The House of Lords has denied that a set of “informal” Progress Pride flags were removed from its canteen following a complaint.

To mark Pride Month, the River Restaurant inside the House of Lords was decorated with a set of miniature Progress Pride flags in the beginning of June.

The temporary Pride fixtures were eventually taken down during an “appropriate” period, according to the House of Lords, though not before officials complained about their presence.

The Progress Pride flag, created in 2021, is a variation of the original Pride flag which aims to represent all communities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. It is viewed by ‘gender-critical’ pundits as a symbol of trans “ideology.”

Prior to their removal, Baroness Emma Nicholson reportedly complained to speaker Lord McFall, arguing the decorations were unauthorised and should be taken down immediately.

Breakfast in the House of Lords – fabulous food pic.twitter.com/P24KLPKvep

— Emma Harriet Nicholson (@Baroness_Nichol) June 4, 2025

The 83-year-old former Tory MP, who is notorious for her anti-LGBTQ+ views, posted a picture to her X/Twitter account on Wednesday (4 June), showing the miniature flags, as well as a rainbow Pride banner, in the House of Lords canteen.

Following the removal of the decorations, Nicholson posted on Friday, writing: “The superb River Restaurant in the House of Lords has had the decorations that I pictured removed.

“The food remains as stunning as before,” she continued. “I am most grateful to the Lord Speaker for his swift and thoughtful response to my request. I respect all people in all walks of life always.”

A spokesperson for the House of Lords clarified to PinkNews that the “informal” decorations had not been removed because of Nicholson’s request, but instead were taken down at an “appropriate point” after marking the beginning of Pride Month.

They reiterated that, while the decorations were not an “official administration-wide marking of Pride,” the House of Lords continues to support Pride Month, including through its Workplace Equality Network (WEN) initiative, ParliOut.

The project aims to support and highlight LGBTQ+ people in Parliament through a variety of social forums and networks aimed at creating a “supportive and inclusive working environment.”

The project also includes an annual march at Pride in London to represent LGBTQ+ members of the Houses of Parliament.

A notorious opponent of Pride, Baroness Nicholson has previously made several reviled anti-LGBTQ+ comments. In 2024, she said that those who disagreed with Section 28, the law which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in England and Wales, wanted schools to “teach the very behaviour that was the only known cause of AIDS.”

In 2023, after expressing her disagreement with an LGBTQ+ Pride crossing in West London, Baroness Nicholson claimed the walkway could “cause migraines and triggery epilepsy,” with no evidence to back up her claims.

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