Downing Street pours cold water on prospect of ‘thank holiday’ for Queen

Platinum Jubilee celebration is ‘unique’, says Boris Johnson’s spokesperson

(PA)

Downing Street has poured cold water on the prospect of an annual bank holiday to honour the Queen, saying that this year’s Platinum Jubilee celebration is a “unique” event.

There were media reports this morning that Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, as well as chancellor Rishi Sunak, are supportive of the idea of a yearly “Thank Holiday” to recognise both the Queen’s service and the sacrifices made by Britons who stepped up to serve their communities during the pandemic.

But Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson today stressed that this year’s extra bank holiday on 3 June - creating a four-day weekend along with the moved May break to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne - was a one-off.

While not ruling out the possibility that additional bank holidays might be discussed by ministers, he said that they would always consider the fact that each extra day off is believed to cost the UK economy £2bn in lost productivity as businesses around the country close their doors for an additional 24 hours .

He told reporters: “The Jubilee is a unique national celebration to mark the Queen's remarkable, dedicated and continued service to the UK and Commonwealth. That's why, to mark this special occasion, the spring bank holiday is moved.

“Equally we recognise that each bank holiday presents a considerable and significant cost to our economy and therefore proposals would have to be considered carefully on that basis.

“We think this is a unique national celebration... and we are confident the public will come together to mark this significant moment.

“But we should recognise the impact it has on the wider economy. Our impact assessment estimates a cost of around £2bn.

“I'm not aware of any plans to make it permanent. But obviously we keep the cost of these things under review.”