Editing Union Jack (section)

==History==
In 1603, [[James VI of Scotland]] inherited the [[Kingdom of England]] (and the newly created [[client state]], the [[Kingdom of Ireland]]) as James I, thereby [[Union of the Crowns|uniting the crowns]] in a [[personal union]]. With Wales annexed into the [[Kingdom of England]] under the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542]], James now ruled over all of the island of [[Great Britain]], which he frequently described as a unified kingdom (though the parliaments of the Kingdom of England and the [[Kingdom of Scotland]] did not actually unify until the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] was formed in 1707).<ref name="Flagsofworld"/> In the wake of the 1603 personal union, several designs for a new flag were drawn up, juxtaposing the [[Saint George's Cross]] and the [[Flag of Scotland|St Andrew's Saltire]], but none were acceptable to James:<ref name=BBC_20060410>{{cite news |last1=Duffy |first1=Jonathan |title=Union recognition |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4895076.stm |work=BBC |date=10 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130134900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4895076.stm |archive-date=30 November 2020 |url-status=live }} <br />· [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/magazine_enl_1144679591/html/1.stm Graphic] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20210410134721/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/magazine_enl_1144679591/html/1.stm archive of Graphic])</ref>
{{gallery |mode=nolines |whitebg=y |height=90|align=center
| title= Early ({{Circa|1604}}) design proposals (manuscript in the [[National Library of Scotland]])<ref name=BBC_20060410/>
|File:Proposed Union Jack (1604) - Design 1.svg|
|File:Proposed Union Jack (1604) - Design 2.svg|
|File:Proposed Union Jack (1604) - Design 3.svg|
|File:Proposed Union Jack (1604) - Design 4.svg|
|File:Proposed Union Jack (1604) - Design 5.svg|
|File:Proposed Union Jack (1604) - Design 6.svg|
}}
{{gallery|mode=nolines|align=center|perrow=3|whitebg=y|height=90| title= Other design proposals, {{circa|early 17th century}}
|File:Proposed Union Jack (Scottish, blue fimbriation of white).svg|One early proposal for the Union Jack, consisting of a white St Andrew's saltire with blue fimbriation superimposed over a red St George's cross on a field of white
|File:Proposed Union Jack (Scottish, blue on red, before 1617).svg|A reconstruction of the Union Jack displayed on the ceiling boss from Linlithgow Palace
}}
[[File:Linlithgow Palace unicorn boss, c.1617.JPG|thumb|The Linlithgow Palace carving with a proposed flag of the new [[Union of the Crowns]], {{circa|1617}}]]
Various other designs for a common flag were drawn up following the union of the two Crowns in 1603, but were rarely, if ever, used.<ref name="plantagenet">{{cite book |last=Fry |first=Plantagenet Somerset |title=The Kings and Queens of England and Scotland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLax3FEkO1kC&pg=PA127 |publisher=Grove Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-8021-1386-3 |page=127}}</ref> One version showed St George's cross with St Andrew's cross in the canton, and another version placed the two crosses side by side. A painted wooden ceiling boss from [[Linlithgow Palace]], dated to about 1617, depicts the Scottish royal unicorn holding a flag where a blue [[Saltire]] surmounts the red cross of St. George.

===1606–1801===
{{main|Flag of Great Britain}}
[[File:Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg|thumb|right|The first Union Flag from 1606|alt=Red cross with white border over a white saltire and dark blue background.]]
On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent the regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would be joined together,<ref name="flaginst"/> forming the flag of Great Britain and first union flag:
{{blockquote|text=By the King: Whereas, some differences hath arisen between Our subjects of South and North Britaine travelling by Seas, about the bearing of their Flagges: For the avoiding of all contentions hereafter. We have, with the advice of our Council, ordered: That from henceforth all our Subjects of this Isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and all our members thereof, shall beare in their main-toppe the Red Crosse, commonly called St George's Crosse, and the White Crosse, commonly called St Andrew's Crosse, joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds, and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects: and in their fore-toppe our Subjects of South Britaine shall weare the Red Crosse onely as they were wont, and our Subjects of North Britaine in their fore-toppe the White Crosse onely as they were accustomed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fox-Davies |first=Arthur Charles |author-link=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies |title=The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory |title-link=The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory|publisher=Bloomsbury Books |location=London |orig-date=1904 |year=1986 |page=399 |isbn=978-0-906223-34-5}}</ref>}}
This royal flag was, at first, to be used only at sea on civil and military ships of both England and Scotland, whereas land forces continued to use their respective national banners.<ref name=KnowBritain>{{cite web |url=http://www.know-britain.com/general/union_jack.html |title=The History and Meaning of the Union Jack or Union Flag |website=Know Britain |access-date=10 June 2008 |archive-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122093009/http://www.know-britain.com/general/union_jack.html }}</ref> Flying the national flag at the mainmast had signified the [[Admiral of the Narrow Seas]] (the [[English Channel]]) and confusion arose. In 1634, [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] restricted its use to [[Royal Navy]] ships.<ref name="Blomfield 1895" /><ref name="Perrin 59" /> After the [[Acts of Union 1707]], the flag gained a regularised status as "the ensign armorial of the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]", the newly created state. It was then adopted by land forces as well, although the blue field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland.

