2011 in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Events from the year 2011 in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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Incumbents
- Monarch - HM Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
- David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
January
- 1 January – Inmates riot at Ford Open Prison near ArundelArundelArundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Windows are smashed and part of the prison set on fire by prisoners, whose rioting is believed to have been sparked by staff attempts to breathalyse prisoners amid allegations that alcohol had been smuggled into the prison. - 2 January – The Montenegrin Embassy in London writes to Scottish Labour leader Iain GrayIain GrayIain Gray is a Scottish politician and the Leader of Scottish Labour Party Opposition in the Scottish Parliament. Gray was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament for the East Lothian constituency in 2007 having previously represented Edinburgh Pentlands from 1999 to 2003.-Background and...
, correcting factual inaccuracies and asking him to explain comments he made during First Minister's QuestionsFirst Minister's QuestionsFirst Minister's Questions is the name given to the weekly questioning of the leaders of devolved administrations in the United Kingdom. First Minister's Questions works in a similar way to Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons....
in December 2010, about the country being involved in “war crimes", "ethnic cleansing” and "a United Nations peace-keeping mission" - 4 January – Value added taxValue added taxA value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
increased to 20% from 17.5%. - 5 January – Music retailer HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
announces the closure of 60 stores following disappointing Christmas sales - a move which would see the firm lose 10% of its stores and could cost up to 900 people their jobs. - 7 January –
- The England cricket team win The AshesThe AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
series 3–1 in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. - Former Labour Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
David ChaytorDavid ChaytorDavid Michael Chaytor is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bury North from 1997 to 2010. He was the first member of Parliament to be sentenced following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009.On 2 June 2009, he announced that he...
is jailed for 18 months for fraudulently claiming more than £20,000 in expenses. - UK release of the film The King's Speech, with Colin FirthColin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as the stutteringStutteringStuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...
King George VIGeorge VI of the United KingdomGeorge VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
. This wins four Academy Awards, including Best PictureAcademy Award for Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
, on 27 February.
- The England cricket team win The Ashes
- 13 January – LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
win the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-electionOldham East and Saddleworth by-election, 2011The 2011 by-election in Oldham East and Saddleworth was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Oldham East and Saddleworth held on 13 January 2011...
. - 15 January – Three former Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s are ordained as priestsPriesthood (Catholic Church)The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
in the Roman CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of WalsinghamPersonal Ordinariate of Our Lady of WalsinghamThe Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is a personal ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church within the territory of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, but immediately subject to the Holy See in Rome and encompassing Scotland...
at Westminster CathedralWestminster CathedralWestminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
. - 21 January – News of the World phone hacking affair: Andy CoulsonAndy CoulsonAndrew Edward Coulson is an English journalist and political strategist.Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.He subsequently joined David Cameron's...
, the former editor of the News of the WorldNews of the WorldThe News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
, resigns from his position as David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's communications director, citing "continued coverage of events connected to my old job at the News of the World". - 25 January – Statistics reveal that the UK economy contracted by 0.5% during the final quarter of last year.
- 26 January – Prime Minister David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
announces that Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's Gerry AdamsGerry AdamsGerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
has resigned from the British parliamentResignation from the British House of CommonsMembers of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
and has accepted the position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of NorthsteadManor of NorthsteadThe Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600, the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. At present the Manor is part of the Barrowcliff area of the town of...
. Speaker John BercowJohn BercowJohn Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
later clarifies that Adams has been appointed to the role following a denial of his acceptance.
February
- 2 February – BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
executive Craig OliverCraig Oliver (media executive)Craig Stewart Oliver is a British news editor, producer and media executive, and the current Head of Communications for British Prime Minister David Cameron...
it is chosen to replace Andy CoulsonAndy CoulsonAndrew Edward Coulson is an English journalist and political strategist.Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.He subsequently joined David Cameron's...
as Prime Minister David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
's Director of Communications. - 5 February – David Cameron criticises "state multiculturism" in his first speech as prime minister on radicalisation and causes of terrorism.
- 9 February – Project MerlinProject MerlinProject Merlin is an agreement between the British Government of David Cameron and four of the major high street banks in the United Kingdom. These banks are Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, the Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC...
, an agreement on aspects of banking activity in the United KingdomBanking in the United KingdomBanking in the United Kingdom can be considered to have started in the Kingdom of England in the 17th century. The first activity in what later came to be known as banking was by goldsmiths who, after the dissolution of English monasteries by Henry VIII, began to accumulate significant stocks of...
, is agreed between the coalition governmentUnited Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
and the country's four major high street banks. - 10 February – The House of Commons votes 234-22 against prisoners receiving the right to vote.
March
- 3 March – Voters in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
approve plans to give the Welsh Assembly more powers. - 3 March – The Labour Party wins the Barnsley Central By-electionBarnsley Central by-election, 2011The Barnsley Central by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Barnsley Central which took place on 3 March 2011...
