The DUP has called for new guidance on flying the union flag to be extended to Northern Ireland.
The national flag is to be flown on UK government buildings every day in a bid to unite the nation and as a “proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us”, ministers confirmed on Wednesday.
Currently flags can only be flown on designated days but fresh guidance from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will ask for it to be flown all the time in England, Scotland and Wales.
However in Northern Ireland it will continue to be flown only on designated days, a decision which has been branded “bizarre” by DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
He said: “When I visit other nations around the world, flying the national flag on government buildings is commonplace,” he said.
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“The decision to exclude Northern Ireland at this stage is wrong and runs contrary to New Decade, New Approach which sought to align us with the rest of the UK when it came to the Union flag being flown on Government buildings.
“This is a matter we will be pressing the government to address.”
Flags and emblems are a contentious issue among Northern Ireland’s divided communities.
In 2012 the decision of Belfast City Council to reduce the number of days on which the Union flag is flown from City Hall sparked widespread protests and disorder.
In relation to the new flag guidance the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, said on Wednesday: “The union flag unites us as a nation and people rightly expect it to be flown above UK government buildings.
“This guidance will ensure that happens every day, unless another flag is being flown, as a proud reminder of our history and the ties that bind us.”
