EAST Yorkshire MP Greg Knight has called for MPs north of the border to get their “own time zone” rather than forcing the rest of the UK to change their clocks twice a year.

The Tory MP asked the Commons: “Why do we still have to go through this ridiculous ritual of putting our clocks back every autumn, thereby plunging the nation into darkness by mid-afternoon?”

He asked Commons Leader Sir George Young: “Will you give an undertaking that the Government will not seek to talk out a Private Member’s Bill on this subject, which is due to come before the House shortly?

“I suspect the only opponents will be a handful of Scots. If that is the case, shouldn’t they be told: ‘You’ve got your own parliament, if you don’t like it go away and give yourselves your own time zone’.”

Sir George pledged when the Bill was reached, the minister involved would be told of his “strong views”.

The UK’s clocks are set to GMT during the winter and GMT+1 in summer. They will next go back one hour on October 31.

Scottish MPs have traditionally been opposed to changing the system.

They fear it would mean even darker mornings, potentially causing more road accidents.