Nigel Farage slams local council as it offers help to staff triggered by England flags

Nigel Farage has blasted his local council after staff were offered emotional support in the wake of England flags being put up on lamp posts in the area. This afternoon the Guido Fawkes website published a leaked email from Essex County Council's HR team noting that the appearance of the St George's Cross "can evoke feelings of discomfort and be associated with anti-immigration rhetoric".

"As your senior leadership team, we want to express our deep concern and solidarity. We stand firmly against all forms of racism and discrimination, and we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for everyone. If you are feeling unsettled or affected by what you're seeing, please don't hesitate to reach out." Nigel Farage has now torn into the council, which covers his constituency of Clacton, branding them "totally out of touch with the county".

The Reform UK leader added: "No wonder they didn't want elections in May!"

The council should have been up for election earlier this year, but was allowed to delay voting due to a local government reorganisation.

It's widely believed that without a delay, Reform UK would have swept the board.

The message from Essex Council's Children and Families Senior Leadership Team comes after a fortnight of guerrilla activism, which has seen England flags and Union Jacks put up across the country.

Labour councils sparked outrage when those including Birmingham and Tower Hamlets were seen to act much more swiftly to take them down compared to Palestine flags.

Earlier this evening left-wing MP Rachel Maskell was mocked for hysterical claims that the unlawful 'flagtivism' could lead to the "break down" of society.

She warned: "Placing flags on lampposts and painting infrastructure is not within the law. There is good reason for this. If laws are breached, societies can break down and we all ultimately lose."

York Council, which Ms Maskell represents in parliament, is one of the few Labour councils to pledge not to remove the flags.

An Essex County Council source insisted that the political leadership of the authority "has been clear that it will not take flags down. That has not and will not change."