As the UK prepares to set the clocks back an hour for winter, Labour MP Alex Mayer is advocating for a significant reform of the country’s time system. With the end of British Summer Time (BST) and the transition back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Sunday, people will enjoy brighter mornings but face earlier nightfalls. Mayer, representing Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, suggests that the standard time should shift to keep clocks one hour ahead of GMT during the winter months, and two hours ahead during the spring and summer.
Mayer has reached out to the government with these proposals, which she has dubbed “Churchill Time.” She believes this adjustment could conserve energy and provide a boost to the hospitality industry. “People would appreciate an extra hour of daylight for almost eleven months a year,” Mayer stated, adding that the trade-off would be just a bit more darkness in the mornings during winter.
Historically, the concept of “Churchill Time” isn’t new; it was implemented during both World Wars as an energy-saving measure and was named after Winston Churchill, who championed the idea in WWII. In her letter to the Secretary of State for Business and Skills, Mayer noted how the current climate crisis makes this an opportune moment to reconsider how daylight is utilized, potentially leading to lower energy consumption and expenses for households.
Moreover, she argued that it would allow for extended outdoor time in the evenings during autumn and could revitalize the hospitality and retail sectors. Citing research, Mayer mentioned that road traffic accidents rose by 19% in the weeks following the end of BST, suggesting that lighter evenings could mitigate these risks and lessen the strain on the National Health Service. “During World War II, we maximized daylight hours to conserve crucial energy resources,” she reflected. “Today, we face another crisis, and it’s time to think creatively about how to best use our natural daylight.”
Despite the potential benefits, there are concerns within the community about the effects of prolonged daylight in the evenings on health and sleep patterns.
Daylight saving time has a long history, first adopted in Germany in 1916, followed by the UK during World War I to conserve coal. Various forms of daylight savings have been implemented in the UK over the decades, including British Double Summer Time during the Second World War and the discontinuation of British Summer Time in 1968 for three years.
It’s important to note that any changes to daylight saving time can only be enacted by Parliament.
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