A TORY MP has complained that his local council needs to “see sense” and start flying the Union flag outside one of its buildings.
Mark Jenkinson, the Conservative MP for Workington in Cumbria, took issue with the lack of a Union flag in a video posted to social media on Saturday.
He said: “I’m here at Cumbria House in Carlisle, which is the home of Cumberland Council.
“Glad to see they’ve got the Union Jack flying here, which they haven’t got at Allerdale House [a Cumberland Council building in Workington], but hopefully they’ll see sense soon and start flying the Union Jack there.”
Congratulations @JoshMacAlister. Starmer’s candidate wins, while @UKLabour continue to desert Workington. Now, please have a word with Cllr Fryer to get round that table with me, the binmen and the unions (and to fly the Union Flag at Allerdale House 🇬🇧) pic.twitter.com/3szgQxxHO8
— Mark Jenkinson MP 🇬🇧 (@markjenkinsonmp) June 17, 2023
Jenkinson was formerly a Ukip candidate before he took a Westminster seat as part of the fall of the “Red Wall” in the 2019 General Election. On winning, he was given a “personal congratulations” by Nigel Farage.
He wrote in the tweet alongside his video: “Congratulations @JoshMacAlister.
“[Keir] Starmer’s candidate wins, while @UKLabour continue to desert Workington.
“Now, please have a word with Cllr [Mark] Fryer to get round that table with me, the binmen and the unions (and to fly the Union flag at Allerdale House).”
On Saturday, Josh MacAlister beat local councillor Markus Campbell-Savours in the selection process for Labour to choose who will run for them in the new Whitehaven and Workington seat at the next General Election.
The process was fraught with controversy, including seeing the only woman shortlisted pull out, labelling the experience “disenfranchising” and “frustrating”.
Jenkinson further used his video to urge Cumberland Council leader Mark Fryer, a Labour representative, to work on solving the worker strikes hitting the area’s refuse services.
The Tory MP said there was “bin chaos”, adding: “We’ve got to find an end to it. The weather’s hot, the bins are stinking.”
Workers at Allerdale Waste Services, which is owned by Cumberland council, have been on “all-out strike” since May 16 in a dispute over pay, according to Unite the Union.
Talks held between the trade union and management collapsed on June 7.
Cumberland Council has been approached for comment.
