My campaign for St George’s Day to be better acknowledged took a significant step this year when I joined the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle in raising the cross of St George outside Parliament for the very first time.

A truly historic day!

We now must go further and make St George’s Day, on April 23, a public holiday. The reason is simple: the people of England deserve a day to feel proud!

So many other countries in the world have their special day to celebrate, so why not England?

I and many others, whether Irish or not, passionately celebrate St Patrick’s Day every year as a mark of respect for our friendship with our cousins from Ireland.

It is not right that we fail to celebrate St George’s Day with the same degree of fervour as we do on St Patrick’s Day.

Romford Recorder: Romford MP Andrew Rosindell is fighting for residents living in properties with dangerous claddingRomford MP Andrew Rosindell is fighting for residents living in properties with dangerous cladding (Image: Parliament)

It is always fantastic to see the patriotism and love of England sweep across the land during great sporting events, when the St George’s cross can be seen all over, as I’m sure it will be during this year’s European Football Championships. Why must it only be so when the football is on?

Patriotism is the best approach to achieving social cohesion across an increasingly diverse nation.

The next step in doing this is to make the St George’s Day 2022 the first of a yearly public holiday!