There have been plenty of British mariner redundancies as ... Sadly, this is not out of national loyalty but because the Red Ensign is itself a flag of convenience for tax purposes.

An empire flag! At last an ensign which shall adequately represent ... which should fittingly express British sovereignty. He has succeeded, however, in giving our colonial possessions full ...

Any vessel registered in the UK, a Crown Dependency or UK Overseas Territory, is a British ship and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign flag.