MP's time plan leaves Scotland in the dark

Published on Tuesday 12 October 2004 13:19

AN English MP has provoked anger by calling for changes to Britain’s time system which could leave Scotland in the dark until 10am.

Kent MP Nigel Beard is launching a bill at Westminster to shift the clocks an hour forward.

Under his proposals, England and Wales would switch to the same time system as continental Europe, but Scotland would be allowed to make its own decision on whether to adopt Continental time.

Mr Beard says the devolution system would allow the switch south of the Border without necessarily affecting Scots who are worried about darker winter mornings.

But his plans have been accused of threatening chaos, by leaving Holyrood to choose between having a different time zone from the rest of the UK or changing Scotland’s clocks with the rest of Britain and leaving much of the country in darkness on winter mornings.

Road safety campaigners oppose changing the clocks because they say the long dark winter mornings in Scotland would increase road accidents - particularly those involving children walking to school.

Previous attempts to move the clocks an hour forward to European time have been defeated by Scottish MPs.

The Scottish Nationalists said they are relaxed about being an hour behind England.

But some concerned Scottish MPs believe that if England went to Continental time the rest of the UK would almost certainly have to follow suit.

RAC spokeswoman Sue Nicholson said: "Although there may be a road safety benefit for England, when it comes to Scotland that benefit is lost because of the darkness in the mornings.

"It means kids walking to school in the dark and farmers working in the dark and the possibility of accidents increases."

The Government is now considering whether to support the Bill. Without its backing the measure will fail.