Martin Lewis calls for an end to seasonal clock move

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Martin Lewis has split opinion after calling for an end to the seasonal clock move in the hopes of ‘cheering everyone up’ with an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings.

But the British financial expert, 48, sparked controversy following his suggestion, with Scots lambasting the idea as ‘London-centric’ after explaining the change would see their children travel to school in the dark.

Taking to Twitter today, Martin wrote: ‘A suggestion for Boris Johnson. If you want to cheer most of the nation up in this torrid time… don’t put the clocks back this Sunday. Allow people a little more daylight in the afternoon/evening to go outside and enjoy.’

Daylight saving currently pushes time forward an hour in spring, and pulls it back an hour in autumn, making sunrise later in summer and earlier in winter. The clocks will next be going back at 2am on Sunday, October 25.

 Martin Lewis (pictured) has split opinion after calling for an end to the seasonal clock move in the hopes of ‘cheering everyone up’ with an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings

Taking to Twitter today, Martin wrote (pictured): 'A suggestion for Boris Johnson. If you want to cheer most of the nation up in this torrid time... don't put the clocks back this Sunday. Allow people a little more daylight in the afternoon/evening to go outside and enjoy.'

 Taking to Twitter today, Martin wrote (pictured): ‘A suggestion for Boris Johnson. If you want to cheer most of the nation up in this torrid time… don’t put the clocks back this Sunday. Allow people a little more daylight in the afternoon/evening to go outside and enjoy.’

But the British financial expert, 48, sparked controversy following his suggestion, with Scots (above) lambasting the idea as 'London-centric' after explaining the change would see their children travel to school in the dark

But the British financial expert, 48, sparked controversy following his suggestion, with Scots (above) lambasting the idea as ‘London-centric’ after explaining the change would see their children travel to school in the dark

Last year, the European Parliament voted to abandon daylight saving time – introduced during the First World War to save energy by prolonging daylight in summer.

The ruling is due to take effect next year but Britain has so far rejected the idea.

Following Martin’s suggestion, Twitter users based in Scotland were quick to hit back at the idea.

One person wrote: That’s a very London centric view. If you don’t put the clocks back to Greenwich Mean Time then the sun won’t rise until almost 10am in most of Scotland by Christmas. That’s depressing and dangerous for kids going to school.’

Another said: ‘Aye Martin then the Kids in Scotland will go to school in the dark, didn’t realise you were a little Englander too, how disappointing.’ 

Reaction: Following Martin's suggestion, Twitter users based in Scotland were quick to hit back at the idea (pictured)

Reaction: Following Martin’s suggestion, Twitter users based in Scotland were quick to hit back at the idea (pictured)

‘Up in the wild North (no – not Yorkshire, but off the North coast of Scotland) the clock changes are done for safety reasons I thought? Both for road traffic and also kids going to & from school’, a third added.

However, following the criticism, Martin released a Twitter poll separately asking Scottish people and then those living in the rest of the UK, if they would support Britain remaining on summer time this year. 

After looking at the results, the TV presenter wrote: ‘Kids everywhere’ll go to school in the dark – but they’ll get more light in [the evening]. I’ve polled this before and most in Scotland support it.

‘But to make sure I’ve done the same poll today and again most in Scotland support it. So I’m no little Englander, maybe a littler Uker!’ 

However, following the criticism, Martin released a Twitter poll (above) separately asking Scottish people and then those living in the rest of the UK, if they would support Britain remaining on summer time this year

However, following the criticism, Martin released a Twitter poll (above) separately asking Scottish people and then those living in the rest of the UK, if they would support Britain remaining on summer time this year

After looking at the results, the TV presenter wrote (above): 'Kids everywhere'll go to school in the dark - but they'll get more light in [the evening]. I've polled this before and most in Scotland support it'

After looking at the results, the TV presenter wrote (above): ‘Kids everywhere’ll go to school in the dark – but they’ll get more light in [the evening]. I’ve polled this before and most in Scotland support it’

Other social media users were quick to agree with Martin, with one writing: ‘I fully agree with you Martin, it also lets farmers and us with animals to do the evening feeds/haynets with some light left with less risk.’ 

Another said: ‘Absolutely this’, while a third added: ‘Fantastic idea,’ and a fourth wrote: ‘Spot on Martin.’

Last year, a team of doctors in the US – which also adopts daylight saving time – said the method should be ‘eliminated’ because it can damage people’s health. 

They said shifting the clocks back and forth every year leads to a rise in the number of heart attacks and strokes and can affect children’s brain development.

Young children, the elderly, women and people with cancer appear to be more susceptible to the effects of the time shift.

Other social media users (pictured) were quick to agree with Martin, with one writing: 'I fully agree with you Martin, it also lets farmers and us with animals to do the evening feeds with some light left with less risk'

Other social media users (pictured) were quick to agree with Martin, with one writing: ‘I fully agree with you Martin, it also lets farmers and us with animals to do the evening feeds with some light left with less risk’

Last year, the European Parliament voted to abandon daylight saving time ¿ introduced during the First World War to save energy by prolonging daylight in summer (stock photo)

Last year, the European Parliament voted to abandon daylight saving time – introduced during the First World War to save energy by prolonging daylight in summer (stock photo)

Dr Beth Malow and Dr Kanika Bagai, from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and Dr Olivia Veatch from the University of Pennsylvania, made their comments in an editorial article in the journal JAMA Neurology, which is published by the American Medical Association.

In their editorial the Vanderbilt and Pennsylvania researchers said past research has found the risk of a stroke was ‘significantly’ higher for two days after the switch.

And a review of studies taking in more than 100,000 people found there was a five per cent increase in the number of heart attacks after the spring’s forward change.

These risk increases may be caused by people getting less sleep when the time changes in the middle of the night, which could increase heart rate and blood pressure. 

Studies on schoolchildren also found they were more likely to become sleepy in the daytime and to sleep less at night, which could damage the development of their young brains.

When do the clocks change and what is daylight saving time? 

Twice a year, the UK switches between Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time as part of Daylight Savings Time.

This means that when the clocks change people will have an extra hour for a lie-in in winter, but an hour less in summer time. The clocks will next be going back at 2am on Sunday, October 25. 

Last year, the European Parliament voted to abandon daylight saving time – introduced during the First World War to save energy by prolonging daylight in summer. The ruling is due to take effect next year but Britain has so far rejected the idea.

Daylight Savings Time is generally attributed to an Edwardian builder named William Willett, who wrote a pamphlet in 1907 entitled The Waste of Daylight.

Willett fervently campaigned for the adoption of British Summer Time.

In his pamphlet, he proposed that the clocks move forward by a total of 80 minutes in four stages throughout the month of April. That way, Willett argued: ‘We shall have 8o minutes more daylight after 6 p.m. every day during May, June, July and August.’

Willetts said that the benefits of adopting Daylight Saving Time included 210 extra hours of daylight and an annual saving of £2,500,000.

However, for many years Willetts ideas and bill proposals were rejected. In a cruel twist of irony, Willett ultimately ran out of time, dying just before his proposals were adopted.

In 1916, Germany, seeking to conserve coal during the First World War, introduced Sommerzeit and put the clocks forward by one hour at 11pm.

The UK followed several weeks later with the 1916 British Summer Time Act. The act stipulated that the clocks should go forward by one hour from May 21 to October 1.

Many other European countries followed suit shortly after. The US also adheres to Daylight Savings Time, however they alter their clocks before the UK and Europe.