Key information
Request reference number: MGLA040326-5356
Date of response:
Summary of request
Given that there was no criteria used for the choice of flags displayed on New Year’s Eve, what was the reason for including the flags you listed for me and what was the reason for not including a flag for Northern Ireland given the inclusion of flags for England, Scotland and Wales?
Our response
During the show, a range of flags were displayed on the London Eye to represent the wide variety of countries of origin of people who live in and contribute to the success of London. This included the flags of Wales and Scotland as part of the United Kingdom. The flag which the Northern Ireland Government use is the Union Flag, so Northern Ireland was represented towards the end of the sequence when the flags came together to form the Union flag - also representing the United Kingdom.