London’s Only Reform Council Cancels Pride Flag Ceremony

Havering Council, London’s only local authority led by Reform UK, has canceled its annual Pride Month ceremony… three days before the event was set to go ahead.

The decision was announced with less than 74 working hours’ notice, halting an annual tradition that had taken place outside Havering Town Hall in Romford every June since 2016.

Carrie Kendall, who has lived in the borough all of her life, told Metro that Havering ‘no longer feels like home’.

She says: ‘I always noticed when the pride flag went up as early as 2016 and it made me happy, because visibility is so important.

‘Now I am worried the council’s actions will lead people to think homophobia is permissible.’

The decision came after Reform instructed their councils to not fly any flags apart from the Union Jack or the St George’s Cross.

Council Leader Keith Prince AM confirmed the only other flags they would be willing to fly are those which ‘recognise our heroes like the armed forces’.

Furthermore, the administration considers rainbow and transgender flags to be “contested causes” or political statements that promote division rather than unity.

Well, at least they’re not trying to make out like it’s a cost-cutting measure. The good news for those who celebrate is that they can still take to the streets with their own flags and celebrate Pride Month independent on the council. At least, I think they can?

At the same time, does the council have a legal duty to represent every type of constituent? Is the banning of Pride flag ceremonies effectively saying ‘gays not welcome’? No doubt LGBT residents in the area will feel that way.

The move mirrors similar actions taken by other newly elected Reform UK-led councils across England, including leadership in Sunderland and Durham, which have recently blocked Pride flags or withdrawn financial support for LGBTQ+ events.

Peak times if you’re a gay immigrant in the UK.

For the Reform councillor who stepped down after recently being outed for having a secret gay OnlyFans account, click HERE. Wait, what?!