Reform UK replaces Ukrainian flag at Essex County Council HQ
essex county council saw a change outside County Hall in Chelmsford on Friday, when Reform UK removed the Ukrainian flag and put up a second Union flag. Peter Harris called the replacement a "proud moment" after Reform councillors chose him to lead the authority on Monday.
The Ukrainian flag had flown there since March 2022. It had stood outside the building for years while the county council remained under Conservative control.
County Hall on Friday
The flag change happened outside Essex County Council's offices at County Hall, where the Ukrainian flag had been visible since March 2022. Reform UK has said it will only fly Union, national, county or armed forces flags outside council buildings it controls, and a spokesman said there would be discussions with the county's Ukrainian community before the flag is given a new home.
Harris said, "The replacement of the Ukraine flag does not diminish the support and generosity that Essex residents have shown the people of Ukraine since 2022, and I know this will continue."
Peter Harris and Lee Scott
Harris was chosen by Reform councillors to lead Essex County Council on Monday, after Reform ended the Conservatives' 25-year reign at the authority on Friday. He framed the replacement as a new start for the council's external display at County Hall.
Lee Scott, the Tory opposition boss, said the removal was "deeply disappointing," "the wrong message" and a "performative gesture." He warned: "For Essex to turn its back on a visible symbol of solidarity risks importing the language and instincts of pro-Kremlin politics into our county at the very moment our allies across Europe continue to stand firm in support of Ukraine."
Ukrainian community discussions
The practical next step now is the council's discussion with the county's Ukrainian community about where the removed flag will go. For residents who had seen the flag as part of County Hall since March 2022, the immediate change is visible at the building itself: one flag came down, and another took its place.
