Hoping for an extra holiday this year?

Despite a year of momentous milestones - from the Lionesses' Euros win to the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day - the Government has vetoed days off for celebration and commemoration. HARVEY JONES explores what's at play

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MOST OF US enjoy a break from the hustle and bustle of life, yet surprisingly Britons hold very mixed attitudes towards their bank holidays. What should be a welcome extension to the weekend is often considered more stressful than spending Monday at work.

The nation's shared memories revolve around traffic jams on the M6, screaming children in the back seat, jam-packed seaside promenades if the sun shows its face, or sodden trips home if it doesn't. Others stay put, only to end up cursing flatpack furniture or knocking down the wrong wall in a fit of DIY optimism.

Despite all this, calls for new bank holidays come thick and fast. Lately, campaigners have demanded days off for St George's Day, VE Day and, most recently, the Lionesses' victory in the Euros.

There is even an online petition signed by 52,000 people campaigning for Eid to be recognised.

The last permanent extra day off was the spring bank holiday in 1971, created under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act. More recent additions have been fleeting: the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, her funeral that September, and King Charles's Coronation in May 2023.

Each time the nation downed tools, the question of a permanent new bank holiday reared its head again.

In 2022, business leaders urged Boris Johnson to make the jubilee holiday permanent, proposing a "thank holiday" to honour public services and spur post-pandemic recovery. The CBI, UKHospitality, Siemens and even the Campaign for Real Ale signed up. The idea fizzled out, but the appetite remained.

Part of the frustration is how few breaks we get compared with others. Britain once had 33 public holidays, primarily consisting of saints' days and religious festivals. That was slashed to just four in 1834, courtesy of those hardworking Victorians.