, with the Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
finishing in sixth place. - 18 March – Former British AirwaysBritish AirwaysBritish Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
software engineer Rajib Karim, of Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
is jailed for 30 years after he was earlier convicted of plotting to blow up a plane. - 26 March – Hundreds of thousands of people march in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
against governmentGovernment of the United KingdomHer Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
budget cuts with the protests later turning violent. (The Telegraph) (The Guardian) - 27 March –
- The UK 2011 CensusUnited Kingdom Census 2011The most recent census of the United Kingdom, known as the 2011 census, took place on 27 March 2011, a decade after the previous census. It was conducted on the same day in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure coherence and consistency...
is conducted. - A 47-year-old taxi driver, Christopher Halliwell, is charged with the murder of Sian O'CallaghanMurder of Sian O'CallaghanSian O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old British woman who disappeared from Swindon, Wiltshire, having last been seen at a nightclub in the town in the early hours of 19 March 2011. A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and subsequently gave the location of O'Callaghan's body to police....
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- The UK 2011 Census
April
- 1 April –
- South Downs National ParkSouth Downs National ParkThe South Downs National Park is England's newest National Park, having become fully operational on 1 April 2011. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex...
Authority begins operation. - The Daily SportThe Daily SportThe Daily Sport was a tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom by Daily Sport Ltd., which specialised in celebrity news and softcore pornographic stories and images. The daily paper was launched in 1991 by David Sullivan, following its former Sunday sister title, Sunday Sport . It ceased...
and Sunday SportSunday SportSunday Sport is a British tabloid newspaper, published by Sport Newspapers, which was established in 1986. It prints plainly ludicrous stories, such as a double-decker London bus being found frozen in the Antarctic ice, or a World War II bomber found on the moon. Defenders of the paper pointed out...
tabloid newspapers cease publication and enter administration.
- South Downs National Park
- 3 April – The UK's last circusCircusA circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
elephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
retires. - 4 April – As part of the British government's package of welfare reforms, from today the one-and-a-half million people in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who claim incapacity benefitIncapacity benefitIncapacity Benefit is a United Kingdom state benefit that is paid to those below the State Pension age who cannot work because of illness or disability and have made National Insurance contributions. It is administered by Jobcentre Plus...
begin to receive letters asking them to attend a work capability assessment. The tests are part of government plans to reduce the number of long-term claimants and will take until 2014 to complete. - 5 April – Police investigating the murder of Sian O'CallaghanMurder of Sian O'CallaghanSian O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old British woman who disappeared from Swindon, Wiltshire, having last been seen at a nightclub in the town in the early hours of 19 March 2011. A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and subsequently gave the location of O'Callaghan's body to police....
have identified human remains found at a second site as those of SwindonSwindonSwindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
woman Becky Godden-Edwards, who was last seen alive in 2002 at the age of 20. - 6 April – Mandatory retirement age begins to be phased out, being fully abolished from 1 October.
- 13 April – 53-year-old actor Brian ReganBrian Regan (actor)Brian Regan is a British actor known for playing Terry Sullivan, one of the lead roles in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, during the 1980s and 1990s. He has also had small parts in other television series...
, most famous for his role as Terry SullivanTerry Sullivan (Brookside)Terry Sullivan is a fictional character in the British Soap opera Brookside, played by Brian Regan. Terry first appeared a few episodes after the series began in 1982, making his debut in episode six. He was the best friend of Barry Grant having grown up with him, and in many ways Barry's mother...
in the former Channel Four TV soap BrooksideBrooksideBrookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, is charged - along with another man - with the murder of a man who was fatally shot in AigburthAigburthAigburth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Mossley Hill, and Garston.-History:...
, MerseysideMerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, on 24 February this year. - 24 April – Senior Liberal Democrat minister Chris HuhneChris HuhneChristopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
threatens legal action over "untruths" told by Conservative MP's opposed to the Alternative Vote System, 11 days before the referendum. He also warns that the dispute could damage the coalition government. - 27 April – The Office for National Statistics reveals that the economy returned to growth during the first quarter of this year, growing by 0.5%.
- 29 April – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton marry in Westminster AbbeyWestminster AbbeyThe Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. A public holiday celebrates the day, which in conjunction with the May Bank Holiday, makes a four-day weekend.
May
- 5 May –
- Elections held to the Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament election, 2011The 2011 Scottish Parliament general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the mixed member proportional representation system is used to...
, Welsh AssemblyNational Assembly for Wales election, 2011The National Assembly for Wales election 2011 was the most recent election for the National Assembly. The poll was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 and decided the incumbency for all the assembly's seats...
and the Northern Ireland AssemblyNext Northern Ireland Assembly electionThe 2011 election to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place on Thursday, 5 May, following the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly at midnight on 24 March 2011...
. Local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2011The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with...
are held on the same day together with the referendum on whether to adopt the Alternative Vote electoral system for elections to the House of Commons of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - Claude ChoulesClaude ChoulesClaude Stanley Choules was the last World War I combat veteran, and was the last military witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. He was also the last veteran to have served in both world wars, and the last seaman from the First World War...
