Esther Addley on why the union jack and St George’s flags are appearing on lamp-posts, bridges and roundabouts in England. Gary Younge explains why not everyone is happy

Nosheen Iqbal travelled back to her home town of Peterborough. A small city an hour from London, it’s a classic political bellwether seat and, like so many cities, towns and villages in England this month, it is suddenly covered in flags: the union jack and St George’s cross.

She spoke to people in the city about what they thought of it. Quickly the conversation turned to immigration. “People coming over, it’s a bit too free-flowing … I think it’s been a long time coming,” one man told her. Another woman explained that while she liked both the union jack and St George’s cross, the current crop was being put up “by a lot of racist thugs that are totally misinformed by the media”.