Various shades of blue have been used in the saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep "[[navy blue|navy]]" blue ([[Pantone]] 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the [[Blue Ensign]] of the [[Royal Navy]]'s historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on [[maritime flags]] on the basis of durability.) In 2003 a committee of the [[Scottish Parliament]] recommended that the flag of Scotland use a lighter "[[royal blue|royal]]" blue (Pantone 300) (the Office of the [[Lord Lyon]] does not detail specific shades of colour for use in heraldry).

A thin white stripe, or [[fimbriation]], separates the red cross from the blue field, in accordance with heraldry's [[rule of tincture]] where colours (such as red and blue) must be separated from each other by metals (such as white, i.e. ''[[argent]]'' or silver). The [[blazon]] for the old union flag, to be compared with the current flag, is ''azure, the cross saltire of St Andrew argent surmounted by the Cross of St George gules, fimbriated of the second.''

[[File:Flag of the Commonwealth (1658-1660).svg|thumb|alt=Red cross with a white border over a white saltire and dark blue background. At the centre is a gold harp in dark blue shield, which is the same size as the intersection of vertical and horizontal white bars.|The [[Protectorate Jack]], flag used by [[The Protectorate]] from 1658 to 1660]]
The [[Kingdom of Ireland]], which had existed as a personal union with England since 1541, was unrepresented in the original versions of the Union Jack.<ref name=KnowBritain/> However, the flag of [[the Protectorate]] from 1658 to 1660 was [[escutcheon (heraldry)|inescutcheoned]] with the [[arms of Ireland]]. These were removed at [[English Restoration|the Restoration]], because [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] found them offensive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1660/05/13/ |title=Sunday 13 May 1660 |work=The Diary of Samuel Pepys |date=13 May 1660 |publisher=Phil Gyford |access-date=12 January 2017}}</ref>

The original flag appears in the canton of the Commissioners' Ensign of the [[Northern Lighthouse Board]]. This is the only contemporary official representation of the pre-1801 Union Jack in the United Kingdom<ref>{{FOTW|id=gb-lthse|anchor=cnlc|title=Northern Lighthouse Commissioner's Flag}}</ref> and can be seen flying from their [[George Street, Edinburgh|George Street]] headquarters in [[Edinburgh]].

It is this version of the Union Jack that formed the [[canton (flag)|canton]] of the [[Continental Union Flag]], the "[[de facto]]" first [[Flag of the United States|national flag of the United States]] from July 1776 to June 1777.
[[File:Command flag, Admiral of the Fleet, RN (before 1801) RMG L4480.tiff|thumb|The Union Jack flown on {{HMS|Queen Charlotte|1790|6}}, the Royal Navy flagship during the [[Glorious First of June]] in 1794. As is common for the period, the flag is an approximation of the Union Jack's proper specification.]]
''[[Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June]]'', painted in 1795, shows a Union flying from {{HMS|Queen Charlotte|1790|6}} on the "[[Glorious First of June]]" 1794. The actual flag, preserved in the [[National Maritime Museum]], is a cruder approximation of the proper specifications; this was common in 18th and early 19th century flags.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/730.html |title=Command flag, Admiral of the Fleet, RN (before 1801) |id=AAA0730 |department=The Collection |website=[[National Maritime Museum]] |access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/206394.html |id=AAA3687 |title=Post Office Blue Ensign (before 1864)|department=The Collection |website=[[National Maritime Museum]] |access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref>

The flag is also flown beside [[Customs House, Sydney|Customs House]] in Loftus Street, [[Sydney]], to mark the raising of the Union Jack by [[Arthur Phillip|Captain Phillip]] at [[Sydney Cove]], the site of the first British settlement in [[New South Wales]] and [[Australia]] in 1788. On the plaque it is referred to as the "Jack of Queen Anne".

