The Northern Ireland post that was recently shared on social media featuring an Irish tricolour has now been removed by 10 Downing Street. An edited version of the post has now been uploaded without the flag, which was about an event in Downing Street last Sunday featuring Northern Irish businesses. The Irish tricolour is the national flag of the Republic of Ireland and has no official status in Northern Ireland, although it is used by many Irish nationalists.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said the post showed Westminster’s failure to “understand us or know us.” He used the incident to reiterate his support for a return to power-sharing in Northern Ireland, saying, “We are better served with devolved government.” However, he added that the post was a simple mistake and that he didn’t get all wound up about flags.
Currently, Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government at Stormont since February 2022 when the Democratic Unionist Party walked out in protest against post-Brexit trade barriers between the region and Great Britain. Steve Baker, a Northern Ireland Office Minister, posted on Twitter on Tuesday morning, saying “good morning from Northern Ireland” preceded by a union flag emoji. The tweet featured a picture of his jacket with a lapel pin of the union flag and the Ulster banner. The Ulster banner was the flag of the former Northern Ireland Parliament – which was abolished in 1973 – and also has no official status in Northern Ireland, although it is used by some sports teams. Downing Street has been contacted for comment on the matter
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