The clocks in the UK go back one hour at 2:00 a.m. BST on Sunday, October 25, 2026, ending British Summer Time and returning the country to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
At 2:00 a.m. the time becomes 1:00 a.m., so most people get an extra hour in bed. Smartphones and connected devices usually update automatically, but analogue watches, ovens, and car clocks need to be changed by hand. Sunsets will come an hour earlier, and mornings will initially be lighter. Most of Europe changes its clocks on the same day, while the United States and Canada fall back a week later, on Sunday, November 1. The clocks in the UK go forward again on Sunday, March 28, 2027. The practice dates back to 1916, when Germany first adopted daylight saving time to save fuel during World War One, and the UK soon followed. The UK briefly tried year-round summer time from 1968 to 1971, but there are currently no plans to scrap the twice-yearly change.
Source: BBC Weather, When to switch your clocks back as British Summer Time comes to an end
Image: Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster, Diliff, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.