Sir Keir Starmer has all-but confirmed that England will receive an extra bank holiday if Thomas Tuchel's side wins the World Cup, with the day off coinciding with the first days of Andy Burnham's premiership. The outgoing Labour Prime Minister announced the bonus bank holiday during a Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, stating that the nation would get an extra day off if the team brings football home.
Bank Holiday Date and Victory Parade
Number 10 Downing Street is understood to be planning for a bank holiday on Friday July 24, tied to a victory parade in central London. Tuchel's squad aims to end 60 years of hurt by winning the final in New York on Sunday July 19. Asked if he would green-light a bank holiday, Sir Keir said: “I don’t want to jinx it… but ask me again if we get to the final.”
Starmer Praises England Performance
Speaking at the Nato summit, the PM hailed England’s win over Mexico as “one of the best England performances I’ve ever seen.” Ahead of the quarter-final, Sir Keir also joked that his friendship with Norway’s PM Jonas Gahr Støre would be put on ice for 90 minutes. He said: “I said to Jonas, the Prime Minister of Norway, we’re very strategically aligned. I’m good friends of his. The Norway-UK relationship is as strong as it’s ever been, and he’s a key individual in the coalitions that we’ve been building. But for 90 minutes on Saturday evening, we’ll have to go our different ways as we go into that match, and let’s see what happens if we get there.”
Burnham's First Day as PM
Andy Burnham’s expected first day is likely to be on Monday July 20. The Prime Minister-in-waiting is due to formally take over from Sir Keir that day. The new MP for Makerfield is widely expected to take over after going unchallenged in the leadership contest. The extra bank holiday would mark a celebratory start to his premiership, with the nation potentially enjoying a four-day weekend if the football team succeeds.
