What Time is it in the UK?

Understanding British Time Zones

The United Kingdom is made up of four separate countries – England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each country has its own time zone:

England: GMT/UTC + 0
Scotland: GMT/UTC + 0
Wales: GMT/UTC + 0
Northern Ireland: GMT/UTC + 0

This means that the entire United Kingdom is on the same time zone, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This is the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is used for international timekeeping.

Daylight Savings Time in the UK

The UK does observe Daylight Savings Time (DST), meaning that during the summer months, clocks need to be set forward an hour. From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, clocks are set forward one hour to BST (British Summer Time). The changeover time is 01:00 GMT, so clocks should be set forward at 01:00 GMT, or 02:00 local time (BST) during this time.

DST is not observed in Northern Ireland and there is some debate as to whether or not it should be adopted.

The Current Time in the UK

At the time of writing this article, the time in the United Kingdom is 11:07 GMT, or 12:07 BST.

Conclusion

The United Kingdom is made up of four separate countries, all of which are on the same time zone: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The UK does observe Daylight Savings Time (DST), meaning that from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, clocks need to be set forward an hour to BST (British Summer Time). Northern Ireland does not observe DST. The current time in the UK can be seen above.