There was consternation at Luxembourg’s Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday when the UK’s Union Jack flag disappeared from the conference room.

“Several participants in the conference noticed that there were only 27 national flags and the EU flag,” a participant at the ILA Director’s Day conference on Tuesday said, asking to remain anonymous.

He added that “most assumed it was Brexit related”.

When contacted by Wort.lu/en the Chamber of Commerce said the reason for the Union Jack’s disappearance was more “trivial” than that.

Communications Director Patrick Ernzer said that a flag pole was needed to mount another flag for a visiting foreign delegation at the building on Tuesday.

“Since the person in charge of the stock was absent and nobody knew where they had stored the spare poles, the pole carrying the British flag was borrowed to carry the flag of the foreign delegation during its visit,” Ernzer explained.

He added that he had been assured the British flag would be returned to its rightful place by Wednesday.