In a heated Hertfordshire council chamber on 23 September 2025, Labour leader Jeremy Newmark branded St George flag campaigners from Operation Raise the Colours 'a bunch of criminals, extremists, nonces', igniting fury over the term's offensive undertones in the escalating UK flag row.
The slur, aimed at supporters reclaiming England's patron saint emblem amid far-right associations, prompted swift calls for Newmark's resignation as Conservatives decried his divisive rhetoric fuelling 2025 patriotism debates.
