By James Simons-
The Uk parliament will debate a petition calling for the Uk government is to unveil a “national day of celebration” bank holiday if England defeat Italy on Sunday, after in excess of 100,000 signed the growing petition calling for one.
The petition has so far reached 135,00o at the time of writing, and is still going up. The Three Lions beat Denmark in the final of the European Championships against Italy at 8pm on Sunday night.
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Petitions that reach 100,000 are always debated in parliament, increasing the likelihood that Mps vote to approve the requested holiday.
When asked about the possibility of a Bank Holiday, the Prime Minister told Sky News: ‘I think that would be tempting fate. Let’s see what happens.’
However , Downing Street today suggested giving leeway to those wanting the watch Sunday’s crunch match. Today they urged employers to be flexible ‘if they can’ with staff who want to start late on Monday.
Some MPs have already expressed their support for extra Bank Holiday on Monday, with a ‘national day of celebration’ wanted by others.
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There are no firm details over what that involves but it would not be a bank holiday per se, which would present logistical challenges on Monday.
Boris Johnson, who was at Wembley with wife Carrie to watch the game, tweeted: “Tonight @England played their hearts out.
“What a fantastic performance from Gareth Southgate’s squad.
“Now to the final. Let’s bring it home”.
The Duke of Cambridge was present at Wembley to watch England’s historic victory. as was prime minister, Boris Johnson.
A tweet from his official account with the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, read: “What a game, what a result! A huge team effort @England.”
Prince William then added in a sign off to his tweet: “The whole country will be behind you on Sunday #ItsComingHome”
The petition, published on the government’s official website, reads: “England may be playing a European Championship Final at 8pm on Sunday 11th July.
“It would be beneficial and sensible to give the country the day off the next day if England win, in the form of an extra Bank Holiday Monday.”
Lee Jones started the petition which boasts over 105,000 hopeful signatures as of 1:30pm on July 8.
Some are said to think a national holiday is the best idea due to the prospect of not much work being done on Monday.
Parliament’s website states regarding Bank Holidays: “By convention, the Queen acts on the advice of ministers.
“The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the government department responsible for Bank Holidays.”
The petition adds: “Sunday 8pm is a difficult time for families to plan to be together for the event – knowing we have an additional day off the next day would significantly help this. Furthermore, a historic win should be celebrated.
“It would be expected for the winning team to parade the trophy, and a Bank Holiday would be a perfect time to do this.
“Also, English people would naturally want to continue to enjoy the win, giving the retail and leisure industry a much-needed opportunity to make up lost revenues.”
The chances
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