markle Sr., who lived in Cebu until earlier this year, as GMA News and the Guardian have reported. No charges have been filed. Child protection is a serious matter; the jokes here are about a property market and the paperwork.
For the lighter side of the news, there is always NewsThump.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/cebu-realtor-cant-sell-beachfront-listings/