Huge row erupts over Pakistan flag being raised over Cardiff Castle – ‘lost the plot’.TA
The Tories’ Natasha Asghar accused Reform UK of “trying to fuel and start a race row”.
Pakistan flags flying in Cardiff (Image: BBC)
Robert Jenrick declared that flying a Pakistani flag over Cardiff castle is an “insult” as a furious row erupted between Reform and the Conservatives. The Tories’ Natasha Asghar accused Reform UK of “trying to fuel and start a race row”.
And the Labour leader of Cardiff council admitted the Indian flag and the LGBTQ flag has flown over the castle. But Mr Jenrick, Nigel Farage’s economic spokesman, hit back last night declaring the Conservatives have “lost the plot”.
He said: “I see the Tories have accused me of “trying to start a race row” for opposing the Pakistani flag being hoisted above Cardiff Castle.
“They have lost the plot. They somehow call it “integration”. Wrong. It’s an insult.
“Under a Reform government it will end. Pathetic attempts to cry foul will not stop us.
“The only flags flying over Cardiff castle will be the Welsh dragon or the Union Flag.”
Cardiff council said it flew the Pakistani flag for two days in August this year to mark the country’s Independence Day.
Cardiff council’s leader has told people to “stop the furore” over which flags are flown at Cardiff Castle. The council allows a number of flags to be flown to mark what the authority describes as “significant dates and occasions”.
And Natasha Asghar’s the Tory Senedd member for Casnewydd Islwyn said: “I have attended many flag hoisting ceremonies for the Indian community, the Pakistan diaspora, the Polish community, and I think they’ve all been fantastic events, well attended, from people from all different political walks of life.
“I strongly suggest Reform goes to these events to see how integration takes place, and how it’s not any form of takeover by any particular community, it’s just showing a form of respect to one another.
Asked about the comments about cultural domination, she said: “I’m really fed up of Reform trying to fuel and start a race row.”
“Reform pick up on these little stories to divert the public’s attention… [from] negative news stories,” Ms Asghar, who was not at the event in the Jenrick post, said.
Plaid Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts, added: “After an abysmal conference, Robert Jenrick is reaching for Reform’s favourite distraction – stir up division and hope nobody notices the chaos in his own party.
“Welsh identity is not threatened by another nation’s flag.”
Cardiff council leader Chris Weaver, said: “There’s a lot of misinformation online about Cardiff, so let’s correct the record.
“There was a ceremony held to raise the flag on the 9th August, after which the flag flew overnight. It was also flown on the 14th August, to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day.
“The occasion provided an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contribution of Pakistani communities to Cardiff’s diverse and multicultural city. We also did the same on 15th August to mark India’s Independence Day. We have a large number of civic events at the castle, this is very normal.
“As one of the city’s most prominent civic buildings, Cardiff Castle provides an important and visible way for the capital of Wales to recognise occasions of local, national, and international significance. When another flag is raised to mark a particular event or commemoration, it is flown alongside the flags of Wales and the United Kingdom.”
Andy Burnham’s new migrant plan could see 42 UK areas ‘forced to take them’ – full list
Prime Minister Andy Burnham argued that wealthier communities should “play their part”.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
More than 40 Labour-held seats face pressure to host extra asylum seekers under Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s preference for fairer distribution, an investigation has showed. The analysis identifies 42 Labour seats that rank above Bicester and Woodstock — the constituency covering the village of Piddington — on both median house prices of £390,000 and median weekly wages of £862.
Mr Burnham has faced local anger over plans to house 1,250 migrants at the MoD Bicester site near Piddington. In comments made last month, Mr Burnham argued that wealthier communities should “play their part,” saying: “We cannot have a situation where it’s only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers… I do believe all parts of the country need to work, to play their part.”
The investigation, conducted by GB News, ranked the seats and found that 25 fall under local authorities currently sitting below their regional averages for supported asylum accommodation. These include Altrincham and Sale West, Battersea, Beckenham and Penge, Bexleyheath and Crayford, Chelsea and Fulham, Cities of London and Westminster, Clapham and Brixton Hill, Earley and Woodley, Eltham and Chislehurst, Greenwich and Woolwich, Hammersmith and Chiswick, Hampstead and Highgate, Harrow West, Hertford and Stortford, Hitchin, Holborn and St Pancras, Islington South and Finsbury, Kensington and Bayswater, Lewisham North, Leyton and Wanstead, North East Hertfordshire, Putney, Tooting, Walthamstow and Watford.
The remaining 17 seats are covered by local authorities already above their regional averages. They include Bermondsey and Old Southwark, Bethnal Green and Stepney, Chipping Barnet, Dulwich and West Norwood, Ealing Central and Acton, Finchley and Golders Green, Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Hackney South and Shoreditch, Hornsey and Friern Barnet, Lewisham West and East Dulwich, Poplar and Limehouse, Reading West and Mid Berkshire, Stratford and Bow, Streatham and Croydon North, Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, and Welwyn Hatfield.
Across the 32 local authorities covering these 42 seats (plus 14 further constituencies), about 10,108 asylum seekers are in supported accommodation, according to recent Home Office data. The national total stood at 93,293 in June 2026.
GB News contacted all 42 Labour MPs; only Neil Coyle (Bermondsey and Old Southwark) replied. Mr Coyle stated his area had previously hosted one hostel and two hotels under the Conservatives and was “proud to do our part,” while noting Labour had closed the hotels as part of faster processing.
Some listed MPs, including Diane Abbott, Catherine West, Emily Thornberry, Andy Slaughter, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Apsana Begum, have publicly supported greater provision for refugees.
Local resident Ian Darby in Piddington argued the 42 areas should take a population-based quota for fairness, while describing the proposed numbers for his village as disproportionate.
Mr Burnham has said he will listen to Piddington concerns. A consultation runs until September 17, with the Home Office having submitted an urgent planning application. The government continues efforts to end hotel use by 2029 while addressing what it sees as an uneven national distribution of asylum accommodation.
