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Researchers found 73 percent of the population want an annual national holiday to commemorate the late monarch, with just eight percent opposed to this.

Researchers found 73 per cent of the population want an annual national holiday to commemorate the late monarch, with just eight per cent opposed to this.

And if there was to be an Elizabeth Day, 69 percent of those polled favour a new bank holiday being created, 14 percent said it should replace an existing bank holiday, with six percent saying it should fall on a Saturday or Sunday.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel has endorsed the idea of a day to celebrate the Queen, saying: “An annual national holiday would be a fitting tribute to the lifetime of public service of our late, great Queen Elizabeth II.”

“She was a remarkable monarch whose commitment to duty and to serving our country and the Commonwealth was inspirational.”

“The way the country and world has mourned her passing has shown how much we admired and respected her.”

“I am not surprised that there is so much support for an annual day to commemorate and celebrate her life and I back this happening.”

Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden has backed calls for a “thank holiday” on which people can show appreciation for those who enrich their communities.

She said: “The Queen brought our country together like nothing else. There can be no better legacy than a day named in Her Majesty’s honour continuing to connect people for years to come.:

“That’s why businesses, politician and the public are united in supporting it. It’s time to make it happen.”

Brendan Cox, the husband of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox who founded the Together Coalition, has been at the forefront of the campaign for a new bank holiday to mark the Queen’s legacy.

He said: “The message from this poll couldn’t be clearer. The British public are united in their desire to honour Her Majesty and to continue her legacy of bringing people together.”

“Politicians often talk about the need to bring our country together. This is a policy that would do just that and now is the time to make it happen.”

Tim Loughton, a former children’s minister, said a national day would be, “the least we can do to commemorate her extraordinary example of unparalleled service and Britishness in this way”.

Calls for a permanent statue of the Queen to be erected on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square are also building momentum.

Former security minister Sir John Hayes, who leads the “common sense” group of MPs, has written to Prime Minister Liz Truss appealing for her support.

He wrote: “Surely there is no more fitting place to permanently celebrate the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II than Trafalgar Square, on the empty fourth plinth, at the heart of the capital.”

“The Government’s sponsorship and support of a national appeal would give all those who support this project the opportunity to contribute.”

The polling by Redfield and Wilton Strategies showed 60 percent of people think King Charles III will be a good king – with only 16 percent disagreeing with this.

It also revealed the strength of public backing for the new heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Kate.

Seven out of 10 people have a favourable view of the Prince of Wales (72 percent) and the Princess of Wales (71 percent).

This puts them ahead of King Charles (55 percent), Prince Harry (51 percent) and Camilla, the Queen Consort (40 percent).

There was also support for renaming Heathrow in honour of the Queen. This was backed by nearly half of people quizzed (47 percent), with only 30 percent opposed.

A separate poll by Techne found 79 percent back a bank holiday in the Queen’s honour.

Welsh Conservative MP James Davies, who represents the Vale of Clwyd, said the national day would help bring the country together.

He said: “An annual ‘Elizabeth Day’ – whether a new or repurposed bank holiday – would not only celebrate a remarkable lady but help bring the people of the United Kingdom together, in the same way that the Jubilee celebrations and recent national mourning period have done.

“Her late Majesty was loved by the people and she loved this country back. She represented much that we understand modern Britain to be and it would be a fitting tribute to her to set aside a day to remind ourselves that more unites us than divides us.”

Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills of the British Monarchists Society was encouraged by the polling, saying: “The fact that there is overwhelming support to celebrate Her Late Majesty with a national day of celebration, continues to prove that the heart of this nation is very much one that is monarchist to the core.”

He backed the idea of a day to celebrate “Elizabeth the Great” and recommended it takes place on an existing bank holiday.

“Her Late Majesty would not want such a fuss of a new bank holiday being created, nor would she want any such celebration to be any form of a burden on the nation.”

“This is why it would be best to already use what we have in regard to existing bank holidays and assign one in particular to celebrate the modest woman Elizabeth II was,” he said.

Conservative Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti also backed Elizabeth Day, saying: “She taught us what it really means to keep calm and carry on. Her Majesty dedicated her life to public service and to have a day that recognises that would be fitting.”

Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, supported the calls for a statue of the Queen in Trafalgar Square.

She said: “I think a statue in central London would be a fitting tribute to our late Queen. Obviously the fourth plinth would be a perfect place but it would have to be with the agreement of the King and the Royal Family.”

A Government spokeswoman said: “Earlier this month we announced the state funeral would be a bank holiday to help give as many people as possible the opportunity to mark Her Majesty’s passing and commemorate her reign.”

“The state funeral was a unique national moment and there are currently no plans for an annual holiday.” 

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