New Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out a new bank holiday for England.
The Labour leader was coy when asked about the possibility of a day off if the England football team emerge victorious in their European Championships final on Sunday.
The Three Lions surged to the final last night after a dramatic late winner by Ollie Watkins.
Gareth Southgate’s side will now face Spain on Sunday as they bid to make history, and England fans will undoubtedly be keen for a day off on Monday to celebrate if they emerge victorious.
Keir Starmer was coy on the possibility of an extra bank holiday
POOL
When asked if this would be the case, Starmer said he “doesn’t want to jinx” Southgate’s team.
“We should certainly mark the occasion”, he said.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Gareth Southgate celebrating England's victory at the semi-finalsPA“I don’t want to jinx anything. I went to the last Euros final (where England lost on penalties to Italy) and I don’t want to go through that again.
“We must mark it in some way. The most important thing is getting it over the line on Sunday.”
Starmer was locked in Nato discussions as last night’s dramatic events in Dortmund played out, with the Prime Minister only learning about the game’s developments intermittently.
“I managed to pop out from one of my sessions for just five minutes, and I saw Harry Kane get the first goal”, he said.
Ollie Watkins scored the winning goal during Wednesday's semi-final gamePA“I missed the second one, but it was brilliant. On we go now with a great chance.
“I have always said that we will go all the way. I am really, really pleased. Good luck for Sunday.”
The Prime Minister will attend the final in Berlin on Sunday, No 10 has said.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey had earlier led calls for a one-off bank holiday, saying the “Government should bring home a bank holiday to celebrate”.
He added: “England deserves the chance to celebrate a once-in-a-generation event.
“Who knows, we might even get decent weather.”
The Lib Dems made similar calls last year when England Women reached the World Cup final.
Two extra one-off bank holidays were held across the UK in 2022, one for the Queen’s platinum jubilee and another for her funeral.
