Every school should display a portrait of the Queen and teach the national anthem in a bid to counter “cancel culture”, councillors have demanded.
Conservatives on Oldham Council in Greater Manchester will push their controversial proposals in a debate with their Labour counterparts.
The motion from the Tory group, titled For Queen and Country, read: “Saying you are proud to be British should not be a source of shame, and there is nothing wrong with patriotism of flying our national flag.
“This council rejects the phenomena known as ‘cancel culture’ and that it holds these truths to be self-evident, that of freedom of speech and democracy.”
If approved, then Harry Catherall, chief executive of the Labour-run council, will write to Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, as well as Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister, asking for support for the plans.
The Conservative group also wants the council to “reaffirm” support for the “sovereignty of the Union of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Crown dependencies and United Kingdom Overseas Territories”.
Proposed by Cllr Dave Arnott and seconded by Cllr Pam Byrne, the full council will debate the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday evening.
Cllr Sam Al-Hamdani, of the Liberal Democrats, said he would not “dismiss” the ideas, but argued the move “seems like an attempt to get on a cultural bandwagon”.
Previous plans to instill a patriotic education into schools have been met with ridicule, including a viral song for One Britain, One Nation Day held on June 25.
