HMP Wandsworth faced similar scrutiny in September after terror suspect Daniel Khalife was accused of escaping the jail. Monitors in the north London prison found its population had surged to nearly 1,150 inmates, far exceeding its intended capacity. The letter, in response to Mr Fletcher's letter titled 'gender ideology flag being flown above prisons in London', goes onto explain that prisons must adhere to a centralised guide on which flags to fly.

White: Represents trans men, nonbinary people who connect with masculinity, and gender non-conformity. Mr Chalk writes: "The six-stripe 'rainbow flag' is one of the flags authorities to be flown [...] but this permission does not extend to any other representative versions, including the one incorrectly flown." Green: Represents community. Community is the driving force behind the LGBTQ movement. As a marginalized group, MLMs need a strong sense of community to draw strength and wisdom from and take refuge in. Explaining the removal of the flags, justice secretary Alex Chalk wrote: "I understand the intention behind flying the flags was to show support for the LGBT+ community among Prisons and Probation staff".

The MP said the flag promotes an "ideology [which] harms vulnerable people" and claimed "much more work is needed from Government Ministers [sic] to remove the influence of this ideology from across government departments." The creator added: "The LGBTI+ Pride flag does not represent an ideology, it is a cultural symbol that represents our existence as human beings with natural diversity. Being human is not an ideology. However, it is ideological to contextualise human beings as merely an idea, which is what Mr Fletcher’s remarks appear to do." Teal: Represents healing. Gay, bisexual, pansexual, and transgender men have and continue to face discrimination, violence, rejection, and stigmatization for living their truth, and thus have a deep need for people and safe spaces where they can heal. HMP Pentonville, one of Britain’s oldest jails, was found to be an "unfit" place for prisoners to live or to be rehabilitated in a recent watchdog report. The jail, one of the most overcrowded in the country, faces chronic staff shortages, rising violence and inmates able to get contraband via drone or being thrown over the wall, the report said.

Purple: Represents the courage of all the activists and advocates who have fought for equality and the courage it takes to live authentically.

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MLM is an acronym that stands for “men loving men”. The term describes anyone who identifies as a man and is attracted to men. It is inclusive of (but not limited to) men who identify as gay, bisexual, pansexual, gender non-conforming, and transgender. Light blue: Represents love – romantic love, love among friends, and the love fostered by the community. Mr Fletcher, who represents Don Valley, shared the letter on X and wrote: "Govt. depts should not promote harmful ideology [sic]." The Pride Progress Flag, and the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag, have both been widely accepted by the LGBTQIA+ community and allies since their creation by Daniel Quasar in 2018 and Valentino Vecchietti in 2021 respectively. On the left, the traditional Pride flag with six colours and, on the right, the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag. Credit: Human Rights Campaign / Valentino Vecchietti