Биг Бен очистят от строительных лесов к Новому году

The St George's flag, visible on Big Ben's famous East Dial for first time in 90 years as the clock face restoration enters final stages. The five-year refurbishment has unveiled a row of six shields above each dial that displays St George’s red cross on a white background. The decision in 2018 to paint the English flag on all four sides of the Elizabeth Tower prompted a constitutional row, despite officials insisting that was the original Victorian colour scheme. SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs objected to the prominent display of the English flag, with one Scottish politician saying, "Maybe they are assuming that in the future the Union will be dissolved." The Scottish thistle, Welsh leek and Northern Irish shamrock have also been newly restored but the flags could become a focal point of division between the Government and Scottish nationalists. The St George’s flags had become blackened from pollution and smog in Victorian London, prompting officials to paint them black in the 1930s to save on upkeep. Elizabeth Tower, part of the Palace of Westminster, is undergoing an £80million restoration that began in 2017 to refurbish stonework, reglaze clock dials and repaint ironwork.