Support grows for annual Elizabeth Day

CALLS are growing for an annual bank holiday to celebrate the memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

Campaigners, historians and MPs have added their support alongside a 140,000-strong petition. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has lobbied Downing Street, declaring it a ‘brilliant idea’, and plans to rally cross-party support when Parliament resumes this week. Historian and broadcaster Dan Snow backed the campaign, saying: ‘We haven’t always been great as a country at celebrating what binds us together. This is a moment to change that and create a day that will represent the principles of togetherness and service that Her Majesty personified.’