Gordon orders Whitehall to fly the flag in boost for Britishness

The move is part of Gordon Brown's drive to promote a renewed sense of Britishness in every citizen.

It is also a sign of defiance against terrorism and an attempt to reclaim the flag from extremists.

By last night, the national flag had been raised over Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street, the Treasury, Foreign Office, the Department of Culture, Revenue and Customs and the Department of Health, as well as nearby Scotland Yard.

Other Whitehall departments will have theirs flying by this morning - forming a display which can be seen from the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye across the Thames.

Until last night, there were only 18 fixed days a year when the flag could be flown from Government buildings in England, marking public holidays and the royal birthdays, which are agreed with Buckingham Palace.

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The Union Flag flies over Downing Street today

A lifting on the ban on the remaining days was proposed by the Prime Minister in his blueprint for constitutional reform, published on Tuesday, in which he pledged to make the Government a 'better servant of the people'.

After talks with Palace officials yesterday, Culture Secretary James Purnell ordered all Whitehall departments to hoist their flag, pending the review on constitutional reform.

All public buildings, including hospitals and schools, are expected to follow suit.

This is already done in the U.S., where the Stars and Stripes are flown over all Government buildings and many private citizens raise it over their homes and in gardens.

The House of Commons and Lords currently run up the Union Flag on the State Opening of Parliament.

A flag was raised over the MPs' office block, Portcullis House, two months ago after new health and safety measures were put in place.

A spokesman for the Culture Department said: "The Union Flag is a really powerful symbol of our heritage. It is a really important part of our country and brings people together.

"The decision was taken to push ahead with the lifting of the ban and ensure that all departments and other public buildings now have the freedom to display the flag."

One MP said: "I can see the array of flags from my window looking over Whitehall. It is an arresting sight and makes me proud to be British."

Mr Brown used his first Commons statement as Prime Minister to announce the changes to the rules on the flag, as part of wide reforms to mark a clear break with the Blair era.

Other measures included giving MPs the final say on whether Britain should go to war, holding elections at weekends and lowering the voting age to 16.

In the document, The Governance of Britain, Mr Brown said: "The Union Flag is one of the most recognisable symbols of the UK. In other countries it is regarded as a source of pride."