A senior Tory MP has accused a London council of “absurd national loathing” after announcing it would remove England flags attached to lampposts. Several St George’s flags were raised in Tower Hamlets, east London, as part of a patriotism campaign dubbed “Operation Raise the Colours” which has gained increasing attention online.

A furious row has erupted after Tower Hamlets council said it would be removing the flags “as soon as possible” which are “attached to council-owned infrastructure without permission”. The move has sparked a furious reaction, with one person calling it a “disgrace”. The local authority, run by the pro-Gaza Aspire Party, has also been accused of “two-tier bias” as it reportedly didn’t take down Palestine flags for months after they were put up following the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick told The Telegraph: “Tower Hamlets council have allowed Palestinian flags to be publicly displayed on lampposts but not the flag of our country.

“This absurd national self-loathing must end. This is yet more two-tier bias against the British people. We must be one country united under the Union flag.”

Reform UK MP Lee Anderson also expressed his anger, saying it is “nothing short of a disgrace” and “shows utter contempt for the British people”.

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesman confirmed the flags, including those attached to lampposts, would be removed.

They said: “We are aware members of the public have been putting up St George’s flags on various structures. While we recognise people wish to express their views, we have a responsibility to monitor and maintain council infrastructure.

“Where flags are attached to council-owned infrastructure without permission, they may be removed as part of routine maintenance.”

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman ordered Palestine flags to be removed from council buildings and lampposts in March last year after Jewish families said it had made them feel unwelcome in the borough for the first time, The Telegraph reports.

St George’s flags and Union flags have been put up on streets across the UK, including Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich and Epping in Essex where there have been a series of high-profile protests over a migrant hotel.

Last week, Birmingham Council ordered the removal of hundreds of flags from lampposts in the city, claiming they put pedestrians and motorists “at risk”. However, Union and St George’s flags have been seen back on lampposts in the city to protest against the council’s decision to take them down.

On Sunday, there were protests outside a migrant hotel in Canary Wharf which is in Tower Hamlets.