Boris Johnson will this week announce crowns on pints and pounds of red meat in a patriotic return to Imperial measurements.
The Prime Minister is set to hail the “benefits of Brexit ” during the Queen’s Jubilee, by bringing back units few Brits under 40 understand.
This week’s announcement - revealed by the Mirror - has almost as many wrinkles as there are pounds in a hundredweight (112, if you must know!).
Firstly, it was announced last year and is being revived to give the PM a break from Partygate. Comedian Stephen Mangan tweeted: “This dead cat weighs 6 lbs 4 oz”.
Secondly, 20 years after the ‘metric martyrs’, critics say pushing it now is outdated. SNP MP Richard Thomson tweeted: “He’ll be reintroducing Rickets next.”
Thirdly, people say selling champagne in pints is an irrelevance while Brits face a cost of living crisis. Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted: “Yardley voted for Brexit, literally no one has ever raised metric v imperial measurements with me. NO ONE.
“Thousands have raised bad exempt accommodation that is harming vulnerable people and damaging neighbourhoods.”
Fourthly, in many cases, shops can already use pounds and ounces alongside kilos.
And fifthly, it’s not clear exactly how far things will change. Any shake-up might end up not making a huge difference to what you see in the shops.
OK, so it’s not quite 112 problems.
But with so much conflicting information, let’s look at what UK law actually says on Imperial measurements - and what Boris Johnson might change.
What does the law actually say on Imperial measurements?
Due to EU law, the UK has measured most products using the metric system for over two decades.
Since 1995 most pre-packaged goods have had to be labelled primarily in metric units.
The law then applied to butchers and greengrocers from 2000, making it a criminal offence to sell goods only in Imperial units.
But the government’s claim that there’s an “EU ban” on imperial units is not quite true - it’s more subtle than that. Let us explain.
The EU’s original plan was to make it illegal to sell any goods in Imperial units. The deadline for this kept being extended until 2009.
Then, after years of political battles, this bid was dropped indefinitely - which means UK shops and producers CAN use Imperial units.
This U-turn gave Brits the right to use “dual labelling” on all goods.
It means manufacturers or shopkeepers are free to use Imperial units - as long as they also use metric units at the same time, and the imperial unit isn’t “more prominent”.
This means the font size for the imperial unit can’t be bigger than the metric one.
At the same time, the UK was allowed indefinitely to sell beer, cider and milk in pints; use miles on road signs; and sell precious metals in troy ounces.
Announcing the climbdown in 2007, EU Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen said: “I want to bring to an end a bitter battle that has lasted for decades and which in my view is pointless.”
Are Crown stamps on pint glasses actually banned?
This is annoying, and bear with us, but - it depends who you ask.
The second part of Boris Johnson’s announcement is to bring back the Crown stamp on pint glasses now we’re out of the EU.
The symbol, in use since 1699 to guarantee a pint was the real deal, began falling out of use 15 years ago after an EU law.
But many people insist the Crown stamp isn’t technically banned.
Under a 2004 EU law that took effect in 2006, pint glasses and other measuring vessels have had to display the EU’s ‘CE’ marking to show they meet common standards.
In 2007, Labour’s then-Trade Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said this law meant the Crown stamp was banned from new pint glasses. He told MPs: “The directive does not permit the use of any other marking on the measure.”
Boris Johnson’s Tory government agrees, saying there’s an “EU-derived prohibition on printing the Crown Stamp on pint glasses.”
Yet the EU law in 2004 seems to say the opposite. It says “any other marking may be affixed” to a glass, as long as it doesn’t affect the “visibility and legibility” of the CE mark.
And a European Commission spokesperson suggested manufacturers are free to use the Crown stamp. They told the BBC : "EU law does not prevent markings from being placed on products, so long as it does not overlap or be confused with the CE mark."
Irish politician Neale Richmond blasted claims the EU had banned the crown stamp, tweeting: “Straight up lie, EU did no such thing.”
Annoyingly for everyone, if you look at the UK’s Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016 (which put the EU directive into our legal system), it’s quite nuanced.
Yes, the law says other markings can appear on pint glasses if they don’t obstruct the CE mark. But it also says those extra markings can’t “purport to attest that the regulated measuring instrument satisfies the essential requirements.” What if a lawyer argued the Crown does just that?
What would actually change under Boris Johnson’s plans?
OK, so now you’re confused - what will actually happen under the plan announced by Boris Johnson?
Will we return to the heady days of 1952 with all meat rationed in pounds and all pint glasses proudly bearing Crowns?
Erm… not quite.
While the pint of champagne beloved by Churchill (“enough for two at lunch and one at dinner”) could be brought back, there is no suggestion metric units will be axed.
Instead, traders will be freer to choose which measurement they use. Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis said: “We’re just saying you now have a choice.”
Exactly how much of a choice, we don’t know yet. Previously, business minister Paul Scully said he’d “consult to ensure that we have the best evidence available”. And last year (before the shake-up was announced), he stressed any new exemptions would be “limited”.
As for the Crown stamp?
The government has always said putting it on pints will be “voluntary” - it will not be the legal confirmation of a genuine pint.
If manufacturers want to use the Crown stamp, it will have to appear alongside the legally required ‘UKCA’ and ‘M’ markings - which are replacing CE this year due to Brexit.
Hasn’t this been announced before?
Yep - the government announced its intention to do all this in September 2021.
The difference now is ministers are due to flesh out (ahem) more detail and take the next step to passing a law.
Not all are so accepting of the government’s patriotic timing though - especially as the PM looks for red meat for rebellious Tory Brexiteers over Partygate.
Former Tory MP David Gauke observed wryly: “The announcement of the return of imperial measurements is an important recent tradition which we should all celebrate.
“I’m already looking forward to the next time this is announced.”
