Neil Coyle, the Labour Party MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, has started a petition on website change.org asking Southwark Council to continue flying the EU flag despite Britain leaving the bloc in January. The petition was launched after a separate petition urged Boris Johnson to remove the EU flag from Southwark’s council offices. The London council refused to lower the flag in a “clear show of solidarity” with Southwark’s 41,000 European residents.

Mr Coyle wrote: “Some people are trying to force Southwark’s Labour Council to remove the EU flag from council buildings. If you want to keep it flying please sign up!

“We support Southwark Council’s decision to keep flying the EU flag in a show of solidarity with the 41,000 European residents who we share this borough with.

“We reject anyone trying remove the Council’s right to fly the flag.

“EU nationals live, work, love, study and are members of our families here.

“We welcome the continued flying of the flag to show our support for their huge contribution to our Borough and community.”

Those who signed first petition, however, were less than impressed an EU flag is flying post-Brexit.

It said: “Southwark Council office in Queen’s Rd Peckham are clearly reluctant to let go, by displaying the EU flag above their offices they are hardly helping to bringing the country together. It’s irresponsible.

“It is a government building and I feel its flying of the EU flag is in defiance of Brexit, one could argue this is a form of rabble rising.

“Common sense should dictate the EU flag is not needed on our government buildings.”

Mr Coyle, who has submitted the petition to Southwark Council, has hit headlines in the past, over his use of what some have said is inappropriate language in public.

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In September 2019, he referred to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on television as a “d**k”, which drew complaints from his constituents.

He told the Southwark News he would be “toning down the language but never the passion”.

A month later, Mr Coyle described Jeremy Corbyn’s stance on Brexit as “bull***t” on his Twitter account.

People have left messages of support on the petition.

One person who signed said: “Because London is a true European city! Keep the flag flying!”

And another person wrote of “feeling represented” by the pro-EU petition.

Each petition has asked for the same amount of signatories: 100.

At the time of writing, neither petition has reached this number. 

At present, the UK Government only has rules which relate to the flying of the Union Flag.

If an organisation has the relevant planning permission, there is no law against flying an EU flag.

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