Black Country flag: Father of young designer Gracie thanks readers for support
The father of the schoolgirl who designed the Black Country flag has thanked readers for supporting his daughter after it was criticised by an MP.
Dave Sheppard extended his thanks to the legions of ‘strangers’ who had given messages of support for his daughter Gracie over the issue.
An Express & Star poll asking whether the flag was racist has seen more than 36,000 responses, with 95 per cent of people backing Gracie’s work.
Mr Sheppard said Gracie ‘took considerable care to research our area before submitting her flag design’, adding that since winning the design competition she had ‘regularly been a softly spoken ambassador for the region and the flag’.
He added: “On her behalf, I want to express our thanks to the hundreds of strangers who have posted online messages of support for her, during the last few harrowing days.”
E&S COMMENT: When you're in a hole, stop digging
Wolverhampton South West MP Eleanor Smith raised concerns in Parliament over the flag using chains as its primary image, which she says links it with the slave trade.
It came after she told the E&S she had concerns over the flag’s ‘racist connotations’ and that she had not attended a parliamentary photo shoot with other MPs because she did not feel comfortable standing in front of it.
She also accused the E&S of ‘misrepresenting’ her views.
WATCH PM praise young flag designer:
Government Chief Whip Gavin Williamson has intervened in the row, describing Ms Smith as having ‘misled’ the Commons by casting doubt on the accuracy of the E&S’s coverage of the issue.
Yesterday Theresa May praised Gracie for designing the black, red and white flag during Prime Minister’s Questions.
She was responding to a question on criticism of the flag from Dudley South Tory MP Mike Wood, who was flanked in the Commons by Walsall North MP Eddie Hughes and Aldridge-Brownhills MP Wendy Morton.
Mrs May said: “ I’d like to congratulate Gracie on designing that flag at the age of only 12 years.
“And I have to say that I am sure that she and others, including the Express & Star, have been surprised at the attitude from the benches opposite on this particular issue.”
Mr Wood said he had been disappointed that Ms Smith had chosen to ‘further criticise’ the flag in the her speech, during which she also talked of Wolverhampton’s ‘drug problem’ and its high levels of youth unemployment.
“The flag has made a big difference in attracting investment and jobs to the Black Country,” he added.
“I was shocked to hear a new MP for the area making these extremely silly comments in her maiden speech.
“This was her chance to focus on what is great in her constituency, but instead she chose to dwell on its problems.”
WATCH Dudley residents have their say on racism row:
South Staffordshire MP Mr Williamson said: “I think it’s shocking and disappointing that a new MP on their maiden speech appears to have already misled the House of Commons, which is one of the most grave things a member of Parliament can do.
“I think her remarks about the Express & Star’s coverage of her comments in Parliament would have shocked many.
“Her maiden speech was an opportunity to talk about what Wolverhampton has to offer and why we can take pride in it. It is a wonderful city and we are seeing record levels of investment, unemployment falling and a great tradition of race relations.
“But instead she chose to run it down by highlighting issues such as drugs and again saying she finds the Black Country flag offensive, giving an inaccurate and damaging impression of the city to people who may want
to come here to invest and build on its prosperity.”
Ms Smith did not respond to the E&S’s attempts to contact her.
