The fight for the flag - patriotism during party conference season

Party conference season saw politicians looking to catch up, get to grips and make the most of the outburst of positive patriotism - or negative nationalism - depending on how you view things. Credit: PA Images

Political Correspondent Tom Sheldrick reflects on the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative conferences - ahead of the SNP's event this weekend.

This summer, we saw Reform UK setting the political agenda, widespread protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, a change of tone in discussions around immigration, and national flags being attached to lampposts far and wide.

People in Cumbria speak about how flags are making them feel - watch Matthew Taylor's report

This autumn, during party conference season, we clearly saw politicians looking to catch up, get to grips with and make the most out of the outburst of positive patriotism - or negative nationalism - depending on how you view things.

At their event, the Liberal Democrats gave out Lego figures of Nigel Farage in goodie bags for journalists, claiming he's a "plastic patriot".

Speaking on the opening night in Bournemouth, the South Lakes MP and former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron wrapped himself in a flag of St George - with added: 'Blackburn Rovers 'til I die', showing his football fandom.

He declared: "Let us reclaim our flags for those who would reunite and rebuild, not divide and destroy - because we will not yield our identity, our flag or our country to the nationalists", as party members waved Union Jacks.

South Lakes MP Tim Farron urged the party conference to reclaim the UK's flags from groups who seek to "divide and destroy". Credit: PA Images

There were very similar scenes ten days later, during Sir Keir Starmer's speech at Labour's conference in Liverpool.

Saltires had been handed out alongside Welsh dragon, St George's Cross and Union Jack flags, and the Prime Minister urged the audience: "Let's fly all our flags, conference - because they're our flags, they belong to all of us, and we will never surrender them."

Framed as part of a wider attack on Reform UK, he said: "Let us unite our country behind them. Because this is no time for dividers, this is the time for bringing the whole country together."

He talked about how he is proud of the "astonishing relationship" between the UK nations and said: "that is how we will fight next year's elections - as patriots of our great nations", referencing the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his pride in the saltire, as he pledged to "renew Britain" at the Labour party conference. Credit: PA Images

I did wonder just how many flags we'd see, or just how big they'd be, by the time we got to Conservative conference in Manchester - but the Tories didn't really look to compete.

They did sing the national anthem at the end of the event after a minor row over whether they wouldn't, and there were four Union Jacks on stage for Kemi Badenoch's speech, where she stumbled over Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay's name at one point.

Sir Ed Davey meanwhile seemed to be trying to say the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, as many times as possible during my interview with him.

This weekend, ITV Border colleagues are off to Aberdeen for the SNP conference, where I imagine we'll see a lot of saltires flying.

Scottish national identity has been a hugely significant electoral force over the last 15 years or so, but how does it fit alongside current concerns about immigration?

And can Reform UK, a party that appears comfortably 'English' as much as 'British', put down proper roots north of the border?

The Holyrood election is less than seven months away.

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