This petition was submitted during the 2015–2017 Conservative government
Petition The 23 June should be designated as Independence Day, and celebrated annually.
If we leave the EU, the UK will be an independent country for the first time since 1974
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Parliament debated this topic
This topic was debated on 17 October 2016
Government responded
This response was given on 14 July 2016
There are no current plans to create another public holiday. Whilst an additional bank holiday may benefit some sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable.
Read the response in full
Over the years there have been various suggestions from the public for new bank holidays, such as a new national day to promote a British identity to reflect the different histories and traditions which vary from country to country. The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to celebrate a variety of occasions. However, there are no current plans to create another permanent public holiday. The current pattern is well established and accepted. Whilst an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable.
The most recent assessment following an Impact Assessment (IA) for the additional holiday for the Diamond Jubilee is that a bank holiday (across the UK as a whole) costs employers around £1.2bn.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Related activity
MPs to debate e-petitions on the UK's exit from the EU
The Petitions Committee has scheduled a debate on six petitions relating to the UK's exit from the European Union, including this one.
The debate will take place on Monday 17 October at 4.30pm in Westminster Hall.
You can watch the debate live on Parliament TV: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Commons
The six petitions that will be debated are:
E-petition 133618: "Invoke article 50 of the Lisbon treaty immediately"
E-petition 125333: "Repeal the 1972 European Communities Act immediately on EU referendum out vote"
E-petition 123324: "The 23 June should be designated as Independence Day, and celebrated annually."
E-petition 154593: "Not to allow freedom of movement as part of any deal with the EU after Brexit"
E-petition 133767: "Ask the Government not to invoke article 50 of the Lisbon treaty"
E-petition 133540: "Let Parliament decide whether or not we remain a member of the European Union"
What will happen?
Paul Scully MP, a Member of the Petitions Committee will open the debate. Other MPs will then take part.
MPs can discuss one or more of the six petitions and, if they wish, ask questions about the government's position on the issue or press the government to take action. A government minister will respond to the points raised at the end of the debate.
Petition debates in Westminster Hall cannot directly change the law or result in a vote to implement the request of a petition. They are a way to help raise the profile of a campaign and could influence decision-making in Government and Parliament.
Other recent work related to your petition in Parliament:
You may also be interested to know that on Wednesday 12 October, MPs debated Parliamentary scrutiny of leaving the EU.
You can watch the debate on Parliament TV: http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/9da7b790-789f-46f3-8fbd-b0cc29e949fb?in=12:56:50
You can read the debate on the Hansard website:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2016-10-12/debates/F327EC64-3777-4D40-A98D-BEC2E11763A2/ParliamentaryScrutinyOfLeavingTheEU?utm_source=petitions
Who are we?
We are a group of cross-party MPs called the Petitions Committee. We are independent from Government. You can find out more about us on our website: http://www.parliament.uk/petitions-committee/role
You can follow us on Twitter: @HoCpetitions