Peter Bankes is an English football referee born in Lancashire, England on 18 May 1982. He made his Premier League debut on 31 August 2019. He has been FIFA-listed since 2021. Bankes progressed through the Football League before becoming a regular top-flight and FIFA-listed referee. He is part of the current Premier League officiating pool and is regularly relevant for pre-match analysis, appointment previews and VAR-focused discussion.
In the 2025/26 Premier League season, Bankes has officiated 22 league matches, averaging 22.45 fouls, 0.27 penalties, 3.82 yellow cards and 0.18 red cards per game. Those numbers point to a balanced but firm profile, with a solid middle ground in disciplinary terms. For The VAR Verdict, that statistical snapshot helps readers understand the disciplinary threshold and general tone he has shown this season.