The bright red cross on a white background that is England’s national flag should not be messed with, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday (March 22), after Nike’s blue and purple alteration to the design on soccer shirts left many fans angry.

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Nike, which designs and makes the kit for England’s national soccer teams, unveiled its new design this week which it said paid homage to the country’s 1966 World Cup-winning men’s team.

It features the St. George’s Cross, a national symbol for centuries, in shades of blue and purple as well as red on the back of the shirt collar. Nike called the change a “playful update” that was meant to “unite and inspire.”

But the move has spurred calls from many soccer fans to scrap the new design, saying they want a return to the traditional colours of the cross rather than the new flag which Nike has said “disrupts history with a modern take on a classic”.

With an election expected in Britain this year, in which cultural issues are likely to feature prominently, politicians from across the spectrum have weighed in on the debate.

“Well, obviously, I prefer the original,” Sunak told reporters. “My general view is that when it comes to our

national flags, we shouldn’t mess with them, because they’re a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they’re perfect as they are.”

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Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer told The Sun newspaper that Nike should reconsider the design.

Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

“The trim on the cuffs takes its cues from the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple,” a spokesperson for the U.S. sportswear giant told media this week. “The same colours also feature an interpretation of the flag of St George.”

A user on social media site X posted what they called a playful update to Nike’s swoosh logo with a picture of three black stripes – the logo of rival Adidas.

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