Daylight saving: MP calls for switch to 'double summer time' to cut energy bills and boost businesses

A Labour MP has called for the UK to move to double summer time which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the winter and two hours ahead in the summer months.

As the clocks moved forward an hour this Sunday for the annual switch to British Summer Time (BST), Alex Mayer, MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, said the new system would benefit businesses and wider society.

The change was previously dubbed 'Churchill time' after Winston Churchill took the decision to do it during the Second World War in order to save energy.

Speaking during a debate in Parliament, Mayer said:

"When it is lighter in the evenings, households and businesses switch on lights and heating later. That small shift, spread across millions of homes, adds up to a significant difference.

"Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that an extra daily hour of sunlight in winter evenings could save £485 million in electricity bills each year. They calculated a saving of 6 GWh of energy per winter day. It would reduce carbon dioxide pollution by at least 447,000 tonnes each year, which is equivalent to more than 50,000 cars driving all the way around the world.

"Evidence from Queen's University Belfast shows that Churchill time would reduce evening peak energy demands by up to 10%, roughly 5 GW of electricity taken off the grid during the busiest time of day, offering significant reductions in energy costs and emissions. All that is great news for the planet.

"Lighter evenings mean more time spent outdoors, in parks or on walks. They mean more time visiting cafés and pubs on our high streets, giving local businesses, particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors, a much-needed boost. When the sun sets at 4 o'clock, people rush home; they do not linger in our town centres or high streets or stop for a coffee.

"When the sun sets at 5pm or 6pm, we change the rhythm of our days. We create opportunities for commerce, connection and community. That would especially be the case in autumn half term."

Responding to Mayer's comments, business minister Justin Madders acknowledged there were benefits to double summer time but said "the evidence for the case for change is not overwhelming". He added:

"The government believe that the current daylight saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK.

"Moving to double British summer time would create a time border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, if Ireland maintained its current approach to time. That non-alignment could cause problems for transport, particularly aviation, tourism, trade and business in general, with higher impacts if there was only a part-year alignment."

Madders also questioned whether the proposed change would reduce road accidents and energy usage. He also said double British summer time in the north of Scotland would mean no daylight in the winter before 10am, while in the rest of Scotland sunrise would be at 9am.

He concluded:

"This government will always listen carefully to any arguments that are put forward around how to mitigate challenges and provide support, particularly in areas such as mental health.

"We appreciate the concerns raised about the potential impact of clock changes on mental health and road safety, and we will always welcome views on how we can enhance our existing measures and initiatives."