A ROW over how to mark Brexit has broken out between two city bosses.

Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith and Southampton City Council leader Christopher Hammond have voiced their views on how to mark the country’s departure from the European Union on Friday.

The news comes as last week Mr Smith sent a letter to the leader of the council asking the authority to fly the Union Flag from civic buildings and light up the civic centre clock tower in red, white and blue.

In his letter Mr Smith said: “At 23.00 on Friday 31st January this country will cease to be a member of the European Union. I understand that not everyone will welcome our departure but it is now a reality. Our entry was not universally popular either but that didn’t prevent us from flying the European Union Flag on public buildings. This new reality should be treated no differently in my opinion.”

He said that time for division is “behind us”.

“We must now come together as a country and look to our future as an independent nation, trading freely with our friends and neighbours and more widely on the global stage,”Mr Smith wrote in his letter.

Cllr Hammond confirmed to have received a letter from Mr Smith and said the Southampton Itchen MP will get a response in “due course”.

But talking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service Cllr Hammond added: “As a city, we’re proud of our country – so we will continue to fly the Union flag over the Civic Centre, as it is throughout most of the year. Rather than tokenistic coins or lighting gestures, perhaps Royston could ask his Government to give us all a bank holiday, so that we can each decide how we’d like to mark the day.”

It has not been confirmed whether the clock tower in the city will be lit up in red, white and blue. The withdrawal agreement was signed off by key European parliamentary committees last week after it received approval from MPs in Westminster. An 11-month transition period is set to start in February.