Boris Johnson will once again bring pounds and ounces to stores to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Ministers are preparing to consult on how to further incorporate imperial measures into Britain after Brexit, with the prime minister ready to announce the measure on Friday to coincide with the Jubilee.
But the move has been met with criticism from later Conservative banks, with Alicia Kearns, one of at least 20 Conservative MPs, saying she had lost confidence in the prime minister over his handling of rule-breaking parties at number 10. during coronavirus blockade. idea “nonsense”.
Mrs Kearns, a Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, tweeted that “no voter has ever asked for this”.
He added: “This is not a Brexit freedom. It is nonsense.”
The Sunday Mirror said Downing Street hopes the move could bolster support for polling stations after Conservative polls hit Partygate revelations.
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The EU Weights and Measures Directive came into force in 2000, with the legal obligation for traders to use metric units for the sale by weight or measurement of fresh produce.
It is still legal to set the price of goods in pounds and ounces, but they should be shown next to the price in grams and kilograms.
In the metric system, 1,000 grams equals one kilogram, while in the imperial system there are 14 pounds in a stone and 16 ounces in a pound.
For liquids, there are 20 ounces of liquid in a pint and 160 ounces of liquid in a gallon, as opposed to 1,000 milliliters in a liter under the metric system.
It is understood that there will be no departure from metric units, but the consultation will examine where it makes sense to incorporate or change to imperial measures such as feet and yards, and combs and gallons, with traders likely to be free to choose which ones. they use.
It is part of a broader effort by Whitehall to review what EU regulations remain in the UK’s statutory books after Brexit.
Before a looser interpretation of the EU directive was introduced, some shop owners were prosecuted for failing to comply with Brussels’ stipulations, becoming known in the press as the “metric martyrs”.
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Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, said on Sunday that while the policy was “light” and “less” freedom provided by Brexit, there were people who “want to re-use” imperial weights.
He added that it would allow fruit traders and bar owners to run their businesses as they see fit after the UK leaves the EU.
He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday program: “It gives people and businesses freedom.
“There are sectors – I know people in my constituency, market traders and vegetable traders, as well as some of the pubs – who will be delighted to be able to return to these imperial measures.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“Yes, it’s one of the smallest things we can do since we left the EU. There are other bigger things we can do and want to do, but it’s an indication that we now have the freedom to make those decisions ourselves.” .
The UK currently uses a mix of imperial and metric, with speed limits in miles per hour instead of kilometers, and milk and beer bought in pints.
Food packaging in supermarkets is mostly labeled in grams, while most soft drinks and other liquids on store shelves are sold in liters.