Sir Keir Starmer says England should ‘certainly mark the occasion’ if Three Lions win on Sunday amid calls for extra bank holiday – after PM’s 2023 tweet resurfaced calling for day off if Lionesses won World Cup

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to commit to a last-minute bank holiday next Monday but said the UK should ‘certainly mark the occasion’ if England win Euro 2024.

The Prime Minister appeared to suggest he would not confirm an extra day off as he said did not want to ‘jinx anything’ by pre-empting the result of Sunday’s final.

Sir Geoff Hurst had joined England fans and the Liberal Democrats in calling for the bank holiday – as a tweet from Sir Keir resurfaced, suggesting he could be in favour.

The 2-1 victory for the Three Lions over the Netherlands last night means they now have the chance to become European champions for the first time on Sunday.

And some supporters are insisting the nation should be given the day off to celebrate if England are victorious in the Berlin showpiece against favourites Spain.

Sir Geoff, who scored a hat-trick when England won the 1966 World Cup, has launched a Change.org campaign urging King Charles III to grant a bank holiday.

And some fans have cited a tweet by Sir Keir last August when he called for a ‘celebratory bank holiday’ if the Lionesses had won the Women’s World Cup.

The Conservative government at the time was opposed to the idea, and in any event England’s women lost 1-0 to Spain in the final of that tournament in Sydney.

The Prime Minister, who watched some of last night’s semi-final while attending a Nato summit in Washington DC, has confirmed he will be at Sunday’s final.

And asked today whether he would back a bank holiday if Gareth Southgate’s team is victorious, the Prime Minister told broadcasters in the city: ‘We should certainly mark the occasion, I don’t want to jinx it. I went to the last Euros final, I don’t want to go through that again.

‘I don’t want to jinx anything but we must mark it in some way. But the most important thing is getting it over the line on Sunday.’

Sir Keir, an Arsenal supporter who regularly plays five-a-side football, said England’s win last night was ‘fantastic’. He was seen watching Harry Kane score England’s equaliser in the match, in a room with his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof.

The Prime Minister got out of his seat as the spot-kick was drilled home, then shook hands with Mr Schoof.

Sir Keir Starmer was seen watching Harry Kane score England’s equaliser in the match, in a room in Washington DC with his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof. The Prime Minister got out of his seat as the spot-kick was drilled home, then shook hands with Mr Schoof

‘I managed to pop out from one of my sessions for just five minutes which is when I saw Harry Kane get the first goal,’ he told broadcasters. ‘I missed the second one but it was brilliant. 

‘So on we go now, great chance. I’ve always said this team were going to go all the way so I’m really, really pleased and just good luck for Sunday.’ 

And Sir Keir said it looked like football was ‘coming home’ when asked about the result during an Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden.

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.

But there has been no official confirmation from the new Government on whether there will be a last-minute bank holiday on Monday should England be successful.

Sir Geoff launched his campaign for a bank holiday today in association with Budweiser, and addressed a letter to the King saying: ‘England are on the verge of making history.

‘As the last surviving member of the ’66 starting XI, I can’t tell you how incredible it would be to see England win again. But this moment isn’t just about the team. It’s about England fans across the nation.’

He added: ‘Should England win, I respectfully ask Your Majesty to grant this Bank Holiday on Monday, July 15. Let’s give every fan across this great nation the chance to properly toast the champions of Europe.’

Among those also backing the calls today was Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who 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 in the event of a sporting win, having made similar calls last year when England Women reached the World Cup final. 

Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, told MailOnline: ‘If the England Men’s team win a major tournament for the first time since 1966, workers definitely deserve a day off on Monday to celebrate.

‘In burnout Britain, we love our bank holidays. If we beat Spain, The Government should make Monday a bank holiday so we can all celebrate together what would be an historic victory.’

Sir Keir has previously backed calls for a bank holiday following an England football tournament victory – although his stance since taking over as Prime Minister last Friday is not yet known.

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. 

In the tweet posted on August 16 last year, Sir Keir wrote: ‘It’s almost 60 years since England won the World Cup. I’m never complacent about anything…but there should be a celebratory bank holiday if the Lionesses bring it home.’

But a Government spokesman said at the time: ‘We congratulate the Lionesses on their fantastic achievement in getting to the Women’s World Cup final. The current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and there are no plans to change this.’

Bank holidays are created by the monarch acting on government advice under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. The department responsible for bank holidays is the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Estimates of the potential cost of a bank holiday have varied wildly in previous years, with Government modelling putting it at £1.36billion in 2022 when taking into account the impact on business of closures, disruption to production schedules and premium payments to staff working on the bank holiday.

