Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hinted that an England World Cup victory could lead to an extra bank holiday, as the national team prepares for a quarter-final clash against Norway on Saturday, July 11. Speaking to reporters in Ankara during the NATO summit, Starmer praised England's round of 16 win over Mexico as "one of the best England performances I’ve ever seen."
Potential bank holiday date revealed
When asked whether a new bank holiday would be declared if England wins the tournament, Starmer responded: "I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final." The World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19. According to The Guardian, the most likely date for a celebratory bank holiday would be Friday, July 24, allowing the team time to return home and for the Football Association to organize a bus parade through Central London.
Starmer's banter with Norwegian counterpart
At the NATO summit, Starmer was seen exchanging banter with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Starmer remarked: "I’m a good friend of his. The Norway-UK relationship is as strong as it’s ever been, and he’s a key individual in the coalitions that we’ve been building. But for 90 minutes on Saturday evening, we’ll have to go our different ways as we go into that match."
Red card controversy and fan reactions
Starmer also revealed he resisted calls to intervene after England's Jarell Quansah received a red card against Mexico, following reports that Donald Trump persuaded FIFA to suspend a suspension for US player Folarin Balogun. Starmer stated: "I can’t tell you how many messages I’ve had to rescind the red card that we received in the early hours of Monday. I hasten to add, I haven’t attempted to do that."
Thousands of England fans are expected to attend the match in Miami, with some describing the atmosphere as feeling like a home game. Ben Shaw, 33, from Preston, told the Press Association: "It was the best footballing experience of my life - and I don’t think even if we win it here, we’ve said this, if we win it, I don’t think it’ll beat that. That’s how good it was." He added: "If I paid 300 dollars for Mexico, that’s a bargain, because I’d have paid £2,000 for that if I needed to."
Fans optimistic despite tough match ahead
George Crotty, 31, from Manchester, said the Mexico game was "incredible" and "something to remember forever." Asked if anything could top it, he said: "I think maybe if we win it, maybe winning it. Obviously we’ve got to get through the game against Norway first." Tobi Garrett, 22, from Essex, expressed optimism: "It feels different this year. Genuinely, I think that. As much as I love Southgate, I don’t think under Southgate we do what we did against Mexico. It was 25 minutes with 10 men - Dan Burn came on and he’s probably a national hero now."