The [[British Army]]'s flag is the Union Jack, but in 1938, a "British Army Non-Ceremonial Flag" was devised, featuring a lion on crossed blades with the [[St Edward's Crown]] on a red background. This is not the equivalent of the ensigns of the other armed services but is used at recruiting and military or sporting events, when the army needs to be identified but the reverence and ceremony due to the [[regiment]]al flags and the Union Jack would be inappropriate.

====Scottish Union Flag====
[[File:Edinburgh Castle John Slezer trimmed.jpg|thumb|alt=Engraving of a castle on top of a steep hill, above the title "The North East View of Edinburgh Castle". On the castle flies a large Union Flag with Scottish saltire part of flag most visible.|[[John Slezer|Slezer's]] [[Edinburgh Castle]] {{circa|1693}} depicting the Scottish Union flag<ref name="slezer">{{cite web |title=The North East View of Edinburgh Castle |url=http://digital.nls.uk/slezer/engraving.cfm?sl=59 |website=[[National Library of Scotland]] |department=Slezer's Scotland |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref>]]
In objecting to the design of the Union Flag adopted in 1606, whereby the cross of Saint George surmounted that of Saint Andrew, a group of Scots took up the matter with [[John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1558–1634)|John Erskine, 19th Earl of Mar]], and were encouraged by him to send a letter of complaint to James VI, via the [[Privy Council of Scotland]], which stated that the flag's design "''will breid some heit and miscontentment betwix your Majesties subjectis, and it is to be feirit that some inconvenientis sail fall oute betwix thame, for our seyfaring men cannot be inducit to resave that flage as it is set down''".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hulme |first=Edward. F. |title=The flags of the world: their history, blazonry and associations |url=https://archive.org/stream/flagsofworldthei00hulmiala/flagsofworldthei00hulmiala_djvu.txt |format=txt |year=1897 |publisher=F. Warne & co. |page=152}}</ref> Although documents accompanying this complaint which contained drafts for alternative designs have been lost, evidence exists, at least on paper, of an unofficial Scottish variant, whereby the Scottish cross was uppermost. There is reason to think that cloth flags of this design were employed during the 17th century for unofficial use on Scottish vessels at sea.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bartram |first=Graham |title=British Flags & Emblems |year=2005 |publisher=Flag Institute/Tuckwell |isbn=978-1-86232-297-4 |page=122}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Crampton |first=William |title=Flags of the World |year=1992 }}</ref><ref name="Smith 1973">{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Whitney |journal=The Flag Bulletin |title=Title unknown |year=1973 |publisher=Flag Research Center}}</ref> This flag's design is also described in the 1704 edition of ''The Present State of the Universe'' by [[John Beaumont (geologist)|John Beaumont]], which contains as an appendix ''The Ensigns, Colours or Flags of the Ships at Sea: Belonging to The several Princes and States in the World''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Beaumont |first=John |author-link=John Beaumont (geologist) |title=The Present State of the Universe ... |year=1704 |orig-date=1701 |publisher=Benj. Motte |page=164}}</ref>

On land, evidence confirming the use of this flag appears in the depiction of [[Edinburgh Castle]] by [[John Slezer]], in his series of [[engraving]]s entitled ''Theatrum Scotiae'', c. 1693. Appearing in later editions of ''Theatrum Scotiae'', the ''North East View of Edinburgh Castle'' engraving depicts the ''[[Scotch (adjective)|Scotch]]'' (to use the appropriate adjective of that period) version of the Union Flag flying from the Palace block of the Castle.<ref>{{cite book |first1=John |last1=Slezer |first2=Robert |last2=Sibbald |first3=Abel |last3=Swall |author-link=John Slezer |title=Theatrum Scotiae<!--: Containing the prospects of their Majesties castles and palaces: together with those of the most considerable towns and colleges; the ruins of many ancient abbeys, churches, monasteries and convents, within the said kingdom. All curiously engraven on copper plates. With a short ... --> |year=1693 |publisher=John Leake |page=114}}</ref> On ''[[The North Prospect of the City of Edenburgh]]'' engraving, the flag is indistinct.<ref name="north prospect">{{cite web |url=http://digital.nls.uk/slezer/engraving.cfm?sl=58 |title=The North Prospect of the City of Edenburgh |department=Slezer's Scotland |website=[[National Library of Scotland]] |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref>
[[File:BeaumontScottishUnionFlag.png|thumb|alt=White saltire clearly visible over white-bordered red cross on blue background.| Scottish Union Flag depicted in the 1704 edition of ''The Present State of the Universe.'']]
On 17 April 1707, two weeks prior to the [[Acts of Union 1707|Acts of Union]] coming into effect, and with Sir [[Henry St George, the younger]], the [[Garter King of Arms]], having presented several designs of flag to [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] and her [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]] for consideration, the flag for the soon to be unified [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] was chosen. At the suggestion of the Scots representatives, the designs for consideration included that version of Union Jack showing the Cross of Saint Andrew uppermost; identified as being the "''Scotts union flagg as said to be used by the Scotts''".<ref name='de Burton'>{{cite news |first=Simon |last=de Burton |title=How Scots lost battle of the standard |date=9 November 1999 |publisher=Johnston Press plc |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-18715263.html |work=The Scotsman |access-date=30 June 2009}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> However, the Queen and her Council approved Sir Henry's original effort, numbered "one".<ref name="de Burton"/>

