England are preparing for an all or nothing final for Euro 2024 against Spain in Berlin on Sunday and fans are eager to know whether we will have a Bank Holiday if we win
England fans cheering on Gareth Southgate’s side in the Euro 2024 final are also hoping for a Bank Holiday on Monday to celebrate if we win.
Keir Starmer had a crushing victory in the General Election this week and could become more popular if he announced a holiday for the country following a victory by England over Spain tomorrow night in Berlin.
Southgate has suffered his fair share of criticism during the tournament from fans not happy that he hasn’t given sufficient opportunities to England’s more creative players and needed some late goals along the way as well as a penalty shoot-out against Switzerland. But they have made it to the final and there is a surge in confidence among supporters that they can now go all the way.
The Prime Minister has dropped hints that there could be a celebration in store if England were to win on Sunday but he has said that he does not want to jinx them as they bid to lift the trophy for the first time. He was attending a NATO conference on Wednesday so couldn’t see England beat the Dutch with an Ollie Watkins wonder strike winner, but he is keeping tabs on the increasing fervour for a national holiday at short notice.
Asked at the NATO summit about the prospect he answered: “I went to the last Euros finals. I don’t want to go through that again so I don’t want to jinx anything. We must mark it in some way but the most important thing is getting it over the line on Sunday.” In 2021, Sir Keir vocally backed the idea of an extra Bank Holiday should England have managed to beat Italy in the Euro 2021 final but they were beaten on penalties at Wembley.
Sir Keir said at the time: “The whole country is incredibly proud of what Gareth Southgate and our England heroes have achieved already,” he commented back then. “History has been made. If we win on Sunday, the country should get the chance to celebrate it properly with an extra bank holiday, granted in the name of the England team. I’ve got a strong feeling, it’s coming home.”
The government’s official Bank Holiday website’s latest update simply says: “The next Bank Holiday in England and Wales is 26 August Summer bank holiday.” Football fans will be keeping an eagle eye on whether that may change if England do lift the trophy late on Sunday night – which if the match goes to penalties could finish as late as 11pm.
Either way Monday might become an unofficial bank holiday for many, with schools changing their opening hours and some shops opening later already confirmed. Employers are also being encouraged to explore flexible working and allow footy fans to come in late on Monday too.
