BORIS Johnson has vowed to bring back pounds and ounces as measurements once Britain finally leaves the EU.
The PM said there was no reason why people shouldn’t be able to use the old-style measurements once we’re finally out.
In an interview with the Daily Mail with just days to go before polling day he laid out his plans.
The Tory leader said: “We will bring back that ancient liberty. I see no reason why people should be prosecuted.
“I think the reality is a lot of people are now educated in the metric system, we have to recognise that.
“But people I understand what a pound of apples is. I also understand what a kilo of apples is.”
Britain officially switched to using the metric system from 1965 onwards – using kilos and grams as opposed to pounds and ounces.
Most of the country uses the metric system now, but old units are still used on road signs (miles), and for drinks (a pint of beer for example), and vehicle speeds (miles per hour).
When Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973, the country was obliged to incorporate all directives into law, including incorporating metric systems into society.
By 1980 most prepackages goods were sold in the new units, but it took other industries longer to switch over.
But he vowed that shops would have to be flexible with using multiple systems, adding: “There will be an era of generosity and tolerance towards traditional measurements.”
The announcement came as he cranked up the volume on the campaign and laid out the stark choice Brits will face at the ballot box on Thursday.
He said Britain is at risk of sleepwalking into a government led by “the most extreme left wing candidate produced by the Labour Party in a century”.
He dismissed suggestions he’s on course for a majority, saying nothing was certain after the party’s failure in 2017.
A panelbase poll last night had the Tories on 43, Labour on 34 the Lib Dems on 13.
Boris said: “We’ve gotta make sure that we push it right the way to the end, because we saw what happened in 2017.
“There are only two mathematical possibilities.
“Either we get a working majority and get Brexit done and unleash the potential of the country, or we have a coalition in which Jeremy Corbyn, the most extreme Left-wing candidate produced by the Labour Party in a century, will be propped up by Nicola Sturgeon.
“That was the lesson of 2017 and we cannot take anything for granted, you know, we are fighting for every vote.
“I really urge people to think of the choice that faces us on Thursday because it is very, very stark indeed”.
Elsewhere in the interview he promised to fix the social care crisis by the end of the next Parliament.
