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The European Commission’s decision to not force metrication on Britain will be welcomed with open arms by the government, says Kate Edwards, a barrister at Outer Temple Chambers.
Under new proposals, EU law will be changed to allow indefinite use of imperial measures.
Says Edwards: “Metrication is a potentially expensive process for the UK government, which if enforced will be universally unpopular with industry. It is no longer on the European agenda as a priority and there is little doubt it will be quietly dropped from the political agenda at home.“
She says there has been a distinct lack of appetite among prosecuting authorities in the UK for taking metrication cases to court.
“In a 2001 test case brought by Trading Standards in Sunderland, greengrocer Steve Thoburn became the first person to be convicted under the Weights and Measures Act 1985. The Act (as amended) prohibited the use of the pound as a ‘primary indicator’ for grocers. Thoburn was found guilty of two counts of having weighing scales calibrated to imperial-only units.”
Thoburn’s appeal was dismissed because the European Communities Act 1972 could not have been impliedly repealed by the 1985 Act.
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