Separate Scottish time zone plan never saw light of day

JOHN MAJOR feared that controversial proposals to establish two time zones in the UK would “feed the separatist debate”, declassified records reveal.

The prime minister was “strongly against” a plan to create one time zone for Scotland and a separate one for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The so-called Single/double Summer Time (SDST) proposal would have put clocks forward one hour ahead of GMT in the winter and two hours ahead in the summer, but it excluded Scotland from the move.

The idea had been suggested by Lord Mountgarret in late 1994 and then by Bournemouth West MP John Butterfill just over a year later.

In a note, sent as Mr Butterfill was preparing a private nember’s bill, Mr Major wrote: “It feeds the separatist debate – I am strongly against it and would like to say so.”

Michael Forsyth, the Scottish minister, made similar feelings known in a letter to the lord president of the Privy Council, Tony Newton.

He wrote: “Colleagues have failed to appreciate the strength of feeling of those who would be condemned by a move to SDST to an extra hour of darkness on winter mornings. There is

‘Colleagues don’t appreciate the strength of feeling of those condemned to an extra hour of darkness’

widespread opposition to such a change throughout Scotland, and this has been aggravated by John Butterfill’s ludicrous suggestion that a separate time zone might be created for Scotland if the change were to be made for England and Wales.”

The Cabinet decided that government time would not be made available to debate the bill.