, the oldest living British born male and the last combat veteran of World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, dies aged 110 in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he had lived since 1926. His death leaves 110-year-old NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
woman Florence GreenFlorence GreenFlorence Beatrice Green is the last known living veteran of the First World War. She was a member of the Women's Royal Air Force.-Biography:...
, a Women's Royal Air ForceWomen's Royal Air ForceThe Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
waitress, as the conflict's last verified veteran of any status.
- Elections held to the Scottish Parliament
- 6 May –
- Scottish National PartyScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
secures election victory, winning an overall majority in the Scottish parliament elections. - The counting of votes in UK local electionsUnited Kingdom local elections, 2011The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with...
continues with the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
making gains and the Liberal DemocratsLiberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
losing seats. - Voters reject proposals to introduce the alternative voting system in the UK.
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate Jon Ashworth wins the Leicester South by-electionLeicester South by-election, 2011The Leicester South by-election was held to elect a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom for the Leicester South constituency on 5 May 2011. It was prompted by the resignation of Sir Peter Soulsby of the Labour Party, who stood down from Parliament to contest the election for Mayor of...
.
- Scottish National Party
- 7 May -
- Counting for the Northern Ireland Assembly election ends with the DUPDemocratic Unionist PartyThe Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
and Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
winning most of the 108 seats, with 38 and 29 respectively. - The Welsh Labour Party wins 30 of the 60 Welsh Assembly seats in Thursday's election and plans to form a one-party government.
- Counting for the Northern Ireland Assembly election ends with the DUP
- 12 May – Queen Elizabeth II becomes the second-longest-reigning British monarch.
- 14 May – The city of ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
celebrates as Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
seal their record 19th top division league title and Manchester CityManchester City F.C.Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
win the FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
to end their 35-year wait for a major trophy. - 17–20 May – State visit by Queen Elizabeth II to the Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, the first by a reigning monarch of the United Kingdom to Dublin since 1911. - 22 May – The Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ends its training role in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, concluding the British military Operation TelicOperation TelicOperation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
there.
June
- 10 June – Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
's Paul MaskeyPaul MaskeyPaul John Maskey is an Irish republican politician in Northern Ireland who is a member of Sinn Féin. He has been a Sinn Féin member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast West since 2007, and was elected in June 2011 as Member of Parliament for the Westminster constituency of Belfast West,...
wins the West Belfast by-electionBelfast West by-election, 2011The Belfast West by-election, 2011 was a by-election for the United Kingdom constituency of Belfast West following the resignation of the constituency's Member of Parliament, Gerry Adams...
. - 15 June –
- St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
completes its £40m restoration project. The 15 year programme of cleaning and repair was among the largest restoration projects ever undertaken in the UK. - The National Union of TeachersNational Union of TeachersThe National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
and the Association of Teachers and LecturersAssociation of Teachers and LecturersThe Association of Teachers and Lecturers is a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education...
confirm a co-ordinated strike across England and Wales on 30 June as part of a dispute over changes to pensions.
- St Paul's Cathedral
- 23 June – Levi BellfieldLevi BellfieldLevi Bellfield is a British serial killer. A former nightclub bouncer and manager of a car clamping business, he was convicted on 25 February 2008 of murdering Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy...
, three years into a life sentenceLife imprisonmentLife imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the murder of two young women and the attempted murder of a third, is found guilty of murdering Amanda Dowler, the SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
teenager who disappeared in March 2002 and whose remains were found in HampshireHampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
six months later. - 24 June –
- Levi Bellfield received an additional life sentence for the murder of Amanda Dowler. The jury fails to reach a verdict on the attempted abduction of another girl and the judge orders that the charge should remain on file.
- Household furnishings retailer HabitatHabitat (retailer)Habitat Retail Ltd. is a retailer of household furnishings in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and has franchised outlets in other countries. Founded in 1964 by Terence Conran, it was sold by the IKANO Group, owned by the Kamprad family, in December 2009 to Hilco, a restructuring...
goes into administration. 30 of its 33 outlets are affected by the administration, as the three central LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
stores are being sold to Home Retail Group in a £24.5million deal which will safeguard a total of 150 jobs.
- 30 June –
- Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers go on strike across the UK over planned pensionPensionIn general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
changes. - The UK population rose by 470,000 between 2009 and 2010, according to new figures from the Office for National StatisticsOffice for National StatisticsThe Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
- the biggest increase in nearly 50 years. - The cheque guarantee cardCheque guarantee cardA cheque guarantee card is essentially an abbreviated portable letter of credit granted by a bank to a qualified depositor, providing that when he is paying a business by cheque and the retailer writes the card number on the back of the cheque, the cheque is signed in the retailer's presence, and...
scheme – which ensures some cheques are honoured even if the account holder does not have sufficient funds in their account – is being withdrawn today after operating for over 40 years.
- Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers go on strike across the UK over planned pension
July
- 1 July – The Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Iain McKenzieIain McKenzieIain McKenzie is a Scottish Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Inverclyde since the June 2011 by-election in his constituency.-Early life:...
wins the Inverclyde by-election with a majority reduced from 14,416 in 2010 to 5,838. - 7 July – Following recent allegationsNews of the World phone hacking affairThe News International phone-hacking scandal is an ongoing controversy involving mainly the News of the World but also other British tabloid newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police...
that its journalists had hacked into the mobile phones of celebrities, politicians and high profile crime victims over the last decade, it is announced that the News of the WorldNews of the WorldThe News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
will cease publication after its final edition on Sunday 10 July, having been in circulation for 168 years. - 12 July - ScottishScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ticket scoops €EuroThe euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
185m (GBP163,077,500.00) Euro Millions jackpot. This is the biggest ever jackpot won in Euro Millions history. - 15 July - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the final installment in the Harry Potter film seriesHarry Potter (film series)The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
, is released in UK cinemas. - 18 July – Sean HoareSean HoareSean Hoare was a British entertainment journalist. He contributed to articles on show business, from actors to reality television stars...
, the former News of the World reporter who made phone-hacking allegations against the newspaper which contributed to its recent demise, is found dead in WatfordWatfordWatford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
. His death is being treated as "unexplained but not suspicious" by police. - 23 July – The singer songwriter Amy WinehouseAmy WinehouseAmy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, 27, is found dead at her London home. - 26 July – The British economy grew by 0.2% during the second quarter of this year, down from 0.5% in the first quarter.
- 29 July – WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
man Bilal Zaheer Ahmad, 23, is sentenced to 12 years in prison for making calls on an internet blog for MPs who backed the war in Iraq to be murdered.
August
- 4 August – Downing Street launches a new e-petitionInternet petitionAn Internet petition is a form of petition posted on a website. Visitors to the website in question can add their email addresses or names, and after enough "signatures" have been collected, the resulting letter may be delivered to the subject of the petition, usually via e-mail.-Pros and cons:The...
website to encourage the public to prompt parliamentary debate on topics they feel are important. Several petitions concern proposals for and against restoring the death penaltyCapital punishment in the United KingdomCapital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
, last used in the UK in 1964John Alan WestJohn Alan West was a 53-year-old laundry van driver from Seaton, Cumberland, England, murdered by two men on 7 April 1964. His murder led to the executions of Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans — the last executions in the United Kingdom.-Crime and arrest:John West, who lived alone, had returned to...
. - 6 August – 2011 English riots2011 England riotsBetween 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
begin. - 7 August – The Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan policeMetropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
struggles to restore order in TottenhamTottenhamTottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
after a riot the previous evening. - 8 August –
- Prime Minister David CameronDavid CameronDavid William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
cuts short his holiday to chair a meeting of the COBRA Committee as rioting in London continues into its third day and violence spreads across England with BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, NottinghamNottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
also affected. - The Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
appoints its first female war ship commander. Lieutenant Commander Sarah WestSarah WestLieutenant-Commander Sarah West is a British Royal Navy officer, notable as the first woman to be appointed to command a frigate in the Royal Navy....
, 39, will take control of HMS PortlandHMS Portland (F79)HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates.- Operational history :...
in April 2012.
- Prime Minister David Cameron
- 9 August – Further sporadic violence breaks out in several towns and cities around England, although London stays largely quiet overnight. Police say that the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old man in CroydonCroydonCroydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, may have been linked to the rioting in the area. - 10 August – Police from Scotland are being sent to England to help combat riots and disorder. There are three fatalities in BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, all MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
men who were run over in the Winson GreenWinson GreenWinson Green is a loosely-defined inner-city area in the west of the city of Birmingham, England. It is part of the ward of Soho.It is the location of HM Prison Birmingham and City Hospital .The area has a very multi-racial population, with large Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities.R&B singer...
district of the city while protecting their neighbourhood from the rioting. - 11 August – Parliament recalled due to riots and disorder.
- 12 August – The number of deaths in the recent wave of rioting across England reaches five when 68-year-old Richard Bowes dies in hospital from injuries suffered when he was attacking while trying to put out flames during rioting in EalingEalingEaling is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, four days ago. - 20 August – A pilot dies when an RAF Red ArrowsRed ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
aeroplane crashes at the Bournemouth Air FestivalBournemouth Air FestivalThe Bournemouth Air Festival is an annual air show held along the coast of Bournemouth, between Bournemouth pier and Boscombe pier, in Dorset, England...
following a display. - 23 August – An e-petitionInternet petitionAn Internet petition is a form of petition posted on a website. Visitors to the website in question can add their email addresses or names, and after enough "signatures" have been collected, the resulting letter may be delivered to the subject of the petition, usually via e-mail.-Pros and cons:The...
calling for the British Government to release of Cabinet documents relating to the Hillsborough disasterHillsborough disasterThe Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
collects 100,000 signatures - enough for MPs to consider a House of Commons debate on the matter. It is the first government e-petition to reach the target. - 31 August – Mobile Internet use is reaching 50% in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics.
