Give workers time off on Monday if England win Euro 2020, says Boris Johnson

A petition calling for an emergency public holiday has attracted almost 250,000 signatures

Boris Johnson has urged employers to consider giving hungover workers time off on Monday if England win the European Championships.

England will play Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday at 8pm — the first time the team has been in the final of a major international tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

The semi-final victory over Denmark on Wednesday night led to wild celebrations, and a Downing Street spokesman responded to calls for an emergency bank holiday, including a parliament website petition with almost a quarter of a million signatures.

Asked if employers needed to be flexible, the spokesman said: “We would want businesses who feel able to consider it, if they can, but we recognise it will vary depending on the business and company.”

On the question of whether there should be an official all-day public holiday, the spokesman said: “The prime minister was asked that and he said it would be tempting fate and he wants to see what happens on Sunday; and I think that is the right approach.”

The petition description says: “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.

“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.”