I am delighted to celebrate Historic Counties Flag Day, a proud day of celebration of our heritage in England, up and down the country. 

Flags are a vital part of our local, county and national identity. That’s why, as Chairman of the Flags and Heraldry Committee A.P.P.G. I was pleased to see the flags of the Historic Counties flying in Parliament Square to commemorate the occasion.  

Flags, national holidays, celebrations of British identity – all of these help to bring people together. We should teach children from a young age just how lucky they are to live in Britain.

It is, after all, a wonderful country with a fascinating history and an exciting future. It has survived precisely because of a successful set of tried and tested values, and these must remain at the core of everything we do.  

Romford is proudly part of the County of Essex, (Greater London is not a county), and it was splendid to see the Essex flag proudly flying across the road from the home of our democracy.