Brexiteer former MP says Union Jack should 'be flown from all public buildings at all times' after UK leaves EU
Former Labour MP Kate Hoey has said she wants to see "the Union flag being flown on all public buildings at all times" after Brexit.
Speaking to Brexit Central, she called for the government to stay firm on free trade and "not use fishing as a bargaining tool", individuals to “take more responsibility themselves”, and the media to show belief in the country's future outside the EU.
Asked what she wants to see changed after January 31, when Britain leaves the European Union, the staunch Brexiteer replied: "We need a free trade arrangement and we will only get that by staying firm and not giving in to EU blackmail.
"We need common sense and more emphasis on individuals having to take responsibility themselves, rather than everything being done by the state. I want to see the Union flag being flown on all public buildings at all times.”
She added: "Finally, I would like our mainstream media to stop running the country down and start to show some belief in our future outside the EU."
Ms Hoey, 73, who was Labour MP for Vauxhall between 1989 and 2019 and a stalwart of the Labour Leave campaign, served as a minister between 1998 and 2001.
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She also told the website that Nigel Farage, whom she campaigned with in the referendum, had become her most unlikely ally.
The move provoked criticism from Labour party members who claimed she should have been expelled from the party for sharing a stage with the Brexit Party leader during the campaign.
"There was so much that united us on these platforms over leaving the EU that ‘normal’ party differences didn’t matter,” Ms Hoey said.
"Everyone had a different style of speaking and I think anyone who shared in these experiences has a bond with the others.
"None of us could match Nigel Farage in his oratory and he was always willing to spend a lot of time afterwards talking to people waiting to meet him."
In July, she announced that she would not stand as a Labour candidate in the next election.
Last year, her local party passed a no-confidence vote accusing her of ignoring the views of her constituents.
The London borough of Lambeth, which includes Vauxhall, voted 78.6 per cent Remain in 2016.