Do we get an extra hour of sleep tonight? British Summer Time ends on Sunday 25 October 2026, when the clocks go back an hour at 02:00 BST. People in the UK may get that extra hour in bed, but analogue watches and clocks will need to be changed by hand.
Smartphones will often change automatically, so the main job for most people is checking anything that still runs on manual time. The clocks do not go forward again until Sunday 28 March 2027.
Sunday 25 October at 02:00 BST
The shift happens at 02:00 BST on Sunday 25 October, which is when British Summer Time ends. For readers trying to plan around the change, that means the hour after 01:59 becomes 01:00 again, and the morning starts on standard time.
The UK keeps the biannual clock change, and there are currently no plans to get rid of it. That leaves people in the UK with the same autumn adjustment that has remained in place through short periods in World War Two and the 1968 to 1971 experiment with all-year-around BST.
UK, Most of Europe
Most of Europe turns its clocks back on the same day as the UK in 2026, so the change is not confined to one country. The system has deeper roots: the first country to use DST was Germany in 1916, during World War One, when the time shift was intended to save fuel consumption.
That history explains why the clock change is still familiar a century later. The UK has carried it forward through different periods, and the rule remains the same this weekend: set manual clocks back one hour, or let devices that change automatically do it for you.
GMT in the UK
The practical effect for people in the UK is simple enough, but winter still arrives with darker mornings. In some parts of Scotland, the sun rises around 08:45 GMT in the second half of December, which would equate to 09:45 BST.
That is the trade-off built into the shift. Sunday 25 October gives people an extra hour in bed, while Sunday 28 March 2027 is the date the clocks go forward again.
