When do the clocks go back in the UK in 2023? Here’s when the change is and why we change them

Summer is long gone and autumn is now well and truly here, with nightfall coming much sooner in the evening and it taking just that bit longer to get lighter in the mornings too. Temperatures have also plummeted too.

Around this time of year, people start to wonder if the clocks go back or forward. In the autumn, clocks go back and will not change until just before Easter the following year. And, the changing of the clocks is just around the corner.

It’s been questioned why we actually change the clocks, and according to Shell: “we change the clocks to make better use of natural daylight in the morning. During the summer time, we borrow an hour of daylight from the morning and shift it to the evening to reduce our energy consumption.”

The idea was first mentioned by William Willett, who is the great-great grandfather of Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin. He proposed that the clocks go forward in spring and back in winter so that people could spend more time outdoors during the day and save energy.

It’s been reported that some states in the United States, as well as some countries in Europe have been considering ending the concept of daylight saving time, but it looks like the clock-change is here to stay in the UK.

When do the clocks go back UK?

We will gain that hour at 2am on Sunday, October 29. Your smartphone and laptop will automatically adjust for the change however, analogue and digital clocks, as well as other clocks such as ovens and cars will need to be changed manually.