Liberal Democrats criticised over 'shameful' Ukraine flag branding

The Liberal Democrats have been criticised for including their branding on Ukrainian flag signs that were handed out at Friday’s candlelit vigil outside Newbury town hall.

The signs, which featured the words ‘Newbury stands with Ukraine’ over the flag, had the Liberal Democrats' logo in the top right corner and a QR code that directed people to an online petition.

The petition, run by the Lib Dems, aims to persuade the government to re-structure their policies on accepting Ukrainian refugees into the country.

In response to seeing the signs, one Newbury Weekly News reader wrote to the paper and said: “Thousands of Ukrainians have been brutally murdered at the hands of the Russians, millions have fled their homes.

“And the Newbury and West Berkshire Liberal Democrats thought it was appropriate to capitalise on the suffering of Ukrainians and bolster their own mailing list. It's shameful.”

Lib Dem group leader Lee Dillon (Thatcham North East) said: “We paid for those [signs] and we believe that the government need to do more to support Ukrainian refugees.

“We didn’t force those posters on anybody. We just had them there and were offering to hand them out so that we can put some influence on the British government.”

Mr Dillon confirmed that the QR codes didn’t send people to the Liberal Democrats website, but straight to their petition page.

He also stated that under electoral law, the Lib Dems had to display on the signs who printed and published them.

Mr Dillon also said: “[There was] no intention at all of politicising it. The only intention was to try to get support for Ukrainian refugees.”