A manuscript compiled in 1785 by William Fox and in possession of the [[Flag Research Center]] includes a full plate showing "''the scoth ''{{sic}}'' union''" flag. This could imply that there was still some use of a Scottish variant before the addition of the cross of St Patrick to the Union Flag in 1801.<ref name="Smith 1973"/>

=== After 1801 ===
[[File:British flag flown from HMS Spartiate during the Battle of Trafalgar.jpg|thumb|A Union Jack flown aboard {{HMS|Spartiate|1798|6}} during the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805, which took place several years after the second Union Jack was adopted.]]
The current and second Union Jack dates from 1 January 1801 with the [[Act of Union 1800]], which merged the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] and the [[Kingdom of Ireland]] to form the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]. The new design added a red [[saltire]], the [[Saint Patrick's Flag|cross of Saint Patrick]], for Ireland. This is [[counterchanging|counterchanged]] with the saltire of St Andrew, such that the red always follows the white clockwise. The arrangement has introduced a requirement to display the flag "the right way up" (see [[#Specification|specifications for flag use]] above). As with the red cross, so too the red saltire is separated by a white fimbriation from the blue field.<ref name=Flagsofworld /> This fimbriation is repeated for symmetry on the white portion of the saltire, which thereby appears wider than the red portion. The fimbriation of the cross of St George separates its red from the red of the saltire.

Apart from the Union Jack, Saint Patrick's cross has seldom been used to represent Ireland, and with little popular recognition or enthusiasm; it is usually considered to derive from the arms of the powerful [[FitzGerald]] family rather than any association with the saint.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hayes-McCoy |first=Gerard Anthony |author-link=Gerard Anthony Hayes-McCoy |title=A history of Irish flags from earliest times |editor-first=Pádraig |editor-last=Ó Snodaigh |editor-link=Pádraig Ó Snodaigh |publisher=Academy Press |location=Dublin |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-906187-01-2 |page=38}}
</ref>

====Flag speculation after Irish Free State establishment====
When the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] was concluded on 6 December 1921 and the creation of the new [[Irish Free State]] was an imminent prospect, the question arose as to whether the cross of Saint Patrick should remain in the Union Jack. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that on 22 January 1922:
[[File:Saint Patrick's Saltire.svg|thumb|The [[cross of Saint Patrick]] was incorporated into the Union Jack in 1801 to represent Ireland. However, the imminent creation of the [[Irish Free State]] in 1922 saw some people question the continued placement of the cross on the Union Jack.]] 
{{blockquote|text=At the [[College of Arms]] it was stated that certain modifications were under consideration and that if any action were taken it would be done by the King in Council. No parliamentary action would be necessary. Heraldry experts say that alterations in arms are very expensive. Some years ago there was a demand from Irish quarters that the blue ground of the golden harp on the royal standard should be changed to green. It was then estimated that the alteration would cost at least £2,000,000. To remove all reference to Ireland from the present Union Jack and Royal Arms would be vastly more expensive.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/14/109830879.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308091829/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/14/109830879.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2021 |title=May Alter The Union Jack |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 January 1922 }}</ref>}}

There was some speculation on the matter in British dominions also, with one New Zealand paper reporting that:
{{blockquote|text=...the removal of the cross of St. Patrick Cross after 120 years will transform the appearance of the flag. It will certainly become a flag under which great victories were won in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but to most minds the sentimental loss will be great. Probably it will be found that the deletion is not absolutely necessary. Other possible changes include the abolition of the title of the United Kingdom, and the removal of the harp from the Royal Standard and the Coat of Arms, and the substitution of the Ulster emblem.<ref name="ashburton">{{cite news |title=Signs of Heraldry |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AG19211213.2.31.5&srpos=2&e=-------10--1----2%22Irish+Free+State%22-all |newspaper=[[Ashburton Guardian]] |volume=XLII |issue=9409 |date=13 December 1921 |page=5 |publisher=[[National Library of New Zealand]] |access-date=2012-01-09}}</ref>}}

