Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors have teamed up to ban their local authority from flying the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – the Union Flag – at local schools, calling the proposal “nasty” and “nationalistic”.

Calderdale councillors from both parties were urged by Conservative Councillor Scott Benton to allow the Union Flag to be flown from all council buildings with a flagpole, and to implement a policy of school assemblies singing the national anthem. But they rebuffed the motion, calling it “inappropriate” and that the plan would “promote nasty, nationalistic tendencies”.

The proposal read: “This will inspire the children of the borough to take pride in British values and enable them to appreciate our rich history and great history.

“It will also assist our young people to develop a shared sense of identity and belonging which will contribute towards improving social cohesiveness and integration across the Borough.”

The Liberal Democrats, following the rejection of the motion, said: “People don’t need to wave a flag and sing to show pride in their country.

“We would encourage patriotism, but the Tories are in danger of encouraging the nationalism that did so much damage in the twentieth century. Citizenship is an important part of the national curriculum in schools and we should leave it to teachers and governors to decide on the most appropriate ways of promoting British values in their schools.

“One British value that we believe in – that of compassion for those in more difficult circumstances – was sadly lacking in the Conservative comments on Syrian refugees within the Council meeting.”

UKIP MEP Jane Collins said the councillors “should be ashamed of themselves.”

She told Breitbart London: “They’re quite happy to take their expenses off the British tax payer yet insult the country by saying that children should not sing the national anthem and that the Union Flag is “nasty”.

“In fact it’s quite the contrary: it’s those councillors who don’t have pride in our country and who foster segregated societies who are the nasty ones.

“Labour have clearly learned nothing from the outrage their leader caused by not singing the National Anthem at the Battle of Britain memorial.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was pilloried by the national press when he failed to sing the national anthem – God Save Our Queen – at a World War II memorial last month.