Campaign launched to add Wales to the Union Jack

A petition has been launched urging the UK Government to include Wales on the Union Jack, arguing that the nation’s identity and heritage deserve proper representation on the flag.

Petition for change
The petition, created by Dylan Sleeman in late January, has gathered 875 signatures as of 11 February. It states: “I urge the Government and Parliament to recognise Wales’s integral role within the UK by updating the Union Jack to include Wales. I am calling for an official review and redesign process that engages experts, stakeholders, and the public to ensure Wales’s rightful place on our national flag.”

The petition highlights that the current design incorporates elements representing England, Scotland, and Ireland but does not acknowledge Wales, despite it being one of the UK’s four nations. It continues: “I think this change would foster greater inclusivity, accurately reflect the unity of all UK nations, and promote a sense of equal representation and national pride. I am a firm believer that this change would be a positive one for the people of the United Kingdom.”

Historical context and controversy
The issue of Wales’s absence from the Union Jack has been a topic of debate for years. In 2021, the Conservative-led UK Government defended the flag’s current design, stating that it represents “the Kingdom of England and Wales.” That same year, the Government mandated the daily display of the Union flag on all UK Government buildings.

In a statement, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport explained: “The Union flag is the National Flag of the United Kingdom, and it is so called because it embodies the emblems of the constituent nations united under one Sovereign – the Kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland, and of Northern Ireland. The Union flag dates back to 1606 when James of Scotland became King James I of England, and it was decided the union of the two countries should be represented symbolically by a new flag.”

Former Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden also defended the flag’s symbolism, stating: “The Union flag unites us as a nation, and people rightly expect it to be flown above UK Government buildings.”

Why Wales is not on the flag
Wales is not represented on the Union Jack due to historical reasons dating back to the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. Unlike Scotland and Ireland, which retained their distinct identities when they joined the union, Wales had already been annexed by England through the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542. At the time, Wales was considered a part of the Kingdom of England rather than a separate nation, and thus it was not given distinct representation when the flag was designed.

The Union Jack, first introduced in 1606 following the union of the crowns of England and Scotland, originally combined the red cross of St George (England) with the white saltire of St Andrew (Scotland). In 1801, the red saltire of St Patrick was added to represent Ireland when it joined the union. However, Wales remained unrepresented due to its historical status as part of England at the time of the flag’s creation.

Despite Wales later gaining recognition as a distinct nation within the UK, its omission from the Union Jack has remained unchanged. Some have argued that this exclusion fails to reflect Wales’s unique cultural and political identity. The Red Dragon (Y Ddraig Goch), which appears on the Welsh national flag, has been used as a symbol of Wales since at least the Tudor period, yet it has never been incorporated into the Union Jack.

In recent years, campaigns and discussions about redesigning the flag to include Wales have gained traction, especially amid debates surrounding the future of the United Kingdom and possible constitutional changes.

Calls for a redesign
In 2021, journalist Peter Hitchens argued in the Mail on Sunday that Scotland should be removed from the Union Jack in the event of Scottish independence and replaced with a symbol representing Wales. Hitchens noted that Wales was left out of the flag’s design in 1801 because it was historically considered part of England at the time.

He wrote: “Quite soon, we will have to redesign the Union Jack. I can see no way of stopping Scotland from leaving the Union, so there goes St Andrew’s Cross. At least that will give us a chance to right a historic wrong and include some symbol of Wales on the national flag, provided they don’t declare independence too.”

Hitchens also referenced historical symbols, stating: “Did you know that the Royal Arms of England used to feature a lion for England and a dragon for Wales? The dragon was dropped, in favour of a unicorn, when the English and Scottish crowns were united in 1603.”

He suggested that significant national changes have occurred throughout history, referencing the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the reunification of Germany, and the collapse of the USSR, and proposed that Britain might be undergoing a similar transformation.

What’s next?
The petition remains open for signatures, with its supporters hoping to spark discussion and official consideration of Wales’s representation on the national flag.

To view and sign the petition, click here.