Calls for permanent Bank Holiday to honour the Queen
A petition has been launched calling for 8 September to be a permanent Bank Holiday in the UK to honour the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Her Majesty The Queen died on 8 September at her home in Balmoral, Scotland after over 70 years on the throne.
The petition, which was launched by John Harris on Change.org, has over 126,000 signatures at the time of writing and is rising rapidly.
John describes the monarch as an 'inspirational woman' before laying out the reasons why the UK should have a permanent Bank Holiday.
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His petition description read: "Queen Elizabeth II is our longest reigning Monarch, and arguably the Nations, and the World’s most popular ever Monarch.
"In the words of President Macron, “to you, she was your Queen, to us, she was THE Queen…The most constant symbol of Great Britain. She was indeed, an inspirational woman."
He continued: "Britain has fewer bank holidays than most European countries; France has 11 compared with our 8, Spain has 14.
"I believe we need a new public bank holiday to mark our greatest Sovereign’s lifetime; a Queen Elizabeth Day.
"A day for our Nation to come together and celebrate both the life of the Queen, and our gratitude for the institution of our Royal Family."
Supporters of the petition have been reacting to calls for the permanent Bank Holiday in memory of the Queen, with one supporter saying: "After serving for 70 years this outstanding service needs to be marked.
"If we can celebrate the 5th November for a negative reason why not the 8th Sept for a positive reason?"
A second added: "The Queen gave her life to the country, 70 years of commitment - she was the countries rock and an iconic historical figure. She deserves a national bank holiday in her memory."
While a third said: "Queen Elizabeth II was an inspirational and phenomenal person. She deserves to be celebrated every year with a holiday in her name."
The initial target for the petition was 25,000 signatures, however, that was smashed very quickly.
John has now set the target to 150,000 signatures and will hope to make it in the coming days.
If the target is reached, which it likely will with its current traction, it will become one of the most signed petitions on Charge.org.
This year has already seen additional Bank Holidays compared to usual as we celebrated the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June.
The petition for a permanent Bank Holiday in honour of the Queen can be viewed here.
Topics: Royal Family, The Queen, UK News
Callum Jones