Several individuals residing in countries not a part of the Commonwealth of Nations have adopted the Union Flag as a flag of protest. After the British referendum on membership of the European Union resulted in a vote to leave, the Union Flag had become a symbol of euroscepticism in Italy. In August 2016, many local businesses along the Italian riviera hoisted the flags as a protest against the implementation of the Services in the Internal Market Directive 2006. [115] Hong Kong [ edit ] The Butcher's Apron is a pejorative term for the flag, common among Irish republicans, citing the blood-streaked appearance of the flag and referring to atrocities committed in Ireland and other countries under British colonial rule. [38] [39] In 2006, Sandra White, a Member of the Scottish Parliament, caused a furore when the term was used in a press release under her name. It was later blamed on the actions of a researcher, who resigned yet claimed that the comment had been approved by White. [40] The Irish folk band the Wolfe Tones has a song entitled "The Butcher's Apron" which makes reference to the term. [41] Union Flag: approved designs". www.college-of-arms.gov.uk. College of Arms. 2023 . Retrieved 23 February 2023. a b Journal of the Royal United Service Institution, Whitehall Yard. W. Mitchell. 1895. pp.181–185 . Retrieved 10 February 2023. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2011) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

a b de Burton, Simon (9 November 1999). "How Scots lost battle of the standard". The Scotsman. Johnston Press plc . Retrieved 30 June 2009. [ dead link] In objecting to the design of the Union Flag adopted in 1606, whereby the cross of Saint George surmounted that of Saint Andrew, a group of Scots took up the matter with John Erskine, 19th Earl of Mar, and were encouraged by him to send a letter of complaint to James VI, via the Privy Council of Scotland, which stated that the flag's design " will breid some heit and miscontentment betwix your Majesties subjectis, and it is to be feirit that some inconvenientis sail fall oute betwix thame, for our seyfaring men cannot be inducit to resave that flage as it is set down". [64] Although documents accompanying this complaint which contained drafts for alternative designs have been lost, evidence exists, at least on paper, of an unofficial Scottish variant, whereby the Scottish cross was uppermost. There is reason to think that cloth flags of this design were employed during the 17th century for unofficial use on Scottish vessels at sea. [65] [66] [67] This flag's design is also described in the 1704 edition of The Present State of the Universe by John Beaumont, which contains as an appendix The Ensigns, Colours or Flags of the Ships at Sea: Belonging to The several Princes and States in the World. [68] The New Zealand Flag" (PDF). Scouting New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011 . Retrieved 9 January 2012. a b c Chan, Holmes (13 July 2019). "Explainer: The conflicting messages behind protesters' use of the colonial Hong Kong flag". hongkongfp.com. Hong Kong Free Press . Retrieved 26 June 2020.In July 2007, then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled plans to have the Union Flag flown more often from government buildings. [90] While consultation on new guidelines was under way, the decision to fly the flag could be made by each government department. [ needs update] In March 2021, the UK government published new guidance for the Union Flag to be flown all year round on UK government buildings, unless another flag is being flown – such as another national flag of the UK, or a county flag, or other flags to mark civic pride. [91] Sunday 13 May 1660". The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Phil Gyford. 13 May 1660 . Retrieved 12 January 2017. a b Roantree, Anne Marie (3 July 2019). "Flag-waving Grandma Wong gives Hong Kong protesters lesson in endurance". Reuters. Thomson Reuters . Retrieved 26 June 2020. Some specifically flew the Union Flag and the colonial flag of Hong Kong, nostalgic of the "values" of the previous colonial government, namely "personal freedoms, rule of law, [and] clean governance". [116] [118] Other pro-democracy protestors choose to use the Union Flag and the colonial flag of Hong Kong in an effort to call upon the British government to declare that China had failed to uphold the Sino-British Joint Declaration. [119] Several Hongkongers that hold British National (Overseas) passports who used the flag during the protests were doing so as a call to the British government to grant British National (Overseas) the right to abode in the United Kingdom. [119] Although a small number of Hongkongers seek direct British intervention into the matter, the majority of those that used the Union Flag or the colonial flag of Hong Kong during the protests do not hold such beliefs. [118]

