The Government is currently running a “pre-consultation” on moving the May Day bank holiday, potentially to October. The idea is that a later bank holiday might help stimulate domestic tourism. Whilst this could be true, the loss of domestic tourism in May would be greater than the gain – just ask any of the big retail companies and trade associations currently lobbying against the move.
Or is this more a move to placate Tory back benchers who’ve long wanted to remove a public holiday with an association to May Day?
It’s surely a bad idea to mess around with a tradition dating back to the middle ages over a political whim.
The Government’s consultation ends on Thursday 9th June. If you want to join us in defending May Day (and calling for an additional bank holiday whilst we’re at it!) please use this online action to add your own submission to the pre-consultation.
