This morning’s papers bring word of a slightly passive-aggressive row between Matt Hancock, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, over the full-spectrum standard of the LGBT community.
Hammond, who voted against same-sex marriage in 2012, has apparently prevented Foreign Office buildings or British embassies from flying the flag to mark Pride, the gay community’s annual festival.
In response, Hancock has gone out of his way to emphasise how proud he is to have raised the rainbow flag over the Cabinet Office, and to point out that civil servants across the country will also be showing their support.
For our part, this site sees no harm at all in making use of the official flagpoles in this way: indeed, seeing new banners flying from the classical, imposing buildings at the heart of British governance presents a rather pleasing meeting of old and new.
The real question must surely be: why stop with one flag? After all, the pastures of diversity stretch out in all their fullness – ripe for exploration. When will we see the Christian Cross flying over Downing Street at Christmas, the crescent of Islam fluttering in the breeze from the Home Office to mark Eid, the Star of David topping the Foreign Office at Passover…?