Let us learn from wartime Brits and re-adopt Churchill Time

Why? To save energy. At a time of national crisis, radical thinking was needed.

Today, we face a different threat: the climate crisis. But it is one where the same prescription could really help.

That’s why I’m calling for a return to British Double Summer Time — or what I’m calling Churchill Time.

We know the scale of the challenge. We must reduce carbon emissions, end our reliance on fossil fuels, and build a greener, more resilient energy system. We have a Labour government stepping up to the plate, launching Great British Energy, our publicly-owned clean energy company, and introducing energy-saving upgrades to help households cut costs. But there is another simple, effective tool at our disposal which could help too: smarter use of natural daylight.

Under Churchill Time, our evenings would remain lighter for longer. Homes and businesses would switch on lights and heating later in the day, easing pressure on the grid.

The benefits are substantial. Researchers at the University of Cambridge estimate that one extra hour of evening daylight in winter could reduce CO₂ emissions by around 447,000 tonnes a year. That is the equivalent of taking more than 50,000 cars on a road trip around the world.

A separate study from Queen’s University Belfast found that this change could save households over £400 a year in energy bills and remove 5 gigawatts of electricity off the grid at the busiest time of the day. That would all be welcome news in a climate emergency.

It is not just about energy, and there are other benefits we could see. Lighter evenings encourage people to spend more time outdoors, to linger in parks and cafés. They boost footfall for high streets and breathe life into our town centres.

This has a knock-on effect for jobs and the economic growth this Government rightly prioritises. The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions has estimated that lighter evenings could bring a £3.5 billion boost to tourism revenue. The Tourism Alliance recently echoed this, telling me there’s a “real case” for reforming daylight saving to support tourism year-round, especially during the quieter “shoulder seasons” like the autumn half-term.

Then there is safety. Every year, road collisions increase after the clocks go back. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents reports a 19% spike in crashes during the fortnight following the autumn time shift. The AA estimates that avoiding the autumn change could save up to 100 lives a year. Churchill Time would reduce pressure on our NHS.

More sunlight also supports our mental and physical health. The NHS notes that reduced sunlight can lower serotonin levels, contributing to depression. A simple shift in daylight hours could help combat that.

In my commons debate, I was encouraged to hear the minister acknowledge a number of benefits including on mental health and road safety, for the first time in the Chamber for 15 years. I hope I have started a conversation that doesn’t only happen twice a year and will continue to build support with like-minded people and organisations.

Now is not the time to let the moment tick away. I think we can learn from wartime Brits and re-adopt Churchill Time.

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