College of Arms (2023). "Union Flag: approved designs" . Retrieved 23 September 2023. For the avoidance of doubt and the sake of convenience, Garter King of Arms, under the authority of the Earl Marshal, has approved two versions of the Union flag as being accurate representations suitable for use. These are of the proportions 5:3, commonly flown on land; and 2:1, commonly flown at sea. a b c Marshall, Tim (2017). A flag worth dying for: the power and politics of national symbols. New York, NY: Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. ISBN 978-1-5011-6833-8. OCLC 962006347. The Flags and Heraldry Committee, an all-party parliamentary group lobbying for official standards, cooperated with the Flag Institute in 2010 to publish a set of recommended guidelines for the flag's display and use as a symbol. [97] Ingall, Jennifer (4 June 2021). "Why the Dangarsleigh war memorial flies the Empire flag and what it means to the community". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023 . Retrieved 13 August 2023. On 30 November, St Andrew's Day, the Union Flag can be flown in Scotland only where a building has more than one flagpole—on this day the Saltire will not be lowered to make way for the Union Flag if there is only one flagpole. [94] This difference arose after Members of the Scottish Parliament complained that Scotland was the only country in the world that could not fly its national flag on its national day. However, on 23 April, St George's Day, it is the Union Flag of the United Kingdom that is flown over UK government offices in England. [95] Usage and disposal [ edit ]Various shades of blue have been used in the saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep " navy" blue ( Pantone 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy's historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on maritime flags on the basis of durability.) In 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament recommended that the flag of Scotland use a lighter " royal" blue (Pantone 300) (the Office of the Lord Lyon does not detail specific shades of colour for use in heraldry).

Union Flag: Specification". The Flag Institute. Archived from the original on 7 August 2021 . Retrieved 7 August 2021. from the announcement of the death of the Sovereign (an exception is made for Proclamation Day – the day the new Sovereign is proclaimed, when the Flag is flown at full mast from 11am to sunset) A Proclamation Declaring His Majesty's Pleasure concerning the Royal Style and Titles appertaining to the Imperial Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and its Dependencies, and also the Ensigns, Armorial Flags, and Banners thereof" In 1964, Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson introduced plans to replace the Union Flag with a new national flag, spurring the Great Canadian flag debate. [105] A new national flag, the Maple Leaf, was approved by the parliament of Canada on 17 December 1964. [105] However, on the following day, the Canadian parliament passed another resolution that designated the Union Flag as the Royal Union Flag and authorised its official use as the symbol of the country's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and its allegiance to the Crown. [107] The move was a concession given to those who preferred to adopt the Canadian Red Ensign as a formal national flag. On 15 February 1965, the maple leaf flag formally replaced the Union Flag as the flag of Canada following an official proclamation by Elizabeth II, [105] with the Royal Union Flag becoming an official ceremonial flag. [107] The Royal Union Flag next to the flag of Canada during a Remembrance Day parade in Stirling, Ontario, 2009 Post Office Blue Ensign (before 1864)". The Collection. National Maritime Museum. AAA3687 . Retrieved 12 August 2013.

A white-fimbriated symmetric red cross on a blue field with a white-fimbriated counterchanged saltire of red and white.

Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1986) [1904]. The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory. London: Bloomsbury Books. p.399. ISBN 0-906223-34-2. There was some speculation on the matter in British dominions also, with one New Zealand paper reporting that:James Purnell, Culture Secretary from June 2007 to January 2008 in Brown's administration, subsequently concurred with the abolition of the restrictions – pending consultation on longer term arrangements. Two days later, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that with immediate effect the Union Flag would fly from the flag pole above the front entrance of 10 Downing Street on every day of the year. The intention was to increase feelings of British national identity. Other UK government departments were asked to follow this lead, and all government buildings in Whitehall did so. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] It is often stated that a flag upside down is a form of distress signal or even a deliberate insult. In the case of the Union Flag, the difference is subtle and is easily missed by the uninformed. It is often displayed upside down inadvertently—even on commercially-made hand waving flags. [53] Grieve, Martin; Southworth, Christopher; Prothero, David. "United Kingdom: Regimental Colours". Flags of the World . Retrieved 9 July 2009. The Union Flag is worn at the masthead of a ship to indicate the presence of the sovereign or an Admiral of the Fleet. [83] [ unreliable source?] The Union Flag may also be flown from the yardarm to indicate that a court-martial is in progress, though these are now normally held at shore establishments.