Calls for extra bank holiday if England win the Euros

The England men’s football team will face Spain in the Euros final on Sunday.

England fans celebrate the win over the Netherlands n the stands after the Euro 2024 semi-final in Dortmund, Germany (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

Calls have begun for an extra bank holiday if England wins Euro 2024.

The call by the Liberal Democrats comes ahead of Sunday’s final between Gareth Southgate’s team and Spain, after England claimed a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to attend the match in Berlin, after watching Wednesday’s semi-final from the Nato summit in Washington DC.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The Three Lions are playing their first ever final on foreign soil, and if they bring it home, the Government should bring home a bank holiday to celebrate.

“England deserves the chance to celebrate a once-in-a-generation event.

“Who knows, we might even get decent weather.”

It is not the first time the Lib Dems have called for a temporary bank holiday.

The party led similar calls last year when the England women’s team made it to the final of the World Cup, where their hopes of victory were dashed by a 1-0 win for Spain.

As opposition leader, Sir Keir agreed with calls for an extra bank holiday in the event of the Lionesses winning.

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.

The King’s coronation in May 2023 was also a bank holiday.