How to be racist – part CLIV

PRISON officers have been warned not to wear tie-pins with the English flag over fears it may be "misinterpreted" as racist.

A section on race relations in Ms Owers' report said: "We were concerned to see a number of staff wearing a flag of St George tie-pin.

"While we were told that these had been bought in support of a cancer charity there was clear scope for misinterpretation, and Prison Service Orders made clear that unauthorised badges and pins should not be worn."

The prison's response:

Brian Caton, of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "If the only problem the chief inspector found was tie-pins carrying the Cross of St George, which is after all the English national flag, then there can't be a lot wrong with Wakefield Prison."

Indeed.