Clocks Go Back This Sunday: London Gains an Hour

Londoners are being reminded to turn their clocks back one hour as British Summer Time officially ends at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026. The clocks revert to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the UK's standard winter time zone. After the change, the sun will set in London as early as 4:45pm. The custom dates back to 1916, introduced as a wartime measure to distribute daylight more usefully during darker autumn mornings. Most modern devices — smartphones, computers and smart televisions — will update automatically, while older analogue clocks, car dashboards and kitchen appliances require manual adjustment. The next time change will be on 28 March 2027, when clocks spring forward again for British Summer Time. The 2026 autumn change is happening slightly earlier in the calendar than in some recent years, meaning darker afternoons will arrive a little sooner for commuters.