UK clocks will go back EARLIER next month as Daylight Saving Time ends – with date for 5pm sunsets revealed

THE CLOCKS are set to go back in just a few weeks, and this year the change will happen even earlier. The UK will switch from British Summer Time (BST), also known as Daylight Saving Time, to Greenwich Mean Time in October. The clocks will go back in a few weeks on the last Sunday of October Credit: nito100 When do the clocks go back in 2026? This year, the clocks are set to go back on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 2am. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The time change happens each year on the last Sunday of October, marking the end of British Summer Time (BST). While phones, computers and smart devices update automatically, it’s important to remember that items like older watches, clocks in cars, older alarm clocks and some kitchen appliances may need to be changed manually. This year sees the clocks go back a day earlier than in 2025, when the change took place on October 26. The date for the clocks going back over the next two years also occurs later in the month than in 2026, with the event taking place on October 31 in 2027 and October 29 in 2028. When do the clocks go forward in 2027? Those looking forward to longer evenings will see the return of British Summer Time on Sunday, March 28, 2027, when the clocks jump forward an hour from 1am to 2am. Most read in The Sun Like the October dates, the yearly schedule is fixed, with the clocks always moving forward on the last Sunday in March. For anyone feeling confused about which way the clocks change, there’s a simple phrase to help jog the memory: “Spring forward, fall back”. Why do the clocks change? Moving the clocks takes place overnight on a Saturday into Sunday as this causes the least disruption to schools and businesses. Campaigns in Britain for changing the clocks were launched back in 1907 by builder William Willett, who argued that moving the clocks forward in summer meant people could make better use of the daylight. The original proposal was a complicated system, and attempts to introduce daylight saving legislation were blocked several times by the government between 1908 and 1916. The change was finally introduced during World War I, when The Summer Time Act received Royal Assent on May 17, 1916. The clocks went forward for the first time on May 21 of that year. Comment now