London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Is the Union Flag upside down on Boris Johnson's £900,000 plane?

The makeover of the Prime Minister’s plane has been slammed, with flag enthusiasts claiming it has a huge design problem.
A number of people have taken to social media to say they think the Union Flag on the plane’s tail is upside down.

According to the UK Flag Institute, the Union Flag should have the broad white stripe above the red stripe in the top left hand corner to be the correct way up.

Martin J Keatings was one of the first to make the observation, tweeting: ‘HAHAHAHAHAH! Wait a f****n minute! The tail is painted wrong! The right-hand top quarter of the union flag on the tail is incorrect. The red bar should be at the top half of the white, not the bottom! #TailFail’

Fazzat Like wrote: ‘Even before the paint job was revealed I just knew they’d make an a**e of it. Broad white stripe top left, it really isn’t difficult.’

Amused pedant Julian Self wryly observed: ‘Well, the inverted flag is a known distress signal, and the plane will be occupied by Boris Johnson, so it actually does seem singularly appropriate.’

‘Could we require him to fly everywhere upside down?’ added Bill Hayden.

But others pointed out that actually the flag is correct, because it’s a mirror image of the flag on the port side.

The Union Flag on the port side of the tail fin is correct, because the front of the plane acts as the flagpole.

It comes after the plane was unveiled yesterday, with a new Union flag on the tailfin and ‘United Kingdom’ written in gold on the fuselage.

Before this, it was just a military grey colour, but Boris Johnson decided this wasn’t up to scratch.

The RAF Voyager, a military plane shared by the Prime Minister and the royal family, was repainted white at a cost of almost £1 million.

Downing Street said the work would cost ‘around £900,000’ and would mean that the plane could better represent the UK around the world with ‘national branding’.

But the cost of the respray was condemned by opposition politicians when it was revealed earlier this month.

Officials have insisted the plane would still be able to fulfil its military role as an air-to-air refuelling tanker.

At the time the price tag was revealed, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said: ‘That incorporates the cost of creating a design that will promote the UK around the world without compromising the plane’s vital military role.

‘At every stage we have worked to ensure value for money for the UK taxpayer and all of the work has been undertaken in the UK, directly benefiting British suppliers.’

Mr Johnson has previously questioned why the plane was grey, saying he would like to have a ‘Brexit plane’ to help him travel the world and promote the Government’s vision of global Britain.

He also complained in 2018 while foreign secretary that the RAF Voyager jet, which is shared by the Prime Minister, senior Cabinet members and the royal family, ‘never seems to be available’.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×