A committee of MEPs has voted to scrap the custom of changing the clocks in spring and autumn by 2021, as momentum builds behind a draft law that could raise tensions with Britain after Brexit.

If the plans become law, they would apply to the UK if it was still in the EU or in a transition period at that time.

The European parliament’s transport committee voted on Monday to abandon the twice-yearly clock change by 23 votes to 11, although member states would be able to choose whether to remain on “permanent summer” or “permanent winter” time, under the proposals.

The plans, which followed a consultation of 4 million people, still have to be agreed with EU member states and the full European parliament if they are to become law.

If the UK were in an extended Brexit transition period, the British government would be obliged to implement the directive without any say, despite serious reservations in parliament.

The House of Lords’ EU committee said last year that Brussels had overstepped its competences with the proposals. “Geographical and other specificities leave member states best-placed to determine whether seasonal time changes remain appropriate within their jurisdiction,” the Lords concluded.

Proponents argue there are health and energy saving benefits from abolishing the time switch, while opponents say existing arrangements are better for evening leisure.

EU member states do not have a fixed position on the draft law; countries are split over whether to move to permanent summer or permanent winter. Many governments also accused the European commission of rushing the legislation, before European elections in May.

Marita Ulvskog, a Swedish Social Democrat MEP, who is steering the law through parliament, said the initial plan to scrap summertime by April 2019 was premature.

She is calling for the abolition of time changes from April 2021 to allow more time for governments and business to make plans. “We want a coordinated mechanism, where member states need to cooperate and coordinate between themselves to avoid a patchwork of different times in the EU,” she said.

Pavel Svoboda, a Czech Christian Democrat MEP, gave the plans a cautious welcome, but said “a backstop” would be needed if the law posed problems for transport timetables.

“If problems appear in the internal market because of time differences, for example with timetables in the transport sector or flight schedules for airlines, we want to make sure we have a backstop.”

Under his backstop proposal, the commission could delay the introduction of the law by 12 months.

Brussels has regulated seasonal clock changes since 1980 to prevent uncoordinated changes to summer time from causing havoc with railway and airline timetables. Under EU law, the clocks in 28 countries move forward together on the last Sunday in March and fall back on the last Sunday in October.

Member states can choose which one of three time zones they are in.

More than 4.5 million people took part in an EU consultation on ending clock changes, the largest-ever number taking part in such a survey by the European commission. Yet 70% of the replies came from just one country, Germany, followed by France, then Austria.

The UK had the lowest level of survey participation, with just 0.02% of the population responding.

Across the EU 84% were in favour of scrapping clock changes, but there were significant national differences. While 93% of Finns and 91% of Poles support the move, Greeks and Cypriots narrowly opposed the plans.

Finland, which has the EU’s most northerly capital, is due to take the EU’s rotating presidency from July, so politicians are hoping for progress in agreeing the law in the second half of 2019.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal, it will be subject to a transition period until the end of 2020, where the British government will be obliged to follow all EU laws. This transition period can be extended once for a maximum of two years. If the UK decided to ignore Brussels and continue implementing British summer time, the EU could take it to the European Court of Justice.

If the UK leaves the EU, the government will be free to maintain British summer time, meaning Northern Ireland would have to choose whether to have a one-hour time difference with Ireland or the rest of the UK for half the year.