Did London Mayor Sadiq Khan ban taxi drivers from displaying the flag of England, also known as St. George's Cross, during Euro 2024 football championship? No, that's not true: The regulation prohibits all flags on any taxi in the British capital and does not single out the flag of England. These decisions are made by Transport for London, not the mayor, to ensure safety and uniformity.
The claim, which shows Khan but doesn't name him, appeared in a post (archived here) published on X, formerly Twitter on June 23, 2024. The post's caption said:
This obnoxious little turd has banned taxi's from flying the England flag while the Euro's are on.
'It will distract motorists'.
What a lying bastard.
Not bothered about Palestinian flags flying around London or protesters stopping traffic.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Mon 24 15:16:19 2024 UTC)
The post provided no attribution or other evidence to substantiate its claim that Khan banned taxi drivers from displaying the flag of England during Euro 2024.
Euro 2024, or European Championship, is a major international soccer (football) competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations, featuring national teams from across Europe. The tournament is held every four years and determines the continental champion.
Transport for London
In a June 24, 2024, email to Lead Stories, a spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL), the local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, responded to the claim in the social media post. It said:
Decisions relating to the licensing and regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles in London are taken by TfL, not the Mayor.
For the safety of all passengers and drivers, there are guidelines in place about what can be displayed in or on taxis and private hire vehicles in London. These are longstanding guidelines that have been around for decades.
Only official signs and stickers can be displayed. Any other signage, which includes flags, is not permitted due to safety concerns. Many other licensing authorities across the country take a similar approach.
TfL added, "The rules apply to all signage, including flags, and are not specific to the St George's Cross or any other national flags."
Google search
Lead Stories searched using keywords on Google News, visible here (archived here), and found no credible reporting as of June 24, 2024, to corroborate the claim. While several stories suggested Khan was to blame for the ban, the statements they included in their reporting from TfL said otherwise.
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Other Lead Stories fact checks of claims about the flag of England on vehicles are here.
