When to switch your clocks back as British Summer Time comes to an end
Smartphones will often change automatically but analogue watches will need to be manually changed.
- Published
British Summer Time (BST), also known as Daylight Saving Time (DST), will come to an end this week as the clocks go back an hour.
The change happens on Sunday 25 October at 02:00 BST meaning you may get an extra hour in bed.
Sunset will move forward an hour as well and initially you may notice the sun coming up earlier too.
The clocks don't go forward again until on Sunday 28 March 2027.
What is Daylight Saving Time?
Changes to the clocks have been taking place for more than a century.
The first country to make use of DST was Germany in 1916.
It was intended to save fuel consumption during World War One. Making the most of the evening daylight in spring and summer meant less heating and lighting was needed.
Many other countries followed suit, such as the UK where it became known as British Summer Time.
Here the time shift has continued ever since, despite a short period in World War Two where the clocks went forward two hours for British Double Summer Time.
Once we go back to GMT sunsets will occur earlier
Could Daylight Saving Time become permanent?
In the United States earlier in 2026 there was a bill to make daylight saving time the new standard time called the Sunshine Protection Act.
With a 308-117 vote, members of both parties approved the bill, which would remove the need for Americans to change their clocks twice a year and put the US under time currently observed between March and November - known as permanent standard time.
In the UK an experiment between 1968 and 1971 trialled year-round BST.
The idea of winding our clocks forward permanently has been a talking point in the past. Arguments for keeping summer time include a potential boost in economic productivity as well as a possible reduction in evening road accidents.
However, it would also mean some darker winter mornings, especially in Scotland. In some parts the sun rises around 08:45 GMT in the second half of December, which would equate to 09:45 BST.
Currently there are no plans in the UK to get rid of the biannual clock change.
Do all countries change clocks on the same day?
This year most of Europe turns their clocks back on the same day as the UK - Sunday 25 October.
In Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa there are only a few places that follow DST.
In Egypt DST comes to an end on Friday 30 October.
In North America, however, the clocks go back on the first weekend of November which this year will be the first of the month.
- Published2 days ago
