Downing Street rules out extra bank holiday for England reaching Euro 2020 final

A petition that sought to make 12 July a bank holiday received more than 360,000 signatures

Downing street said a bank holiday is not being considered (EPA)

Downing Street has dismissed the idea of a bank holiday to celebrate England reaching the Euro 2020 final.

In a statement, Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “We’ll be talking to the FA to identify a suitable way for the prime minister to thank the players and coaching staff for their efforts.”

“But a bank holiday is not something that is being considered,” the spokesperson said.

There had been some speculation ahead of Sunday’s final between England and Italy over whether Mr Johnson would make the day after the match a bank holiday.

A petition launched ahead of Sunday’s game by football fan Lee Jones had urged the Government to make 12 July a holiday if England had won the Euro 2020, with the bid receiving more than 360,000 signatures.

The petition’s statement had read, “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,” it had said.

“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 government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures.

Of course, England was ultimately unsuccessful in its bid to claim victory at the Euro 2020 final.

Italy, however, won its first European championship since 1968 in a penalty shootout victory in the Sunday match.