European parliament vote to abandon Daylight Savings Times

The European parliament has voted to abandon the custom of changing the clocks twice a year, leaving only national governments to now give their assent.

Under current EU law, the clocks in all 28 member states move forward together on the last Sunday in March and are turned back on the last Sunday in October.

The parliament voted by 410 to 192 in favour of ending the time changes and member states will be able to choose whether to remain in permanent summer or permanent winter time under the draft directive.

In the UK, the clocks go forward one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, marking the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, also known as British Summer Time, and back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, returning to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Any EU country wishing to remain in Daylights Saving Time would adjust their clocks for the last time on the final Sunday of March 2021, with those opting to remain in the ‘usual’ time zone changing their clocks for the last time on the final Sunday of October 2021.

An EU-wide survey by the European commission on the proposal generated 4.6 million responses, with 84% of respondents in favour. Critics say the survey was dominated by Germans, who made up 70% of the respondents.

Daylight Saving Time was introduced in the UK with the passing of the Summer Time Act on 17 May 1916. The clocks were altered the following Sunday, 21 May 1916, returning to GMT on 1 October 1916.

However, the clocks have also been altered by more than the usual hour forwards and backwards.

Britain adopted British Double Summer Time during World War Two in 1941, which saw clocks being put forward two hours ahead of GMT. The clocks were turned back to GMT at the end of summer 1945, but – due to severe fuel shortages through the previous harsh winter – returned to British Double Summer Time for the summer of 1947.

A three-year experiment between 1968 and 1971 saw Britain trial British Standard Time (GMT +1) all year round, putting the clocks forward as usual by one hour in March 1968, and not putting them back until October 1971.

Europe, and the UK, are far from the only places to alter time.

The majority of the United States – barring Arizona and Hawaii – put their clocks forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November.

Similarly, some states in Australia choose to observe Daylight Saving Time, albeit in reverse. Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland do not alter their clocks.

For the states that observe the time shift, Daylight Saving Time runs from the first Sunday in October, where the clocks are turned an hour forward, through to the first Sunday in April, when they are changed back.

British Summer Time this year is in place from Sunday 31 March until Sunday 27 October.