Britain Backs Bank Holiday for World Cup Glory

Britain would rather have the day off than fret about the morning after. A comfortable majority backed a bank holiday if England win the World Cup, carried by the young while only the over-65s — perhaps still scarred by 1966 — said no.

The verdicts

Should the House of Lords introduce a retirement age of 80 and require peers to attend at least 20% of sitting days? drew the strongest modernising yes of the day, though women split almost down the middle while men backed change nine to one.

Should the UK create a state-owned housebuilder to support construction during market downturns? produced the narrowest result, with the country rejecting Whitehall building homes itself; prime-mortgage-age voters in their mid-thirties and early forties were the most firmly opposed.

Should the government launch a campaign urging Britons to prepare for crises like extreme weather and cyber-attacks? scraped a narrow yes, but only after the young voted nearly unanimously for it and the 35-44s rejected the idea outright.

Should the UK introduce a voluntary overnight social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds? was thrown out by roughly six to one, even among voters who came of age worrying about screen time.

Should the UK government prioritise economic growth and national security in its new space strategy? landed with a thud: four in five voters said yes, with barely a wobble across generations.

Should the UK provide round-the-clock security to all 650 MPs at a cost of up to £100m? was rejected by five to one; even the most sympathetic age group broke against it by nearly two to one, suggesting scepticism was about proportion, not principle.

Should NHS Continuing Healthcare funding be reformed to reduce local council overspend? passed by more than two to one, though the 45-54s — often caught between work and care duties — alone split down the middle.

On energy, Britain was near-unanimous: Should the UK adopt a national strategy to cut business energy costs and boost growth? passed with just one dissenting vote out of fifty, and Should the government move green levies off business electricity bills to cut costs? also won comfortably, with only the 45-54s objecting.

Should the NHS adopt its new Quality Strategy to prioritise patient safety, effectiveness and experience? split the country by gender in an unusual way: men backed it, women voted the other way.

Should the UK create a captive insurance regime with lighter regulation to boost competitiveness? edged through narrowly, with the youngest voters near-unanimous for deregulation while their middle-aged elders split down the middle.

Voting continues tomorrow.

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