Keir Starmer is planning to announce a bank holiday if England win the World Cup, the Guardian understands, to celebrate the men’s national team finally bringing football home.
The prime minister stopped short of announcing a date, saying he didn’t want to jinx England’s progress towards lifting the famous trophy for the first time since 1966 – but it would most likely be on Friday 24 July.
The date would allow Thomas Tuchel’s victorious team time to return from the final – to be played on Sunday 19 July in New Jersey – and the Football Association a few days to arrange an open-top bus parade through central London.
As England prepare for their quarter-final clash with Norway in Miami on Saturday, their chances of reaching the final are rising. If they beat Norway, England are likely to face Argentina – the current world champions – in the semi-finals. France are the favourites to win the tournament.
Starmer, who would be expected to travel to the United States for the final if England make it, would no longer be in office by the time of the celebrations, leaving it to his expected successor, Andy Burnham, to welcome captain Harry Kane and his teammates to No 10 to mark the occasion.
Asked about the prospect, Starmer said: “On the question of a bank holiday, I think I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final.”
Downing Street insiders indicated that he would announce a day off if England won.
Starmer revealed that he had received multiple requests asking him to approach Fifa – as Donald Trump had done for the US team – to overturn the red card defender Jarell Quansah was given in the match against Mexico, but said that he had declined to do so.
He did, however, intervene through diplomatic channels to oppose Fifa’s plan to bring forward England’s game against Mexico, amid concerns the change would hand the hosts an unfair advantage. The match eventually went ahead at the planned time.
After talks with Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, at the Nato summit in Ankara, Starmer said that while the relationship between the two countries was “as strong as it’s ever been … for 90 minutes on Saturday evening, we’ll have to go our different ways”.
