Channel Island flags will fly at Westminster

The arrangement has been organised by Channel Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group chairman and MP Andrew Rosindell, who has been closely involved with pushing Crown Dependency issues in London.

‘For many years, the Crown Dependency flags were never flown anywhere in Westminster, as they had been overlooked,’ he said.

‘Nobody had ever thought of it. For a long time I campaigned about this, as these are British territories, so there should be proper arrangements.’

Mr Rosindell discovered to his horror that the department that organised flags to be flown did not even have any Channel Island flags. Then nine years ago – for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – it was agreed that the Channel Island flags should be flown in London.

Unfortunately the length of the tender process to get the flags meant the islands missed out then, but in 2012 they were finally flown in Parliament Square.

Initially there was some push-back against flying the Sark and Alderney flags, because they are part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, but Mr Rosindell said that since they have their own governments they should be recognised.

Since then the Channel Island flags have been flown for special occasions, such as Trooping the Colour.

However, that did not include Channel Island occasions.

With support from speaker and former CI parliamentary group chairman Lindsay Hoyle, that situation has now changed, with the Guernsey, Jersey and Sark flags flown over the weekend, and it is also planned that CI flags will be flown for Alderney’s Homecoming Day in December.

‘I saw them up on Saturday night and they did look splendid,’ said Mr Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford. ‘I was very proud to see them.’

New Palace Yard – where the flags were flown – is a private area to the north-west of the Palace of Westminster.

Mr Rosindell has long been an advocate for the Channel Islands’ interests in Westminster – the islands are not represented in the UK parliament.