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The eu. Introduced a directive back in the year two thousand that meant traders were legally required to use the metric system. But now that u kay's left the u is it time to revive imperial units once more? In the u k you can sell products using imperial units, as long as you also list the metric equivalent. The department of bus ness, energy and industrial strategy launched a consultation on all of this last week. It has attracted its fair share of criticism but i don't think it's about cats. We whether dead or alive, it's about freedom of choice.

When reports surfaced that Boris Johnson would be announcing the return of imperial measurements to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, there was some celebration, consternation, and a lot of confusion. Britain already uses a mix of both imperial and metric, and it is legal to price goods in pounds and ounces if this is displayed alongside the price in grams and kilograms. So what’s really behind this rekindled debate over units? Science editor Ian Sample speaks to author and metrology historian James Vincent about the rise of metric, the enduring political power of measurement, and why it’s unlikely we’ll be getting rid of pints in pubs any time soon.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod