In an update issued on Thursday, April 23, the government confirmed it has 'no plans' to alter the status of St George's Day, according to a government spokesperson. ' This stance aligns with recent political opposition. ' Similarly, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined to commit to the proposal that year.
The government told the Express that the cost of a one-off extra Bank Holiday, such as the one created for the King’s Coronation in 2023, would be around £2 billion for the UK, though specific economic factors behind this estimate remain unclear. Campaigners have long pushed for the change, citing historical context. In 2017, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested the UK should get four new bank holidays, one for each patron saint of the four constituent nations.
A bank holiday would be very nice but I think that, with the economy where it is at the moment, we have to celebrate in-and-around the work that we're doing, because we need to absolutely take our country forward. What I want to do, if we're privileged enough to come into government, is to have a government of service to the country and have a decade of national renewal - and that would fulfil St George's Day's promise.
Advocates argue that the UK has fewer Bank Holidays per year than other major industrialised nations, with the average across European Union countries being 11. It is unknown how many active campaigns exist or what level of public support they have, and whether any parliamentary debates are ongoing regarding new Bank Holidays.
While we are proud to celebrate all of our patron saints, the current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established, and we have no plans to change it.