CALLS FOR A UK-wide bank holiday to mark St. Patrick’s Day have been rejected by the British government on cost grounds.

While the holiday is widely celebrated across the UK, with over 50,000 people attending the parade in London over the weekend, the 17 March is currently only a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.

It is estimated that as many as six million people living in the UK have at least one Irish grandparent – around 10% of the population.

Speaking in Westminster, UK Business Minister Justin Madders acknowledged that extending the bank holiday beyond Northern Ireland would benefit those who celebrate it, but said the overall cost to the economy would be “considerable”.

MPs heard a one-off bank holiday is estimated to cost the UK economy around £2 billion (€2.38 billion).

The minister was responding to a debate on the potential merits of making St Patrick’s Day a UK bank holiday – led by DUP MP Jim Shannon.

Shannon told the House of Commons that he “stands as a very proud unionist who is very happy to say that I hoped everyone enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day, they should have enjoyed it, I always enjoy it”.

The DUP MP said that when they were younger, they “weren’t quite sure” about St. Patrick’s Day as “it seemed to have been taken over by one section of the community”.

“But then I realised that whenever I looked into the issue of St. Patrick I suddenly found out that St. Patrick was very clearly everybody’s,” Shannon said.

“I do not believe we have fully grasped the potential merits in making St Patrick’s Day a totally global phenomenon, not just for cities across the world to enjoy but for people to come and enjoy in each of our four nations.

“The saint who bonds us all could and should be promoted by us all.”

Madders, replying for the UK Government, admitted that an additional bank holiday in England and Wales for St Patrick’s Day would “benefit those who celebrate it”.

“Members of the Irish diaspora in the UK, certain sectors of the economy such as pubs and restaurants might also benefit from increased expenditure on a bank holiday, it is a significant tourism draw to Northern Ireland as well, so I would expect that extending the bank holiday might actually draw more visitors from England and Wales over there,” Madders said.

“However, the overall cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday is considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday is around £2 billion,” the minister added.

Former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn previously proposed to make St. Patrick’s Day a bank holiday in the UK along with the three days celebrating the patron saints of England (St. George) , Scotland (St. Andrew) and Wales (St David).

Suggesting the idea in 2017, Corbyn said the move would bring together the four nations, while giving workers a well-deserved break.

Additional reporting by Andrew Walsh