PM Will Consider Extra Bank Holiday

Speaking on GMTV ,Prime Minister Gordon Brown today said he would look at ideas for an extra bank holiday.This comes after the programmes presenters launched a week-long debate about whether Britain should have a new national holiday.

All week presenters will propose different days for the national holiday. John Stapleton will suggest a Beatles Day on February 9, the day the band first played at the Cavern Club. Andrew Castle will call for a Diana Day on the Monday closest to the late Princess of Wales's birthday on July 1.Other proposed dates include April 23, which is St George's Day and Shakespeare's birthday, and July 5, the anniversary of the birth of the NHS.

Fiona Phillips had argued for a British Forces Day on the Monday closest to Armistice Day.
Mr Brown said: "I liked your British Day and I think remembering Remembrance Sunday in some way, and the contribution of the armed forces - I think that would be a really good thing to do, so let's look at it."

In a similar move travel agents Thomas Cook have launched their own campaign for an extra bank holiday last week. Manny Fontenla-Novoa, CEO of Thomas Cook, said it had "captured the public's imagination...In just over one week 100,000 Brits have already signed our petition for an extra Bank Holiday and we believe we will reach 250,000 by the end of next week alone...We're really pleased to see the Prime Minister today taking note of the growing public demand for a new bank holiday and hope that our campaign will create the momentum to make this happen."

The UK currently has eight bank holidays which lags behind some of its European counterparts, for instance Italy as 16.