Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / UK
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

Wednesday, 26 December 2007, 20:02 GMT

MPs 'back new bank holiday plan'

A beach in Newquay More than 50% of MPs support the introduction of a new public holiday, a survey has suggested.

Britons currently enjoy eight bank holidays compared with 11 in France, 15 in Germany and 16 in Spain. Slovenia is top in Europe with 18 days.

Figures showed 85% of Scottish MPs want an extra bank holiday compared with 54% of English MPs and 51% of Welsh MPs.

The study for tour company Thomas Cook, which is giving its employees an extra day off, surveyed more than 150 MPs.

Furthermore, the holiday company has started a petition in a bid to put more pressure on the government to approve an extra bank holiday.

'Unbelievable'

Thomas Cook's executive director of marketing, Simon Carter, said: "We're calling on the government to seriously look at the number of bank holidays that Brits have.

HAVE YOUR SAY
"I'm not sure that we have enough James Bond movies to cover another Bank Holiday "
Rupert Rigsby, UK

Send us your comments

"At the moment it's unbelievable that Brits sit almost at the bottom of the European bank holiday league with only eight days off a year."

In August 2007, a political think tank urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown to create a new bank holiday in November to thank community heroes.

However, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has previously warned of the costs that may be caused by introducing another bank holiday.

Britain is almost unique in Europe in having no bank holidays between the summer and Christmas, although MSPs last year voted to make St Andrew's Day in November a day of national celebration in Scotland, with firms legally allowed to close for a voluntary public holiday.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Call for new 'hero' bank holiday (26 Aug 07 |  UK )
Workers given bank holiday boost (12 Jun 07 |  Business )
UK workers 'get least paid leave' (13 Aug 07 |  UK Politics )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Thomas Cook
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©