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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Lizzy Buchan

Boris Johnson rules out bank holiday to celebrate Lionesses historic Euros win

Boris Johnson has refused to grant an extra bank holiday to celebrate England's women's historic Euros victory.

The Prime Minister had faced calls to offer a "day of celebration" from Keir Starmer ahead of the Lionesses' 2-1 triumph over Germany last night.

But the PM's official spokesman said: "We all want to celebrate the Lionesses' win but there are no plans to change the current pattern of public bank holidays."

The Lionesses celebrate winning Euro 2022 (Getty Images)

Mr Johnson faced a public clamour for a bank holiday last year before the Three Lions' Euros journey ended in penalty heartbreak.

The idea of a bank holiday was understood to have been discussed in Government at the time but sources stressed ideas were in the early stages.

Ahead of last year's final, Mr Johnson refused to rule out the idea, saying: “I think that would be tempting fate - lets see.”

Boris Johnson during the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium last year (PA)

Mr Johnson tweeted a picture of himself watching the game at his Chequers retreat with his children last night, raising questions about why he didn't attend the match in person.

The PM went to the men's Euros final at Wembley last year where he was pictured in an England shirt.

Asked if he couldn't be bothered to watch the women's team, the PM's spokesman said: “The Prime Minister did watch the game at home along with 17.4m other people."

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was at Wembley for the Government, joined by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and a string of other politicians.

England's women are not due to go to Downing Street today as the PM is in Northern Ireland to attend the funeral of Lord Trimble.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss cheers on the Lionesses (AFP via Getty Images)

And Mr Johnson is expected to go on holiday for a few days on Wednesday - meaning the Euros winners could miss out on the traditional No10 visit for victorious sports teams.

But the spokesman hinted at support for honours for the victorious Lionesses, saying he would "definitely want them to get the recognition they deserve".

Asked if the Prime Minister will back damehoods for the team following their win, the spokesman said: "The Prime Minister would definitely want to see the team receive the recognition they rightly deserve for their historic victory.

"On honours specifically, there is obviously a process that is a matter for the independent honours committee, but clearly the public want to see (the) Lionesses receive recognition."

No10 also pointed to the Government's funding for the celebration in Trafalgar Square today, where around 7,000 fans were due to greet the Euros champions.

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