The London Mayor's office has been barred from raising the European Union (EU) flag on the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, following a change in planning regulations, according to

sources at City Hall.

On the seventh anniversary of the EU referendum, the Greater London Authority (GLA) had intended to fly the EU flag. However, officials were informed that they would need permission from the local authority under the new regulations.

Failure to obtain advertising consent from Newham Council would have exposed City Hall, the headquarters of the GLA and Mayor Sadiq Khan's base, to potential criminal prosecution under the revised town and country planning regulations for controlling advertisements.

Unlike flags representing countries, no such consent is required for displaying the flag of any nation in England. Flags of the Commonwealth, the United Nations, sports clubs, the National Health Service (NHS), specified award schemes, and the rainbow flag are also exempt.

Until 2021, the EU flag had been among the exempt flags, but the law in England was amended following the UK's departure from the EU on January 31, 2020.

Ministers had instead encouraged the display of the UK's Union flag throughout the year on national government and local authority buildings.

To mark the Brexit vote anniversary, Mayor Khan will utilize lighting to project the EU flag's blue and yellow colors onto the building.

A source from City Hall stated, "The mayor is proud to fly flags from City Hall – from the Union flag to the Ukraine flag in recent times. Flying a flag is a way of showing solidarity, expressing our values, and showing pride in the identities we share."

"It's extraordinary that the government has effectively banned the European flag from being flown without undergoing a lengthy and bureaucratic planning process, especially considering over a million people from other European countries call London their home," the source added.

In the EU referendum, London witnessed a 69.7% turnout, with 59.9% of voters in the capital choosing to remain in the EU compared to 40.1% in favor of leaving.

Seven out of the ten areas with the highest remain votes were located in London, including Hackney, Lambeth, and Haringey, where over 75% of votes were in favor of remaining in the EU.

In an open letter to Londoners, Mayor Khan acknowledged the anniversary of the referendum and expressed his support for granting EU citizens living in the UK with settled status the right to vote in general elections. This move could enfranchise approximately 5 million EU citizens over the age of 18 residing in the UK.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities declined to provide a comment on the matter. Photo by Christoph Scholz, Wikimedia commons.