September
- 12 September –
- The Independent Commission on BankingIndependent Commission on BankingThe Independent Commission on Banking was established in the United Kingdom in June 2010 to consider structural and related non-structural reforms to the UK banking sector to promote financial stability and competition. It was established in the wake of the global financial crisis which began in 2007...
recommends that British banks should separate their retail banking divisions from investment banking arms to safeguard against riskier banking activities. - Bernard Hogan-HoweBernard Hogan-HoweBernard Hogan-Howe, QPM is the present Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis . He was previously Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and more recently one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary.On 18 July 2011, the Home Secretary...
is named as the new Commissioner of London's Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan Police ServiceThe Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
.
- The Independent Commission on Banking
- 14 September – UK unemployment rose by 80,000 to 2.51 million, the largest increase in nearly two years, in the three months to July, official figures show.
- 15 September – Fixed-term Parliaments Act requires General Elections to take place at fixed five-year intervals, starting with 7 May 2015, removing the prerogative of Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
s to select a date. - 16 September – Four miners die in Gleision Colliery tragedy.
- 20 September – The UK's first commercial hydrogenHydrogen vehicleA hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its onboard fuel for motive power. Hydrogen vehicles include hydrogen fueled space rockets, as well as automobiles and other transportation vehicles...
filling station opens in SwindonSwindonSwindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
. - 21 September – An energy firm which has been test drilling for controversial "shale gasShale gasShale gas is natural gas produced from shale. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world...
" in LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
has said it has found vast gas resources underground. - 26 September – Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
delegates vote to scrap the tradition of Shadow Cabinet elections at their annual conferenceLabour Party (UK) ConferenceThe Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party.-Conference decisions:...
in LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. - 29 September – The United Kingdom's Department for TransportDepartment for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
announces a consultation process on raising the motorway speed limitRoad speed limits in the United KingdomRoad speed limits in the United Kingdom are used to define the maximum legal speed limit for road vehicles using public roads in the UK, and are one of the measures available to attempt to control traffic speeds. The speed limit in each location is indicated on a nearby traffic sign or by the...
in England and Wales to 80 mph.
October
- 1 October – A new record is set for the highest temperature recorded in October - at 29.9°C (85.8°F).
- 3 October – The UK government pledges £50m towards developing spin-off technologies from the super-strong material grapheneGrapheneGraphene is an allotrope of carbon, whose structure is one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The term graphene was coined as a combination of graphite and the suffix -ene by Hanns-Peter Boehm, who described single-layer...
. - 5 October – The world's largest solar bridge project gets underway in London.
- 6 October – The Bank of England says it will inject a further £75bn into the economy through quantitative easingQuantitative easingQuantitative easing is an unconventional monetary policy used by central banks to stimulate the national economy when conventional monetary policy has become ineffective. A central bank buys financial assets to inject a pre-determined quantity of money into the economy...
(QE), but holds interest rates at 0.5%. - 9 October – Former BeatleThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
Sir Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
marries American heiress Nancy Shevell at a ceremony in London. - 10 October – The trial of Vincent Tabak, who is accused of murdering British landscape architect Joanna Yeates begins at Bristol Crown CourtBristol Crown CourtThe Crown Court at Bristol is a Crown Court venue in Bristol, England. It is located at the Law Courts in Small Street.The building which was known as the Bristol Guildhall was built in the 1840s by Richard Shackleton Pope. The assize courts were attached to the rear of the Guildhall between...
. - 12 October – A government ban on non-EU foreign spouses under the age of 21 coming to the UK is ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court.
- 13 October – BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
has been given the go-ahead to proceed with a new £4.5bn oil project west of the Shetland IslandsShetland IslandsShetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
. - 14 October – Liam FoxLiam FoxLiam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
resigns as Defence Secretary after a week of allegations over his working relationship with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty. - 17 October – Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox broke the ministerial code in his dealings with his friend Adam Werritty, an official report says.
- 21 October – LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
is forced to close its doors to visitors for the first time since the Second World War after Occupy LondonOccupy LondonOccupy London is an ongoing peaceful protest and demonstration against economic inequality, the lack of affordability of housing in the United Kingdom, social injustice, corporate greed and the influence of companies and lobbyists on government taking place in London, United Kingdom, which started...
protesters set up camp on its doorstep. - 27 October –
- Serial killer Robert BlackRobert Black (serial killer)Robert Black is a Scottish paedophile serial killer convicted of the kidnap and murder of four girls between the ages of 5 and 11 between 1981 and 1986 in the United Kingdom. He was convicted of sexually assaulting one of the girls and of raping the other three...
is convicted of the 1981 murder of Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
schoolgirl Jennifer Cardy. - As police prepare to remove protestors from the grounds of St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, Dr Giles FraserGiles FraserGiles Anthony Fraser is a priest of the Church of England. He was Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral from 2009 until his resignation in October 2011. As Canon Chancellor, Fraser fulfilled the role of a canon residentiary with special responsibility for contemporary ethics and engagement with...
resigns as its canon chancellor, saying he cannot condone the use of violence against the demonstrators.
- Serial killer Robert Black
- 28 October –
- Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak is convicted of the murder of landscape artist Joanna YeatesMurder of Joanna YeatesJoanna Clare "Jo" Yeates was a landscape architect from Hampshire, England, who went missing on 17 December 2010 in Bristol after an evening out with colleagues...
and sentenced to life imprisonment. - As St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
re-opens to visitors the City of London Corporation announces plans to launch legal action to evict protesters from the cathedral's grounds.
- Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak is convicted of the murder of landscape artist Joanna Yeates
- 31 October – The Rt Rev Graeme Knowles resigns as Dean of St Paul'sDean of St Paul'sThe Dean of St Paul's is the head of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London, England in the Church of England. The most recent Dean, Graeme Knowles, formerly Bishop of Sodor and Man, was installed on 1 October 2007 and resigned on 31 October 2011...
as protestors by Occupy LondonOccupy LondonOccupy London is an ongoing peaceful protest and demonstration against economic inequality, the lack of affordability of housing in the United Kingdom, social injustice, corporate greed and the influence of companies and lobbyists on government taking place in London, United Kingdom, which started...
demonstrators continue.
November
- 4 November - Seven people die and dozens are injured after 27 vehicles collide2011 M5 motorway crashThe 2011 M5 motorway crash was a multi-vehicle collision that took place on 4 November 2011 on the M5 motorway near Taunton, Somerset, in South West England...
- many bursting into flames - on the M5 motorwayM5 motorwayThe M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
in SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. - 6 November - A public opinion poll carried out for the BBC Politics Show about Scotland's constitutional future indicates that devo-max was the most popular option with Scottish voters but 'no further constitutional change' was the most popular option with English voters: in Scotland, 33% backed devo-max, 28% supported Scottish independence and 29% backed 'no further constitutional change', while in England, 14% supported devo-max, 24% supported Scottish independence and 40% backed 'no further constitutional change'.
- 9 November - Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United KingdomThe Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the supreme court in all matters under English law, Northern Ireland law and Scottish civil law. It is the court of last resort and highest appellate court in the United Kingdom; however the High Court of Justiciary remains the supreme court for criminal...
decides Kernott v JonesKernott v JonesJones v Kernott [2011] is a decision by the UK Supreme Court concerning the beneficial entitlement to a family home under a constructive trust.-Facts:...
giving Patricia Jones a 90% interest in a family home owned jointly with her former cohabitee but to which he had not contributed since their relationship ended, a leading case on unmarried couples' property rights in England and WalesEngland and WalesEngland and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
. - 10 November – Hinchingbrooke HospitalHinchingbrooke HospitalHinchingbrooke Hospital is an NHS hospital in Hinchingbrooke near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Opened in 1983, it is a main hospital for the Huntingdonshire area, and has a range of specialities as well as an Accident and Emergency. It has 266 beds, including 24 specifically for day cases...
in CambridgeshireCambridgeshireCambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
becomes the first NHSNational Health Service (England)The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
hospital to be run by a private firm. Healthcare partnership Circle has been awarded a ten-year contract, and will take over administration of the hospital – which has heavy financial debts – in February 2012. - 16 November – Unemployment rose to more than 2,600,000 (the highest level since 1994) during September. Sir Mervyn KingMervyn KingMervyn King may refer to:*Sir Mervyn King , British economist, Governor of the Bank of England*Mervyn King , former judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa and chairman of the King Committee on Corporate Governance...
, governor of the Bank of EnglandBank of EnglandThe Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, warns that the UK is now at a great risk from the Eurozone debt crisis. Youth unemployment has now passed the 1,000,000 mark for the first time since 1986. - 17 November –
- Scotland's First MinisterFirst Minister of ScotlandThe First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
Alex SalmondAlex SalmondAlexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
is named Spectator magazine's 2011 politician of the year. - The UK GovernmentGovernment of the United KingdomHer Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
sells the Northern Rock BankNorthern RockNorthern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for...
– which was nationalised in 2008Nationalisation of Northern RockIn 2008 the Northern Rock bank was nationalised by the British Government, due to financial problems caused by the subprime mortgage crisis...
– to Virgin MoneyVirgin MoneyVirgin Money is a UK-based financial services company owned by the Virgin Group and founded by Sir Richard Branson in March 1995. It was originally known as Virgin Direct, and pioneered index tracking by launching a value Personal Equity Plan into the market. In the 2000s Virgin Money expanded its...
for £747m.
- Scotland's First Minister
- 19 November – Four Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan Police ServiceThe Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
officers are stabbed while chasing a suspect in KingsburyKingsburyKingsbury is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London. The name Kingsbury means "The King's Manor".-History:Kingsbury was historically a small parish in the Hundred of Gore and county of Middlesex. Until the nineteenth century it was largely rural with only scattered settlements....
