BORIS Johnson’s Tory Government has been warned that plans to put the Union flag on all new car number plates in the UK will undermine plans to hold the home nations together.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps claimed that putting the Union flag on cars’ plates was a “historic moment for British motorists and a reassertion of our independence from the EU”.
However the SNP’s constitutional spokesperson Tommy Sheppard said it showed the “UK Government descending into right-wing, flag-waving British nationalism”.
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Currently UK driving licences feature an EU flag in the top left corner. Under the new plans, this will be removed and replaced with the letters “UK” in large font. New UK licences already feature a Union flag.
Licence plates also currently feature the EU’s stars. This will be replaced by a Union flag, on a green background if the car is fully electric.
How the new UK number plate looks with the Union Flag and GB replacing the EU symbol. The green background on this one signifies a fully electric vehicles. https://t.co/Hb7uXKdkcl pic.twitter.com/rNavDrwjh5
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 31, 2021
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said the new designs “signify the beginning of a new chapter for the UK”. However, the flag will not be put on number plates in Northern Ireland.
The spokesperson added: “The new designs coincide with the beginning of a number of agreements recently made between the UK and member states for British drivers, making it easier for Britons to drive in the EU when existing restrictions end.”
The deal with the 27 EU states plus Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway will mean that Britons will avoid the need for a £5.50 international driving permit.
Sheppard told The Times he thought putting Union flags on “everything” would backfire.
He said: “At the end of the day it is a pretty stupid move. Their ineptitude will build support for Scottish independence but that doesn’t make it right.”
The SNP MP for Edinburgh East added: “It is absurd and shows a Westminster establishment in a state of panic at the rising popularity of independence. It highlights their desire to extinguish that by branding everything with a Union Jack.
“The UK Government ought to engage with public opinion in Scotland, not try to hammer it into submission.”
Professor Sir Tom Devine (below) echoed the SNP’s sentiments, saying it seemed Westminster “are trying to dig the grave of the Union”.
Devine, who is the Sir William Fraser professor emeritus of Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh, told The Times: “Instead of promoting unity I think it could well have the reverse effect.
“According to recent polls on identity a significant majority of people in Scotland either feel totally Scottish and not British, or mainly Scottish and less British. This is further clear and unambiguous evidence that Downing Street is totally out of touch with feelings in the rest of the country.”
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The Department for Transport said: “While existing licences and number plates will still be valid, the new versions will be issued to everyone renewing a licence or getting one for the first time.”
It added that people may choose not to have the flag on their plate, but they would need to display a GB sticker when driving in the EU.
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