Major was strongly opposed to separate Scottish timezone

PLANS to create two time zones in the UK were strongly opposed by John Major amid concerns it would “feed the separatist debate”, new records show.

The then prime minister was vehemently against the idea, floated by Lord Mountgarret in late 1994 and then just over a year later by Bournemouth West MP John Butterfill.

The creation of single/double summer time (SDST) would have moved the clocks forward an hour all year round – on top of British Summer Time – in an effort to create a longer day.

However, the move was only to be applied to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, meaning Scotland would be on a different time zone to the rest of the UK.

Newly released files at the National Archives in Kew show the idea did not sit well with the prime minister.

In a handwritten note on an untimed memo, sent as Mr Butterfill was preparing a private member’s bill, Mr Major wrote: “It feeds the separatist debate – I am strongly against it and would like to say so.”

Michael Forsyth, then Scottish secretary, made similar feelings known in a letter to the lord president of the Privy Council, Tony Newton. He wrote: “This is an extremely serious issue for me and, more importantly, for the party in Scotland. I think that colleagues have failed to appreciate the strength of feeling of those who would be condemned by a move to SDST to an extra hour of darkness on winter mornings.

“There is widespread opposition to such a change throughout Scotland, and this has been aggravated by John Butterfill’s ludicrous suggestion that a separate time zone might be created for Scotland if the change which he is promoting were to be made for England and Wales.”

The cabinet later decided that Government time would not be made available to debate the bill, although road safety campaigners have repeatedly tried to reignite enthusiasm for the cause as they press for a move to SDST which they claim would result in fewer crashes.

On a separate matter, the papers also show that Tory aides drew up a secret list of business “heavy hitters” who would use their power and influence to secure a majority at the 1997 General Election, declassified documents show.

Norman Blackwell, head of Mr Major’s policy unit, identified leaders of big business across the country who he felt were prepared to “put their head above the parapet” as the party prepared for the election.

The list, pulled together in December 1995, included bosses at high street giants Boots, Asda and Dixons.

Mr Blackwell said: “My objective is to have 10 or 12 heavy hitters who are sufficiently committed to be prepared to put their head above the parapet in backing the need for a Conservative victory, and who are sufficiently weighty in their own right to be able to command an interview on the Today programme or place an article in the press.”

Mr Blackwell said he would speak to those on the list before whittling it down to a core group of backers, who would be invited to dinner with the prime minister for discussions on moving forward with the plan.

“The agenda would be very specifically about how they can organise themselves to help you as a business campaigning team,” Mr Blackwell wrote.

Other candidates on the all-male list of 19 names included bosses at Halifax, Lloyds Bank and BP.

Meanwhile, the documents also disclosed memos from Lord Hanson to the prime minister earlier in the year in which he described following through on his commitment to “improving relationships with two people”.

Lord Hanson wrote in October: “I believe the first one is now very much on side... I saw him today in Chicago and he sounded very enthusiastic. I have now arranged to see number 2 (in Los Angeles).”

A follow-up letter to the prime minister’s personal assistant, Arabella Warburton, offered further positive news.

No further clues were offered about the identities of the two, although Labour and the Conservatives were known to be

This is an extremely serious issue for me and, more importantly, for the party in Scotland

courting media moguls Rupert Murdoch and Conrad Black in the run-up to the 1997 election, where the Murdoch-owned Sun newspaper famously backed

Tony Blair.

Records also released today from Kew revealed Tory chancellor Ken Clarke was taken by surprise as unemployment levels fell to the lowest levels for years.

Minutes from a private meeting between Mr Clarke and Mr Major in January 1995 show the three-year low of 2.4 million unemployed people was not anticipated.

Sir Terence Burns (now Lord), then permanent secretary of HM Treasury, was also at the supper, during which the state of the economy was discussed.

A summary of the meeting, said: “The Chancellor said he had never expected the fall of half a million that has actually occurred.”

It also stated that Sir Terence “said it would not be desirable for unemployment to continue to fall as rapidly as it had in December”.

It added that an unemployment rate of five per cent to 6% “was a desirable target”.

Figures released days earlier showed unemployment had fallen for an 11th consecutive month.

The seasonally adjusted total, the best long-term guide, dropped by 54,600 in December leaving a jobless rate of 8.6%, the lowest level since August

1991.