The boss of Asda says the idea of returning to imperial weights and measures is “complete and utter nonsense”. Asda chairman Lord Stuart Rose of Monewden said it would “add cost” for those making the transition.
Lord Rose told interviewers the change would only please “a small minority who hark for the past”. He added it amounted to going “backwards”, and predicted it would be costly for those putting it in place.
Ministers are preparing to consult on how to further incorporate imperial measurements in Britain after Brexit, with Boris Johnson reportedly keen to announce the move to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The idea has already faced criticism from the Conservative backbenches, with Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns also branding it “a nonsense”.
Asked if he welcomed a return to the use of imperial measurements, Lord Rose told Times Radio: “The only polite word I can think of for your programme is, I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life. I mean, we have got serious problems in the world and we’re now saying let’s go backwards. Does anybody in this country below the age of about 40 know how many ounces there are in a pound?
“Are we going to go down to the supermarket and say, ‘I’ll have a pound-and-a-half please, or one pound, four ounces of this or that’? We’re doing it just to actually please a small minority of people who hark for the past. It’s complete and utter nonsense and it will add cost to those people who have to put it into place.
“I am shocked. It’s one thing having a crown on your pint glass, which is a bit of fun and a bit of nostalgia. It’s quite another having a whole dual system of weights and measures.”
The EU weights and measures directive came into force in 2000, with traders legally required to use metric units for sale-by-weight or the measure of fresh produce. It remains legal to price goods in pounds and ounces but they have to be displayed alongside the price in grams and kilograms.
The consultation, which is being co-ordinated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, could change those stipulations, allowing traders to choose how they price fresh items. The PA news agency said it has been told there will not be a move away from metric units but the consultation will look at where it makes sense to incorporate or switch to imperial measurements such as feet and yards, and pints and gallons.