, north LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Two officers are seriously injured, while a 32-year-old suspect is arrested for attempted murderAttempted murderAttempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
. - 22 November – Overall median survival periods for cancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in England and Wales have risen from 12 months to nearly six years since the 1970s1970sFile:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, but with little change in some cancers, figures show. - 27 November –
- IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's parliament has voted by a large majority to downgrade diplomatic relations with the UK. The move comes after the UK Treasury imposed sanctionsSanctionsSanctions, plural of sanction, permission depending on context; contronym; may also refer to:Involving countries:* Economic sanctions, typically a ban on trade, possibly limited to certain sectors such as armaments, or with certain exceptions .*Trade sanctions, a type of economic sanction applied...
on Iranian banks. - Welsh national football team manager Gary SpeedGary SpeedGary Andrew Speed, MBE was a Welsh football player and manager. He was captain of the Wales national football team until he retired from international football in 2004 and he remains the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall, having appeared 85 times at senior level between...
, 42, is found dead at his home in ChesterChesterChester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. Speed, who had previously managed Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, had been a prominent footballer who was one of his country's most capped players with 85 appearances at senior level and also won a league title with Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and was an FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
runner-up twice with Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
.
- Iran
- 28 November – The OCED warns that the UK and the EurozoneEurozoneThe eurozone , officially called the euro area, is an economic and monetary union of seventeen European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender...
could be on the brink of another recession barely two years after the previous one. - 30 November – Public sector workers stage a strike over government plans to make their members pay more and work longer to earn their pensions.
January
- 2 January – Pete PostlethwaitePete PostlethwaitePeter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
, actor (b. 19461946 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1946 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* 1 January** The first international flight from London Heathrow Airport, to Buenos Aires....
) - 3 January – Jill HaworthJill HaworthValerie Jill Haworth was an English actress.Haworth was born in Sussex, to a textile magnate father and a mother who trained as a ballet dancer ....
, actress, died in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(b. 19451945 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1945 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the end of World War II and a landslide General Election victory for the Labour Party.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI...
) - 4 January –
- Mick KarnMick KarnAndonis Michaelides , better known as Mick Karn, was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982....
, musician (b. 19581958 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1958 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Harold Macmillan, Conservative Party-Events:...
) - Dick King-SmithDick King-SmithRonald Gordon King-Smith OBE, Hon.M.Ed. , better known by his pen name Dick King-Smith, was a prolific English children's author, best known for writing The Sheep-Pig, retitled in the United States as Babe the Gallant Pig, on which the movie Babe was based...
, author (b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
) - Gerry RaffertyGerry RaffertyGerald "Gerry" Rafferty was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working-class family in...
, singer-songwriter (b. 19471947 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1947 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* January – One of the most severe winters on record in the UK....
)
- Mick Karn
- 6 January – Gary Mason, boxer (b. 19621962 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1962 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Harold Macmillan, Conservative Party-Events:...
) - 9 January – Peter YatesPeter YatesPeter James Yates was an English director and producer. He was born in Aldershot, Hampshire.The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for some years as an actor, director and stage manager...
, film director (b. 19291929 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1929 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative , Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:...
) - 12 January – Helene PalmerHelene PalmerHelene Palmer was a British actress best known for her portrayal of Ida Clough, a machinist on the long running television series, Coronation Street.-Entertainment career:...
, actress (b. 19281928 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1928 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 15 January –
- Susannah YorkSusannah YorkSusannah York was a British film, stage and television actress. She was awarded a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for the same film. She won best actress for Images at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival...
, actress (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - Nat LofthouseNat LofthouseNathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse, OBE was an English professional footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career...
, footballer (b. 19251925 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1925 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
)
- Susannah York
- 24 January – Phil GalliePhil GalliePhilip Roy Gallie was a British politician who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Ayr from 1992 to 1997 and Member of the Scottish Parliament for the South of Scotland region from 1999 to 2007...
, Conservative & Unionist MP and MSP (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 28 January – Margaret PriceMargaret PriceDame Margaret Berenice Price, DBE was a Welsh soprano.-Early years:Price was born in Blackwood, Wales. Born with deformed legs, she was operated on at age four and suffered pain in her legs the rest of her life. She often looked after her younger brother John who was born with a mental handicap...
, opera singer (b. 19411941 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1941 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George VI*Prime Minister - Winston Churchill, coalition-Events:...
) - 30 January – John BarryJohn Barry (composer)John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
, composer, died in Oyster BayOyster Bay (town), New YorkThe Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the town population was...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(b. 19331933 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1933 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:* January - The London Underground diagram designed by Harry Beck is introduced to the public....
)
February
- 2 February – Margaret JohnMargaret JohnMargaret John was a Welsh, BAFTA award-winning actress, best known for her role as Doris in Gavin & Stacey. She has been described, by fellow actress Ruth Jones, as "an absolute national treasure".-Early life:...
, actress (b. 19261926 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1926 in the United Kingdom. The year is dominated by the General Strike.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Prime Minister – Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 3 February – Tony LevinTony Levin (drummer)Tony Levin was an English jazz drummer.Levin played at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in the 1960s with artists including Joe Harriott, Al Cohn, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Zoot Sims, and Toots Thielemanns....
