Question Time audience ‘We haven’t started Brexit yet – when’s it going to start?’
Sadiq Khan had planned to fly the EU flag on the anniversary of the Brexit referendum but was blocked from doing so.
Officials at City Hall were advised that doing so without advertising consent from Newham council could result in them being prosecuted.
They would have been liable to criminal prosecution under the amended town and country planning (control of advertisements) regulations.
No such consent is required for flying the flag of any country in England, but some flags require consent.
Until 2021 the EU flag had also been among those flags that did not require permission, but the law applying to England was changed after the UK left the EU.
A City Hall source said: “The mayor is proud to fly flags from City Hall – from the Union flag to the Ukraine flag in recent times.
“Flying a flag is a way of showing solidarity, expressing our values, and showing pride in the identities we share.
“With over a million people calling London their home from other European countries, it’s extraordinary that the Government has effectively banned the European flag being flown without going through a long and bureaucratic planning process.
“Europeans contribute hugely to our social and economic life, and all we wanted to do was show our gratitude with a small gesture for one day of the year.”
City Hall will instead display the EU flag’s blue and yellow colours on the building using lights to mark the referendum’s anniversary.
Mr Khan described the vote to leave the EU as a “heartbreaking” day, saying that Brexit has caused “huge damage to our city”.
In an open letter to Londoners, he said: “Seven years ago today our country voted to leave the European Union.
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“It was a heartbreaking day for me, and I know it was for many of you too.
“There is no doubt that in the years since, Brexit has caused huge damage to our city and created a great deal of uncertainty for many of you. But you stayed with us.”
He added: “Despite the appalling uncertainty over settled status, despite being used as bargaining chips in the negotiations and despite the antimigrant rhetoric coming from this government, you kept the faith and continued to make London your home.”
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