Two More Government Departments Confirm Plans to Fly Rainbow Flag

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Nick Hallett

More government departments have revealed their plans to fly the rainbow flag during London’s gay pride march this weekend.

There were reports Monday of a split in the government between the Foreign Office – who have declined the fly the flag this year – and the Cabinet Office who tweeted that they will proudly display it.

Now two more government departments have confirmed to Breitbart London that they will be flying the flag. The Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will join the Cabinet Office in displaying the LGBT flag on Saturday.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has also tweeted its support for “all our LGBT staff and those at Pride in London this weekend”, although it did not confirm whether it will display the flag.

On the other hand, the Treasury confirmed they will not be flying the rainbow flag, with a spokeswoman saying: “We only have one flagpole and will continue to fly the union flag”, while a spokeswoman at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was unlikely they will fly the flag as they “don’t have a flagpole”.

All other government departments have so far declined to comment on their plans.

Last week, the Foreign Office caused a stir by announcing it will not fly the rainbow flag this year despite the fact it flew it for last year’s gay pride. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also reportedly informed British embassies around the world not to display the flag.

The Cabinet Office appeared to hit back, however, with Matthew Hancock tweeting a picture of the rainbow flag and saying it will be flying over his department.

A Foreign Office spokesman said that the decision not to fly the flag was part of long-standing policy: “The Union flag always takes priority

“It is flown from the FCO’s main flagpole at all times. It is never substituted for another flag. It is the FCO’s long-standing policy to fly the Union flag, national flags and the flags of Overseas Territories.”

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