Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it her policy to make 12 July 2027 a public holiday to mark the 1100th anniversary of the unification of England under King Athelstan.

The current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established and the Government has no plans to create a one-off bank holiday to mark the 1100^th anniversary of the unification of England under King Athelstan.

While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy is considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2 billion.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has recently funded two projects that explore Athelstan and his history in Kingston and Malmesbury.