A campaign to move the UK's clocks forward by an hour, in line with Central European Time, faces a key test in the House of Commons today.
A bill calling on the British government to conduct a full analysis of the likely benefits - and then carry out a three-year trial if appropriate - is before MPs at Westminster for second reading.
The Daylight Saving Bill promoted by a Tory backbencher follows calls from a lobby group to shift the clocks forward by an hour throughout the entire year, which would mean lighter evenings but darker mornings.
The UK campaign is supported by motoring organisations, tourism and recreation bodies and environmental groups amid claims it would save scores of lives a year from fatal road accidents, boost tourism revenues, promote sport and exercise and reduce energy use.
But opponents to so-called 'Berlin Time' have raised fears that a later sunrise makes the school run more dangerous and presents problems for farmers and outdoor workers, particularly in Scotland.
The Bill would require the British government to conduct a cross-departmental analysis of the potential costs and benefits of shifting the clocks forward by an hour for all or part of the year.
That analysis would also consider the best dates during the year for the clocks to go forward and back for summer time, and would then be assessed by an independent commission.
If the commission considered that the move would benefit the whole of the UK, a three-year trial would follow.
A similar trial was conducted between 1968 and 1971, but the UK reverted to the current practice of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the winter and British Summer Time (BST), which is GMT plus one hour, in the summer months.
