UK ticks towards a new time zone

The campaign to give Britain extra daylight during winter evenings by putting the clocks forward an hour had a boost yesterday as it cleared its first parliamentary hurdle.

The Government opposes calls for the country to be put on Central European Time for an experimental three-year period, but the Daylight Savings Bill, championed by a Tory backbencher, received a second Commons reading. The supporters argue it will save lives, lower energy bills, cut harmful carbon emissions, reduce crime and create up to 80,000 jobs in leisure and tourism.