The Norwegian politician responsible for Daylight Saving Time has officially apologised for winding back the clock and adding an extra hour to what “has already been a very demanding year”.

Iselin Nybo, who holds the portfolios of Trade and Industry, is also responsible for the implementation of Daylight Saving Time.

On Sunday, the clocks will be set back an hour.

Norway’s Minister of Trade and Industry Iselin Nybo is very sorry for making 2020 longer. Photo: Getty

“As minister of time, I strongly regret that 2020 will be another hour longer,” Nybo told the Norwegian News Agency.

“This has already been a very demanding year for many.”

She encouraged Norwegians to look on the “brighter” side to the time change.

“When we set the clock back, the night gets an hour longer. This means that when we get up on Sunday, the sun has managed to get a little further up above the horizon than at the same time the day before, and we get a brighter morning than we would otherwise have,” she said.

The European Parliament voted in 2019 to back a proposal to do away with the twice-yearly Daylight Saving Time change, with a goal of eliminating it by 2021.

The proposal has not been ratified by the European Council.