EU politicians will this week vote on whether to scrap British Summer Time – in a move which could remain in effect even after Brexit.
The proposed rule change would end the ritual of moving clocks forward by an hour in March and back again in October – which happens all over Europe on the same day.
It is being debated by MEPs after an ‘impact assessment’ indicated ‘the existence of negative effects on human health, agriculture and road traffic safety’.
EU politicians will this week vote on whether to scrap British Summer Time – in a move which could remain in effect even after Brexit
Although the Government would be able to block the move through the European Council up until the moment of Brexit in March 2019, ‘Berlin Time’ could theoretically be imposed on the UK during the following transition period if the negotiated terms for that period oblige us to accept Brussels rules with no power to veto.
And even post-transition, it would leave the UK having to decide whether to scrap the biannual clock change anyway – in order to keep the same hour’s time difference with the rest of Europe – in effect, Greenwich Mean Time all year round.
Otherwise, for six months each year, London would find itself on the same time zone as Berlin.
The EU move comes seven years after The Mail on Sunday mounted a successful campaign against an attempt by British MPs to move our clocks forward by an hour. The doomed plan triggered a furious debate about the pros and cons of the change in terms of stress, mental illness, pollution, road accidents and energy consumption.
The new European Parliament resolution says that ‘numerous scientific studies… have failed to provide proof of any positive effects of the biannual clock change’.
Research cited in the resolution, tabled by French MEP Karima Delli, claims that in the days after the clocks are changed, elderly people face an increased danger of heart problems, while road accidents increase by up to a third. The academic performance of children, it says, is also affected because ‘the human body is made for a steady biorhythm’.
The practice of changing the clocks has already been ditched in some countries, including Iceland, Belarus and Turkey.
The proposed rule change would end the ritual of moving clocks forward by an hour in March and back again in October – which happens all over Europe on the same day
Another option being discussed to retain long summer evenings is to move to EU Summertime – GMT plus two hours – all year round.
Last night, Ukip MEP Nathan Gill warned: ‘If the EU decides to scrap daylight-saving time, it would leave Britain with a major question post-Brexit.
‘If legislation happens during transition, we could be lumbered with whatever the EU decides to pass, despite what our farmers or accident prevention organisations think.
‘There is also the risk that the EU could force Britain to change its time to an hour ahead of GMT to align with the Continent before we Brexit, when this should be a national debate.’