One major obstacle to further metrication is that too many politicians are afraid to challenge the prejudices of the anti-metric newspapers. This was seen most recently when Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested that the franchise should be extended to EU citizens living in the UK and to 16- and 17-year-olds and that the UK should develop a closer trading relationship with the EU in response to a threatened exodus of carmakers. After some negative front-page headlines in right-wing newspapers (which tend to be anti-metric) to his suggestions, he quickly backed down.
Sir Keir Starmer is currently the favourite to win the next general election and become the next prime minister. Instead of fighting his corner in the court of public opinion, he appears to be treading carefully to avoid the wrath of the right-wing media. If he won’t take on the right-wing media on these issues, it is unlikely that he will do so on metrication. Even though UKMA takes no position on extending the franchise or on the UK-EU relationship, it is however depressingly familiar. There is a general misconception that metrication is a vote-loser. As a YouGov survey commissioned by UKMA shows, it is a minor issue for the vast majority of voters and would barely make any difference to the outcome of an election.
If politicians are reluctant to offend the right-wing media and challenge their opinions, the prospect of making policy proposals for the metrication of road signs, advertising and product descriptions will be remote. Such policy proposals are bound to be attacked by the anti-metric newspapers.
If we are to complete the Metrication Programme that the UK Government started in 1965, politicians must find the courage to face down the anti-metric right-wing newspapers that are hostile to the further adoption of the metric systems for all purposes in the UK.
You can find out more about the Starmer story here:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/19/brexit-blame-game-erupts-again-how-leaving-eu-came-back-to-bite-tories (“Brexit blame game erupts again: how leaving EU came back to bite Tories” by Kiran Stacey, Rowena Mason, Ben Quinn and Aletha Adu, published in The Guardian on 19 May 2023)
Links to YouGov survey for UKMA:
- https://ukma.org.uk/publications/still-a-mess/ (Measurement Unit Survey webpage on UKMA website)
- https://ukmetric.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/sam-exec-summary.pdf (Executive Summary document)
- https://ukmetric.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/sam.pdf (Full Report document)
Metric Views 
Let’s hope a Labour government will find its courage once it actually has a majority in the next Parliament.
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I don’t really see the press as anti-metric nowadays – more like disorganised in the format of their reporting and, like the broadcasters, content to just pass on information as received from news agencies, etc.
However I can relate to an amusing story from the early 1970s.
The “Daily Express” certainly had an anti-metric face in those days. This was spearheaded by the rantings of A J P Taylor, who in his columns spoke out vigorously against metrication, centigrade, decimalization and anything related to the EU.
One day it was announced that the press were going to change selling their advertising space from column inches to column centimetres. A date was set from which this change would take place.
And what did the “Express” do on this appointed date?
It changed to column centimetres, like all the rest.
I had to laugh.
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Well Ezra,
It shouldn’t be too difficult to see if they will ever get the courage. Just investigate every Labour MP and see what their personal feelings are on the subject of metrication. If you get a significant majority opposed to further metrication or even supporting a reversal, then you know the answer to your thought.
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