‘Are you sneering at the flag?’ Susanna Reid skewers Owen Jones on GMB over Union Jack

Susanna Reid asks Owen Jones if he’s ‘sneering at the flag’

Owen Jones told ITV that he respected the flag and the importance of it to the British people. The political commentator added that he did not feel the current UK Government cannot protect their own people.

Ms Reid said: “Owen Jones, you stand accused of sneering at the flag, how do you respond?”

Mr Jones replied: “No, I think about my granddad who was amongst those who helped save this country from a Nazi invasion and helped save Europe from the Nazis.

“He was at sea, he was bombed twice with that flag flying above him and he was on an open boat.

“People like that fought for our rights and freedoms, I know how much the flag means to people.

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Owen Jones stated he was not sneering at the flag (Image: GMB)

Susanna Reid quizzed Owen Jones (Image: GMB)

“I am not here to sneer at the flag.

“What I am here to say is that we have a Government that cannot protect its own people.”

Mr Jones tweeted following his appearance on Good Morning Britain slamming the Conservative Government.

He wrote: “The Tories want us to argue about flags because they know that by all the measurements that matter about how much you care about the country – protecting us from COVID, feeding children, providing affordable housing – they’re a catastrophic failure.”

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The Good Morning Britain debate followed the announcement that a Union Jack will be flown on UK Government buildings every day of the year to celebrate the United Kingdom’s heritage and pride.

The UK Government’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden hailed the move. 

Mr Dowden said: “The Union flag unites us as a nation and people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings.

“This guidance will ensure that happens every day, unless another flag is being flown, as a proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us.”

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Boris Johnson’s cabinet (Image: EXPRESS)

Mr Jenrick, the Local Government Secretary also backed the move: “Our nation’s flag is a symbol of liberty, unity and freedom that creates a shared sense of civic pride.

“People rightly expect to see the Union Flag flying high on civic and Government buildings up and down the country, as a sign of our local and national identity.

“That’s why I am calling on all local councils to fly the Union Flag on their buildings – and today’s guidance will enable them to do that.

“We’ve also cut red tape, allowing councils to also fly their county flag at the same time.”