However, the fact that it was likely that [[Northern Ireland]] would remain in the United Kingdom gave better grounds for keeping the cross of St. Patrick in the Union Jack. In this regard, [[Sir James Craig]], the [[Prime Minister of Northern Ireland]] remarked in December 1921 that he and his government were "glad to think that our decision [to remain part of United Kingdom] will obviate the necessity of mutilating the Union Jack."<ref name="ulster">{{cite news |title=The Position of Ulster |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AG19211216.2.25.5&srpos=14&e=-------10--11----2%22Irish+Free+State%22-all |newspaper=[[Ashburton Guardian]] |volume=XLII |issue=9413 |date=16 December 1921 |page=5 |publisher=[[National Library of New Zealand]] |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref> Though remaining within the United Kingdom, the new government of Northern Ireland dispensed with the St Patrick's Saltire in favour of [[Ulster banner|a new flag]] derived from the [[House of Burke|coat-of-arms of the Burkes]], Earls of Ulster, and quite similar to England's St George's Cross.
[[File:A soldier sitting in a room in a military hospital in Harrow Wellcome V0029742.jpg|thumb|A soldier in a military hospital in [[Harrow, London]], with a Union Jack displayed in the right background, 1922]]
Ultimately, when the British [[home secretary]] was asked on 7 December 1922 (the day after the Irish Free State was established) whether the [[Garter Principal King of Arms|Garter King of Arms]] was "to issue any Regulations with reference to the national flag consequent to the passing of the Irish Free State Constitution Act", the response was no and the flag has never been changed.<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=National Flag (Irish Free State) |house=House of Commons |date=7 December 1922 |volume=159 |column_start=2015W |column_end=2016W |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1922/dec/07/national-flag-irish-free-state |access-date=14 August 2013 |archive-date=24 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224034625/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1922/dec/07/national-flag-irish-free-state |url-status=live }}</ref>

A [[Question Time|Dáil question]] in 1961 mooted raising the removal of the cross of St Patrick with the British government; Frank Aiken, the [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Irish Minister for External Affairs]], declined to "waste time on heraldic disputations".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1961-08-03/17/ |title=Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. – Cross of St. Patrick on British Flag |volume=191 |number=15 |page=18 |website=[[Oireachtas]] |date=3 August 1961}}</ref>

====21st century====
[[File:Union Flag (including Wales).svg|thumb|left|One suggested redesign of the Union Jack with the red dragon from the [[flag of Wales]] added in the centre]]
The lack of any Welsh symbol or colours in the flag is a result of Wales having been considered an integral part of the Kingdom of England at the time the [[flag of Great Britain]] was created in 1606. Since there is no Welsh element in the Union Jack, [[Wrexham]]'s [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Member of Parliament|MP]] [[Ian Lucas]] proposed on 26 November 2007 in a [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] debate that the Union Flag be combined with the [[Flag of Wales|Welsh flag]] to reflect Wales's status within the UK, and that the [[Welsh Dragon|red dragon]] be added to the Union Flag's red, white, and blue pattern.<ref name="welsh">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7114248.stm |title=Welsh dragon call for Union flag |publisher=BBC |date=27 November 2007}}</ref> He said the Union Jack currently only represented the other three UK nations, and [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport|Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism]] [[Margaret Hodge]] conceded that Lucas had raised a valid point for debate. She said, "the Government is keen to make the Union Flag a positive symbol of Britishness reflecting the diversity of our country today and encouraging people to take pride in our flag." This development sparked design contests with entries from all over the world.<ref name="face">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572168/The-new-face-of-Britain-Flag-poll-results.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572168/The-new-face-of-Britain-Flag-poll-results.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The new face of Britain Flag poll results |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=5 December 2007 |first=Matthew |last=Moore}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In the run-up to the [[2014 Scottish independence referendum]], various non-official suggestions were made for how the flag could be redesigned without the St Andrew's Cross if Scotland left the Union. However, as Scotland voted against independence, the issue did not arise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25205017 |first1= Sam |last1=Judah |title=What would the union jack look like if the Scottish bit were removed? |website=BBC |date=4 December 2013 |access-date=3 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/galleryguide/0,,184378,00.html |title=The Union Jack: your designs |website=The Guardian |access-date=3 December 2015}}</ref>