Wearing England badges during the World Cup could intimidate detained migrants, immigration officers have been told.
The country is set to be gripped by football fever this month as the Three Lions get ready to kick off their North America campaign against Croatia on June 17.
For many this will involve dusting off St George’s flags and England badges to show their support for Thomas Tuchel’s charges.
But staff at detention centres have been warned against displaying these patriotic items, in a new report by the watchdog Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), over fears they may damage ‘professional standards’.
Among the document’s key findings are cautionary words over the effects of wearing England flags in short-term holding facilities (STHFs).
The report says: ‘On two occasions during the summer, staff at one STHF were observed wearing England flags affixed to their uniforms.
‘The Board felt this risked perceptions of bias or even intimidation among detained people, especially in the light of recent anti-immigration protests in which flag displays were prominent.
‘At a minimum, the Board concluded that this raised concerns about professional standards and workplace culture at the facility.’
Wearing England badges during the World Cup could intimidate detained migrants, immigration officers have been told. (Stock Photo)
England players celebrating their victory over Spain in the final of the UEFA Women’s Euro last July
The incidents highlighted in the report date back to 2025 so would have coincided with the Lionesses’ remarkable defence of their Euros title which saw them beat Spain in a tense final.
Migrants with no right to remain in the country, awaiting deportation or removal to their home country, stay in STHFs while they are being processed.
Warnings over flag-wearing employees were included in the guide alongside other concerns including routine handcuffing for transfers, excessive use of force, and lengthy stays in detention for migrants ahead of their deportations.
Jane Leech, the interim IMB national chair, said: ‘While [boards] do identify individual examples of good practice, these are unfortunately not reflected consistently across the system. We have seen patterns repeat, warnings ignored, and risks re-emerge in different forms.
‘The evidence available to us strongly suggests that many of these longstanding issues are not only unresolved but are becoming more acute.
‘We repeatedly see health deteriorating in closed settings, delays in accessing medical care, rising distress, and vulnerable individuals becoming more unwell the longer detention continues. These are outcomes we observe directly, not theoretical risks.
‘The Home Office must exercise stronger oversight and clearer accountability in how detention is used in practice. Without decisive action to address problems that have been evident for many years, people in immigration detention will continue to experience avoidable harm.’
St George’s flags are commonly spotted fluttering on the sides of houses during major football tournaments, but the symbol became something of a flashpoint last summer amid the ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ campaign.
An army of protesters endeavoured to continue putting up England and Union Jack flags despite council workers ripping them down.
Patriotic activists are using a Facebook page to help gather flags together – with members chipping in with offers of transport and equipment, such as ladders.
St George’s flags spotted fluttering outside homes at the Kirby Estate, London, as World Cup fever builds
Is flying the St George’s flag a simple show of national pride, or has it become too politically charged?
Sir Keir Starmer surprised many observers by backing the public’s right to fly the flags with an official spokesman saying: ‘The PM has always talked about his pride in being British, his patriotism…patriotism will always be an important thing to him.’
Asked if Sir Keir was supportive of people putting up English flags, the spokesman said: ‘Absolutely. We put up English flags all around Downing Street every time the English football team, women’s and men’s are out, trying to win games for us.’
Operation Raise the Colours led to communities across the country hanging up flags on their streets, including Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich and the Isle of Wight, in defiance of council bans.
Group members vowed to redouble their efforts throughout and rejected criticism the movement was ‘aggressive’.
