The Government is facing renewed calls to make VE Day a Bank Holiday after announcing pubs could stay open later on its 80th anniversary. The momentous occasion falls on May 8 and marks the official surrender of all German military operations on the same day in 1945.

This year, the commemorations will begin on May 5—the existing Early May Bank holiday—with a military procession from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace and an RAF flypast over London. On the day itself, there will be a service in Westminster Abbey to which 1,800 people, including veterans, politicians, and royals, have been invited. Despite the day's importance in marking and remembering such a momentous historical event, it has not yet been declared a Bank Holiday.

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Sir Keir Starmer announced that pubs would be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours on VE Day, though stopped short of marking it as a Bank Holiday.

The Prime Minister said: "As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the whole country should come together to remember the incredible sacrifices made by the wartime generation and to celebrate the peace and freedom they secured for us all. Keeping our pubs open for longer will give people the opportunity to join in celebrations and raise a glass to all of the men and women who served their country, both overseas and at home."

This means venues that normally close at 11pm can now stay open until 1am.

There was hope earlier this year that the Government would make VE Day a bank holiday, but the rumours were put to rest by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.

He said at the time: “Obviously, the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ will be moments of huge significance for our country, where we will come together to honour the memory of those who served, the legacy left behind and what we owe them.

"We are committed to commemorating these nationally important occasions appropriately, which is why we have announced more than £10 million for events to mark them. We’ll set out more detail on that shortly.

"These plans do not include an additional bank holiday, but we will look to use the existing early May Bank Holiday for commemorative events."