GETTY Some French MPs want to see the EU flag removed from their parliament

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Representatives from Jean-Luc Melenchon’s party La France Insoumise tabled an amendment to the code of conduct that would see the blue and gold banners torn down. The hard-left party was supported in its move by the far-right Front National, whose leader Marine Le Pen lost the presidential election of Emmanuel Macron.

However the amendment, motivated by MPs opposition to the European project “as it is today” was rejected by a majority vote of their peers during a crunch vote yesterday. During the election battle the presence of the European flag on French public buildings became a hot topic, with Ms Le Pen pledging to tear them all down and replace them with the Tricolor of she won.

GETTY French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon

But in the end it was Mr Macron, a committed EU federalist, who won the contest and has since put forward a series of ambitious plans for the further integration of the bloc. In its amendment tabled earlier this week, La France Insoumise argued that the flags allowed to fly within the parliament building should be strictly limited to those of France and the United Nations. MPs stated that this would reflect France’s proud international reputation and be "in line with its historical political project of independence and the promotion of peace”.

Their motion said: "Only the French Republic's tricolor flag may be present in the hemicycle under Article 2 of the Constitution, and the flag of the United Nations, a symbol of France's international commitment to multilateralism and peace. "This amendment clarifies the current symbolism in the Chamber. Indeed, while it is obviously fundamental that our blue, white and red tricolor flag is present in the Chamber, it is equally fundamental that it be only supplemented by the flag of the United Nations.” Mr Melenchon emerged from relative obscurity on the fringes of the left of French politics to become a serious contender for the presidency at one point, whilst running on a virulently eurosceptic platform. He received almost 20 per cent of the vote in the first round, just behind Ms Le Pen in second place, and his newly formed party ended up winning 17 seats in the parliamentary election a month later.

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