MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

PM Johnson wants to go back to pounds and ounces

Johnson is facing increased voter vitriol over the so-called Partygate scandal and amid growing inflation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is weighing a possible return to imperial units of measurement in a post-Brexit move to fully part with the remaining vestiges of the European alliance, it was reported in London. He had already pledged to take this path during his 2019 campaign.

Johnson is expected to announce his plan to welcome back the pound, the ounce, the pint, yards, or miles next Friday during the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.

Traders are legally obliged to use metric units, such as kilograms or liters when selling packaged goods or by weight in England, Scotland and Wales. The only countries still using imperial measurements are the United States, Myanmar, and Liberia.

The move faces criticism from several Conservative MPs, such as Alicia Kearns, who has publicly admitted losing confidence in Johnson over his handling of the scandal caused by parties in public buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said on Twitter that “this is not a freedom from Brexit; this is nonsense.” A poll last week showed that only 24% of voters see Johnson’s Tories as the best party to handle the current economic crisis.

Metric units were introduced in 2000 when traders were required by law to use metric units to sell by weight. While it is still legal to price products according to their weight in pounds and ounces, at the same time their equivalence in grams and kilograms must be shown.

On Johnson's side is Brandon Lewis, minister for Northern Ireland, this “gives citizens and businesses freedom,” as some sectors -he claimed- will be happy “to go back to those imperial measures.”

“It is one of the small things we can do having left the EU, there are other more important things we can do and want to do, but this is an indication that we now have the freedom to make those decisions ourselves,” he added.

Johnson is also believed to be appealing to the emotional feelings of voters who might still hold a grudge against him over the Partygate scandal, since the metric directive was a symbol of EU interference in British life.

“As the British people have been happy to use both imperial and metric measurements in their daily life it is good for the government to reflect that now we are free to change our regulations accordingly,” a government insider told the Daily Mirror.

Johnson had pledged during his 2019 election campaign to revive imperial units, calling for a “new era of generosity and tolerance” toward traditional measurements. He referred to the use of pounds and ounces as an “ancient liberty.”

The Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated across the UK – featuring street parties, a parade, and a royal pageant, among other events – over a four-day bank holiday from June 2 through June 5.