Euro 2020: Boris refuses to rule out surprise bank holiday if England win

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out the prospect of an emergency bank holiday should England win Euro 2020 on Sunday.

The Prime Minister has come under pressure to consider a one-off day off in the event of the Three Lions winning the tournament after defeating Denmark 2-1 at Wembley on Wednesday night.

Asked during a visit to energy company Bulb’s central London headquarters on Thursday about the prospect of a bank holiday if England beat Italy in the final, Mr Johnson said: “I think that would be tempting fate; let’s see what happens.”

Calls to have Monday off have intensified, with more than 100,000 signatures on a petition hosted on the Parliament website.

It reads: “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.”

Downing Street has said it will set out any celebrations such as a victory parade for the England team “in due course”.