Among them are electricity savings, reduced crime, growth in international tourism, increased daylight for leisure, improved public health, and a reduction in road accidents. The only drawback of England switching to Central European Time is the problems that will arise for parents of small children in the summer, when dusk does not set in until 23:00, and children will need to be put to bed much earlier.
The bill proposes moving clocks forward 60 minutes for a three-year trial period, after which scientists and experts will analyze all its pros and cons, and the government will finally decide whether the English should forever get up and go to bed at the same time as residents of the European continent. It should be noted that a similar experiment was already conducted in the UK from 1968 to 1971, but then, despite the positive economic effect, Parliament was unable to legislate Central European Time in the United Kingdom. According to the British themselves, the reason is the world-famous English conservatism and the desire to remain separate from Europe.
This time, according to Tim Yeo's bill, the trial period is proposed only in England, one of the four territories of the United Kingdom. MPs hope that a similar experiment will also be carried out soon in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. But again, from the observers' point of view, the parliamentarians' optimism is premature. Even before the debate on the bill began in the House of Commons, many professional groups in England and across the country opposed the innovation. Among the main opponents are farmers, construction workers, and postal workers. In their opinion, the proposed clock change will bring them only problems and economic losses.
As confirmation of their arguments, opponents of the bill cite a recent experiment with switching to Central European Time in Portugal, which, like the UK, lives by Greenwich. After a four-year trial period, the Portuguese refused in 1996 to live by the same time as Europeans. The main reason was children's sleep problems: due to the longer daylight hours, they could not fall asleep before 22:00, which ultimately negatively affected their school performance and mental health. Therefore, despite the positive economic effect, Lisbon decided that children's health is more important than saved electricity.
Representatives of the British government are commenting quite cautiously on the bill proposed by MP Yeo, only after whose consent the experiment can formally begin. Thus, in the upper house of Parliament – the House of Lords – Deputy Energy Minister Lord Truscott stated that the current time standard in the country 'is a compromise between those who prefer to get up in daylight and those who like a long light evening.' As for energy savings, a reduction in road accidents, and a positive effect on the tourism industry, all these issues can be addressed through various special programs. In this regard, according to him, the government, despite the parliamentarians' proposals, does not plan to change anything for now.