Duke of Wellington statue sports EU flag cone on Brexit day

The Duke of Wellington, located on Royal Exchange Square, has been pictured sporting a special blue cone with yellow stars.

Duke of Wellington statue sports EU flag cone on Brexit day Gordon Crawford

A statue in Glasgow famous for having a traffic cone on its head has had the attire decorated with an EU flag.

The Duke of Wellington, located on Royal Exchange Square, has been pictured sporting a special blue cone with yellow stars – hours before Scotland, as part of the United Kingdom, leaves the European Union at 11pm.

For years, the statue of the former prime minister has been targeted by students and revellers who have put an orange traffic cone on his head, becoming part of the city’s landscape.

Plans to raise the statue in 2013 in a bid to stop cones being placed on its head were withdrawn after a public outcry.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled her next steps as she attempts to secure a second independence vote.

Speaking in Edinburgh, she said withdrawal from the European Union meant “the UK that Scotland voted to remain part of in 2014 – a UK inside the EU – will no longer be a reality”.

The SNP leader stated this represented a “material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014”.

Sturgeon called Brexit a “pivotal moment” of “real and profound sadness… tinged with anger”.

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