As millions of Scots enjoy World Cup Bank Holiday after beating Haiti... Keir Starmer refuses to say if England fans will get a day off for early hours kick-offs

By AIDAN RADNEDGE, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:38, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 12:42, 15 June 2026 Scottish fans are celebrating a first World Cup tournament win for 36 years - and a bonus Bank Holiday to go with it - but Sir Keir Starmer has demurred on whether England supporters could get to do the same. The Prime Minister has travelled to France today for a three-day G7 summit and intends to return in time for the Three Lions' opener against Croatia on Wednesday. Sir Keir, an Arsenal season ticket-holder, said he would be 'glued' to the game after arriving home just in time - 'just by accident', he joked. But he has downplayed the prospect of days off for fellow England fans following early-hours kick-offs at the tournament co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. Scotland defeated Haiti early on Sunday morning, thanks to a single goal by Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn. The country's First Minister John Swinney granted today as an extra Bank Holiday - with King Charles giving his approval to the proposal earlier this year. Videos of the Tartan Army belting out Yes Sir, I Can Boogie by Spanish duo Baccara have been widely shared on social media as celebrations continue. The song, released in 1977, became the unofficial anthem of Scotland after a video of players dancing to the tune went viral when the side qualified for the Euros in 2020. Scotland fans celebrated beating Haiti 1-0 in their opening 2026 World Cup match - including these seen tuning in at the Hydro in Glasgow The victory has been followed up by a bonus Bank Holiday off work for those in Scotland Prime Minister SIr Keir Starmer has not committed to similar days off for England ahead Yet while England fan Sir Keir has voiced his optimism ahead of manager Thomas Tuchel and his team kicking off, the idea of similar time off remains uncertain. When asked today whether England could also enjoy a Bank Holiday if the Three Lions have kick-offs in the early hours later in the tournament, Sir Keir said: 'Look, we don't want to jinx the outcome.' Ahead of England's first match on Wednesday in Dallas against Croatia whose star players include ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, the PM added: 'I shall be glued to it.' Sir Keir is travelling to France later on Monday for the three-day G7 summit, but he revealed he would be 'getting back just in time for kick off on Wednesday - just by accident!' Scotland's triumph over Haiti in Boston on Sunday was the country's first World Cup finals win since defeating Sweden 2-1 at Italia 90. The Tartan Army, managed by Steve Clarke, last competed at a World Cup in France in 1998 - in a group alongside Brazil, their opponents again this summer. They have never yet made it through to the knock-out stages at World Cups or European Championships.  Scotland's upcoming encounter with Morocco is due to kick off this Friday at 11pm British time, followed by the Brazil clash at the same time on Wednesday next week. England's game against Croatia is at 9pm this Wednesday, before the side captained by Harry Kane take on Ghana at the same time next Tuesday and then Panama at 10pm a week on Saturday. Critics have branded Mr Swinney's bonus bank holiday today an expensive shambles that could cost taxpayers £64million.  The First Minister - who skipped parliamentary duties to fly to the US to cheer on Scotland - asked King Charles for special permission for the holiday to mark Scotland’s first appearance at the tournament for 28 years. The move was branded a pre-election ‘bribe’ by opponents as he made the request just months before May’s Holyrood election. Analysis by the Scottish Mail on Sunday revealed only about 250,000 Scots have been able to take the day off. Just five local authorities – Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Dundee, Aberdeen and South Lanarkshire – will honour the holiday, costing an estimated £1.5million.  Schools in those areas are to shut for the day and services are expected to be reduced, leaving parents to find childcare or use holidays themselves. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland have refused to honour the day, citing unaffordable costs and a negative impact on their ability to provide services. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: ‘We want to make the most of Scotland’s participation in the World Cup by ensuring people have the opportunity to come together and celebrate around the country.’ Meanwhile, Tuchel's England set-up arrived in the Midwest on Saturday lunchtime after a day and a half off in Florida and held a community training session at their Swope Soccer Village base in blazing sunshine at 5pm local time (11pm BST). Scotland midfielder John McGinn scored the only goal in their 1-0 victory over Haiti on Sunday But a heavy storm moved in during the early evening and thousands of people in the local area, including the England camp, received an emergency alert on their phones, warning them to take shelter. They took the advice by staying inside their Inn at Meadowbrook hotel in Prairie Village. The alerts on the phone read: 'Critical. Imminent Threat Alert. 'National Weather Service: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING in effect for this area until 9:00 PM CDT for DESTRUCTIVE 80 mph winds. 'Take shelter in a sturdy building, away from windows. Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter. 'For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.' The area where England are staying escaped a tornado, but was hit by a heavy storm consisting of high winds, thunder, lightning and heavy rain. Warnings were heard blaring out in downtown Kansas City, urging people to go indoors. Local TV stations interrupted coverage of Scotland's World Cup clash with Haiti and the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs for minute-by-minute tracking of the storm. England's pre-tournament camp in Florida was littered with weather issues, including their final warm-up friendly against Costa Rica being delayed by an hour after a thunderstorm, but nothing as severe as a tornado. The warning saw Kansas City's fan festival shut early for safety reasons. A statement from organisers read: 'Due to anticipated severe weather, FIFA fan festival will be closing early at 5pm and will not reopen today. 'The safety of the public, staff, volunteers and entertainers remains our top priority.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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