However, experts at PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated the cost at the time to be about £500million lower, at about £831million.

The subject was discussed on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today when a figure of £3billion was mentioned. Former Apprentice candidate Tre Lowe saying: ‘It’s not even a debate. Come on, we haven’t come this close in so long. 

‘The nation needs this, everyone is jubilant. And even if we don’t get it officially, I think half the workforce are not going to turn up anyway. I mean, come on.’

But fellow guest, maths teacher Bobby Seagull said: ‘I’m the most enthusiastic football fan there is, but I’m just consulting and they are saying no, this is a red card to this idea.

‘I tell you why – I’m going to be grinch of economic realism. We’ve just a general election and this government’s run a campaign of ten years of economic renewal, we need growth and productivity. And then the first thing we’re going to do is have a day off where we’re going lose between £1billion and £3billion.

‘And the reality is we can’t afford small businesses to shut down, we’ve got long waiting lists for the NHS and hospitals. I love a bit of football myself, but economics takes precedent.’

Other fans have taken to social media to say a bank holiday should be put in place – with some suggesting many people will not turn up to work anyway if England win.

One told BBC Radio Nottingham last night: ‘No one’s going to work on Monday, we’re all going to get s*** faced.’

And HR expert Paul Holcroft, managing director at Croner, told MailOnline: ‘A question that crops up whenever England makes it to the final of a major competition is whether there will be an extra bank holiday if they win.

‘Nothing has been said officially about this yet, but the answer is probably not. We didn’t get one when the women’s team won Euro 2022 nor was one proposed when the men’s team made it to the final of Euro 2020.

‘However, employers can offer some flexibility if they are able to on Monday morning. There is no obligation to do this, for many it will be business as usual.

‘But if employers do choose to do this it could be good for morale. In a weird twist of fate, there will be an extra bank holiday on Monday in Jersey, but it’s for the royal visit rather than anything to do with the football!’

Another HR expert warned of a ‘tsunami of sick calls, annual leave requests and lateness’ on Monday, the day after the game. An estimated three million workers have booked annual leave or will call in sick that day, according to figures from BrightHR.

Some 1.5million workers are set to have a day’s holiday on Monday, with annual leave requests already up 121 per cent on average and expected to rise significantly in the coming hours, the firm said. Another 1.5million staff are set to call in sick.

Hundreds of thousands more are expected to be late, with 10million set to work from home. 

BrightHR, which monitors attendance across 50,000 UK companies, said sickness absence soared by 232 per cent the day after England’s Euro 2020 final.

Alan Price, chief executive at BrightHR, added: ‘Monday is set to be a day of major disruption for businesses as England faces Spain in the historic Euros final on Sunday.

‘Expect a tsunami of sick calls, annual leave requests and lateness as fans recover from a night of celebration.’

He said that previous Euros and World Cup finals show that workplace absences can double on days after big England matches, adding: ‘Small businesses, in particular, will be hit hard, with staff calling in sick in droves after a late night in the pub.’

Also today, Ronni Zehavi, chief executive of HR firm HiBob, urged employers to let their staff take Monday off following the final.

He said: ‘As England reach the Euro’s final on Sunday, many office workers are calling on employers to let them start late or take the day off on Monday – and perhaps this is an opportunity for employers to flex their culture muscles.

‘If companies want employees who are engaged, loyal and come to work excited, they need to give them the flexibility they want, and trust their them to manage their workload in a way that is best for them.

‘Flexible time management accommodates both one-off events, like celebrating the England versus Spain Euros final, and wider life responsibilities, like being a carer for a loved one.

‘With a summer of sport on the horizon, empowering employees to manage their own time will not only lead to a better work-life balance but will cut the need for HR teams to manage inevitable excuses and requests for time off. Businesses can introduce flexibility and get ahead of the game.’

Back in July 2021, Sir Keir also called for a bank holiday ahead of the Euro 2020 final, which England eventually lost to Italy.

He told the Mirror at the time: ‘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.’

Hower in April this year, he was asked about a bank holiday for St George’s Day and said it would not be possible due to the country’s economic situation.

Sir Keir said at the time: ‘A bank holiday would be very nice but I think that, with the economy where it is at the moment, we have to celebrate in-and-around the work that we’re doing, because we need to absolutely take our country forward.’

MailOnline has contacted the Prime Minister’s spokesman for a comment today.