Put Britain on French time to ease utility costs, says peer

BRITISH clocks should be put on French time to reduce lighting and heating bills during the cost-of-living crisis, a peer has said.

Lord Lee of Trafford, a Liberal Democrat peer, has said he will raise a question in the House of Lords on whether “double summer time” ought to be imposed as a way to help struggling families cope with rising utility costs, as soon as the Easter recess ends.

It would mean British clocks would be set two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time during the summer months and one hour ahead in winter, the same as in France, Spain and Italy.

The last time the clocks were changed in this manner was during the Second World War, when clocks were moved forward two hours in the warmer months to maximise daylight hours. Daylight Saving Time itself was first introduced in 1918, during the First World War, to reduce coal use.

Advocates of moving the clocks forward claim more sunlight during active hours of the day cuts energy use and saves homes millions. Proponents also add it could reduce car crashes and boost tourism and leisure spending.

Critics counter that farmers in Scotland would be forced to work in darkness for much of the morning and that less light would be dangerous for children walking to school.

A trial of maintaining British Summer Time throughout the year ended in 1971 after three years, after opposition from the agricultural industry.

But Lord Lee said: “Considering the energy crisis, it is worth looking once more at whether there is a real energysaving case for moving the clocks.”

Trade bodies The Tourism Alliance and the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions have also said the move should be considered. Even the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland said it was “open to further independent analysis”. Bob Carruth, its spokesman, said: “The modern farm is well lit and increasingly mechanised, so the dangers posed by carrying out field operations or handling livestock in darker winter mornings are not as great as they once were.”

A government spokesman said it recognised the pressure families faced but added there were no official plans to review Daylight Saving Time.