St David’s Day should be a public holiday

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called upon the UK Government to give the Senedd the power to legislate for Saint David’s Day to become a public holiday in Wales.

St David’s Day is currently only a patron saint day and does not have any legal standing. Meanwhile, in Scotland and Ireland St Andrew’s Day and St Patrick’s Day respectively are already public holidays.

In the House of Commons on Thursday Wendy Chamberlain, Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife and Party Spokesperson for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, raised this disparity and called on the UK Government to give the Welsh Government the power to make St David’s Day a public holiday.

Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said:

St David’s Day is the day we all come together to celebrate the huge tapestry of Welsh culture and remember our collective history.

It is only right therefore that St David’s Day, Wales' national day, is made a public holiday just like St Andrew’s Day in Scotland and St Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

The UK Government needs to give the Senedd the power to legislate for this to happen, so we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to celebrate who we are and our unique culture which unites us.

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