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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Gemma Jones

Calls grow for permanent Bank Holiday in lasting tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

People across Britain are calling for the UK to have an extra Bank Holiday every year in tribute to the Queen.

Her Majesty died aged 96 on September 8. Her funeral is due to take place on Monday, September 19 - a day which her son - King, Charles III - has declared as a one-off Bank Holiday to allow the nation to mourn.

Now, a campaign has been launched calling for a permanent Bank Holiday to be introduced in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. Tens of thousands of people have signed to say they think the day the Queen died (September 8) should become an annual Bank Holiday as a lasting tribute to Britain's longest reigning monarch.

READ MORE: The day Queen Elizabeth II died as it unfolded

John Harris, who started the petition on change.org, wrote: "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 added in how the UK get considerably less Bank Holidays than other countries in Europe. John said: "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."

This year also saw another Bank Holiday back in June. This was to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and celebrate 75 years of her on the throne.

At the time of writing, 131,079 have signed the petition for an additional day off. The creator is aiming for 150,000 signatures.

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