Bank Holiday (The Colours of the Union Festival) Bill

A

Bill

to

make a holiday for the purposes of celebrating the Colours of the Union Festival.

Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows —

(1) The Colours of the Union Festival

The Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 is amended as follows:-

(a) In Paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 (bank holidays in England and Wales), after “the second Friday in the month of June”, insert:

“Followed by, “2nd July, unless the 2nd July is a Saturday or Sunday, in which case the day should be moved back to the Friday before the bank holiday weekend.”;”

(b) In Paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 (bank holidays in Scotland), after “the second Friday in the month of June”, insert:

“Followed by, “2nd July, unless the 2nd July is a Saturday or Sunday, in which case the day should be moved back to the Friday before the bank holiday weekend.”;”

(c) In Paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 (bank holidays in Northern Ireland), after “the second Friday in the month of June”, insert:

“Followed by, “2nd July, unless the 2nd July is a Saturday or Sunday, in which case the day should be moved back to the Friday before the bank holiday weekend.”;”

(2) Short Title, Repeals, Extent and Commencement

(a) This Act can be cited as the Bank Holiday (The Colours of the Union Festival) Act.

(b) This Act shall extend to the whole of the United Kingdom.

(1) This Act only comes into effect in Scotland after a Legislative Consent Motion has been passed by the Pàrlamaid na h-Alba

(c) This Act shall commence in the immediate year, after receipt of Royal Assent.

This Bill was authored by the Most Hon. sir_neatington KG KD KP CT GCB OM PC, Secretary of State for Devolved Affairs, as a Bill in the name of the HM Government.

Opening Speech

Madame Speaker,

Section 39 of The Magna Carta of 1215 say, “No free man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by the lawful judgement of his peers and the law of the land.” From then, the Bill of Rights and the Acts of the Union, our nation has progressed a long way. Today, we have a strong working government, a sustainable devolution deal that has made governing more efficient and representative of our people, the sense of Human Rights, Equality and the Rule of Law.

As a nation we have evolved over these years, and it is because of our Union and its willingness to work through the dynamic challenges of our times. Today, as we stand here reflecting on our journey, it is only right that we as a country celebrate some of our most notable achievements, and thus I introduce the Colours of the Union Festival. This festival will serve as a reminder for us and for our future on the importance of this Union and how it got through the hardest challenges, evolved for the future and stands in front of us today.

2nd July 1800 marked a significant turn in our nation’s history, this was when we ratified the Acts of the Union, which for the first time united the Kingdoms of England and Scotland. The Government has thus decided to institute the Colours of the Union Festival on this date as a celebration of the date in which we unite together in pursuit of a greater good.

This day would remind us of the multiple shades of our proud home, our shared yet distinct identities, and the journey of our United Kingdom. This legislation is our way of instituting the festival into law as a Bank holiday, fulfilling one of the key promises of our Government. Let us all join hands and celebrate the great Union of ours. I commend this Bill to the House.

This division will end on 19 September 2023 at 10PM BST.