What is British Summer Time?
British Summer Time (BST) is the name for UK clocks being set one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time during the lighter half of the year. In summer the UK runs on UTC+1; in winter it falls back to GMT (UTC+0).
What does British Summer Time mean?
Direct answer. British Summer Time is the period each year when UK clocks are moved one hour ahead of GMT, giving lighter evenings. It is the UK’s form of daylight saving time and equals UTC+1.
BST begins at 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of March, when clocks go forward to 02:00, and ends at 02:00 BST on the last Sunday of October, when they go back to 01:00 GMT. Between those dates — roughly seven months — the correct UK offset is UTC+1, not UTC+0.
The detail. If it is 12:00 noon GMT in winter, the same clock reads 13:00 BST in summer for the identical position of the sun. The daylight has not moved — the label on the clock has.
Key fact: British Summer Time = GMT + 1 hour = UTC+1, in force from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October.
Why is it called ‘summer time’ and not daylight saving?
Direct answer. In the UK the official, legal name is British Summer Time. “Daylight saving time” is the general international term for the same idea of shifting clocks for the lighter months.
The name dates back to the Summer Time Act 1916, which first introduced the measure. UK legislation, the BBC and the Met Office all use “British Summer Time” or “BST”, while Americans and many others say “daylight saving time” (DST).
Key fact: BST is the UK’s legal name; DST is the generic international term for the same clock-shifting practice.
When is the UK on BST?
BST covers the lighter half of the year. The exact start and end dates move slightly each year because they are pinned to the last Sunday of March and October.
| Year | Clocks go forward (BST begins, 01:00 GMT) | Clocks go back (BST ends, 02:00 BST) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 29 March 2026 | Sunday 25 October 2026 next |
| 2027 | Sunday 28 March 2027 | Sunday 31 October 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday 26 March 2028 | Sunday 29 October 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday 25 March 2029 | Sunday 28 October 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday 31 March 2030 | Sunday 27 October 2030 |
| 2031 | Sunday 30 March 2031 | Sunday 26 October 2031 |
What is the legal basis for British Summer Time?
Direct answer. BST is defined by the Summer Time Order 2002, a statutory instrument that sets summer time to run from 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of March to 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of October.
That Order was made under the Summer Time Act 1972 and put the European harmonised dates (Directive 2000/84/EC) on a permanent footing. After leaving the EU, the UK kept the Order unchanged, so the same last-Sunday rule still applies and future dates remain fixed.
Key fact: The Summer Time Order 2002 fixes BST in UK law, which is why every future date can be calculated exactly.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Is British Summer Time the same as daylight saving time?
Yes. British Summer Time is the United Kingdom’s name for its daylight saving period. The clocks are put one hour ahead of GMT so that summer daylight falls later in the day. Many countries have their own daylight saving arrangements with different names and dates.
What does UTC+1 mean for British Summer Time?
It means UK clocks are set one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time during BST. In winter the UK is on UTC+0 (GMT); in summer it is on UTC+1 (BST).
Who decides when British Summer Time starts and ends?
It is fixed by UK law — the Summer Time Order 2002 — which sets BST to run from 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of March to 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of October. Parliament would have to change the law to alter it.
Sources & further reading
We cite primary and authoritative sources. Time-zone rules can change when governments amend the law — always confirm critical timing with an official source.