The petition was started on the Downing Street website after a report appeared in The Sun last September newspaper that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport had deemed the RAF acrobatic team as "unsuitable for the 2012 Olympics because they are too British".

 

The report was immediately denied by the Jowell, the Olympics Minister, and by the Red Arrows spokeswoman Rachel Huxford in an interview with insidethegames.

 

Nevertheless, the report spread on numerous websites, including several politicians, and continued to grow.

 

By the time it closed last night, 502,134 people had signed it despite a note from the Prime Minister's office saying "this allegation is not true".

 

Jowell said: “I am delighted that so many people have shown how important the Red Arrows are to them by signing this petition.

 

"To their millions of fans, the Red Arrows demonstrate all the best elements of being British of which we are so rightly proud.

 

"As we have made clear on many occasions, it is just not true that the Government has in some way banned the Red Arrows from being involved in 2012.

 

"Nothing, in fact, could be further from the truth.

 

"The Red Arrows flew over London the day we won the Games in 2005 - and they took to the skies again in August, on another special day for London 2012, as we marked the end of the Beijing Olympics and the start of the run-up to our Games.

 

"I know Gordon [Brown] was as delighted as I was that the Red Arrows were able to play such a prominent role, a fitting end to an Olympics that had been such a triumph for Great Britain.

 

"While it is up to the 2012 Organising Committee to decide what form the ceremonies in 2012 should take and who should participate, I am very clear in my own mind that the Red Arrows should be part of London’s welcome to the world in four years time.

 

"And I know [London 2012 chairman] Seb Coe shares my view.”

 

The Red Arrows were involved in a fly-past at the Olympic Handover Party on August 24 where they flew over 40,000 spectators gathered in The Mall and broadcast live on BBC TV.

 

Red 1, Wing Commander Jas Hawker, said: "As the Commanding Officer of the Red Arrows I was extremely proud that the Team was given the opportunity to fly over London as part of the Olympic Games Handover Ceremony.

"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will truly be a memorable event for everybody in this country, showcasing the UK to millions of people all over the world.

 

"The Red Arrows represent both the excellence of the Royal Air Force and the best of British.

 

"It's a great honour to be involved and something that both myself and my fellow team members feel absolutely privileged to play a part in."