The new Defence Secretary blocked an attempt to make the Red Arrows trail the colours of the Scottish flag at the Commonwealth Games, the Standard can reveal.
It emerged when bungling organisers issued a programme for last night’s opening ceremony that stated blue and white smoke would be trailed.
But the world-famous RAF display team trailed their traditional red, white and blue smoke - the colours of the Union Jack - instead.
Commonwealth Games 2014 opening ceremony
The Evening Standard has learned that a request was made by organisers for the team to fly the colours of the Scottish saltire for the Glasgow crowd. But it was blocked by new Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who ruled that the RAF should fly the colours of the United Kingdom.
A source said: "It’s the Royal Air Force, keeping Britain safe.”
An MoD spokesperson said: “The Red Arrows are ambassadors for the United Kingdom and are famous for their red, white and blue smoke trails which represent the whole of the UK.
“The flypast was to celebrate the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth and the presence of Her Majesty so it was fitting that red, white and blue were used.”
The MoD would not identify who made the request to remove the red smoke. Sources said the request was rejected too late for the programme to be changed.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has promised not to use the Games to promote Scottish independence.
A Glasgow 2014 spokesperson said: “Glasgow 2014 would like to clarify that it was its Ceremonies producers who had initial conversations about Red Arrows trailing blue and white smoke to represent the Host Nation’s Saltire but this was never formally requested. We were delighted with the participation of the Red Arrows who deployed their standard trail of red, white and blue in last night’s ceremony.”
