UK clocks go back to GMT as BST ends for winter

The clocks in the United Kingdom will go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday, October 26, ending British Summer Time and returning the country to Greenwich Mean Time. The change, which takes effect while most people are sleeping, will give an extra hour in bed but bring earlier sunsets and darker evenings through the winter months.

The annual change, made on the last Sunday in October, shifts daylight from evenings into mornings. Modern electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers normally update automatically, but battery-operated wall clocks, mantel clocks and some car displays may need manual adjustment. Public venues often do not alter closing times to reflect the extra hour, so nightlife timings typically remain unchanged.

The practice dates back to wartime measures aimed at conserving fuel and making better use of daylight. The Summer Time Act 1916 introduced the system in the UK. Similar adjustments have been trialled at other times, including a British Double Summertime during the Second World War and a late 1960s experiment that kept clocks advanced year-round for a period. Proposals to stop changing the clocks have been debated in recent years, with some...