, jazz drummer (b. 19401940 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1940 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.- Incumbents :* Monarch - King George VI* Prime Minister - Neville Chamberlain, national coalition , Winston Churchill, coalition- Events :...
) - 5 February – Brian JacquesBrian JacquesJames Brian Jacques was an English author best known for his Redwall series of novels and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He also completed two collections of short stories entitled The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.-Biography:Brian Jacques was born...
, author (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 6 February – Gary MooreGary MooreRobert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
, rock guitarist, died in Estepona, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(b. 19521952 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1952 in the United Kingdom. This year sees a change of monarch.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI , Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Winston Churchill, Conservative Party-Events:...
) - 10 February – Trevor BaileyTrevor BaileyTrevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
, cricketer (b. 19231923 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1923 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative Party , Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 14 February – George ShearingGeorge ShearingSir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...
, musician, died in New York City, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(b. 19191919 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1919 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-Events:* 1 January - In Scotland, HMS Iolaire is wrecked on rocks: 205 die....
) - 17 February – Ron HickmanRon HickmanRonald Price Hickman OBE was a South African born, Jersey based car designer and inventor who designed the original Lotus Elan, the Lotus Elan +2 and the Lotus Europa, as well as the Black & Decker Workmate....
, inventor (b. 19321932 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1932 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:* 8 January - The Archbishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorcees....
) - 22 February – Nicholas CourtneyNicholas CourtneyWilliam Nicholas Stone Courtney was an English television actor, most famous for playing Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
, actor (b. 1929) - 26 February – Dean RichardsDean Richards (footballer)Dean Ivor Richards was an English footballer who played as a defender. He began his career at hometown club Bradford City before a four year stay with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He left to play Premier League football with Southampton and finally Tottenham Hotspur...
, footballer (b. 19741974 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1974 in the United Kingdom. The year is marked by the Three-Day Week, two General Elections, one change of national government, a state of emergency in Northern Ireland, extensive Provisional Irish Republican Army bombing of the British mainland, and major local government...
)
March
- 4 March –
- Vivienne HarrisVivienne Harris (businesswoman)Vivienne Harris, MBE was a British businesswoman, newspaper publisher and journalist who co-founded the Jewish Telegraph in December 1950 with her husband, Frank Harris. The couple married in 1949.Frank Harris, a freelance journalist, had relocated to Manchester from London...
, founder of the Jewish TelegraphJewish TelegraphThe Jewish Telegraph is a British Jewish newspaper. It was founded in December 1950 by Frank and Vivienne Harris, the parents of the current Editor, Paul Harris.-Founding:...
(b. 19211921 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1921 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-January to June:* 1 January - Car tax discs introduced....
/1922) - Charles JarrottCharles JarrottCharles Jarrott was a British film and television director. He was best known for costume dramas he directed for producer Hal B...
, director, died in Woodland Hills, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(b. 19271927 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1927 in the United Kingdom.1927 saw the renaming of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, recognising in name the Irish free state's independence, it having come into existence with the Anglo-Irish Treaty...
)
- Vivienne Harris
- 14 March – Leslie CollierLeslie CollierLeslie Harold Collier was a scientist responsible for developing a freeze-drying method to produce a more heat stable smallpox vaccine in the late 1940s....
, virologist (b. 19211921 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1921 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-January to June:* 1 January - Car tax discs introduced....
) - 15 March –
- Peter LoaderPeter LoaderPeter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
, cricketer, died in PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(b. 19291929 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1929 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative , Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:...
) - Smiley CultureSmiley CultureDavid Victor Emmanuel , better known as Smiley Culture, was a British reggae singer and deejay known for his 'fast chat' style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s...
, reggae singer and DJ (b. 19631963 in the United KingdomEvents of the year 1963 in the United Kingdom. The year sees changes in the leadership of both principal political parties, the Profumo Affair and the rise of The Beatles.-Incumbents:* Monarch – Elizabeth II...
)
- Peter Loader
- 17 March – Michael GoughMichael GoughMichael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,...
, actor (b. 19161916 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1916 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War I.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H...
) - 23 March – Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth TaylorDame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, actress, died in Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(b. 19321932 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1932 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:* 8 January - The Archbishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorcees....
) - 26 March – Diana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne Jones was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction...
, writer (b. 19341934 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1934 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:...
) - 29 March – Robert TearRobert TearRobert Tear, CBE was a Welsh tenor and conductor.Tear was born in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, UK, the son of Thomas and Edith Tear. He attended Barry Boys' Grammar School and during this period sang in the chorus of the first Welsh National Opera's production of 'Cavalleria Rusticana' in April 1946...
, operatic tenor (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
)
April
- 7 April – Hugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of GraftonHugh FitzRoy, 11th Duke of GraftonHugh Denis Charles FitzRoy, 11th Duke of Grafton, was the son of Charles FitzRoy, 10th Duke of Grafton, and his first wife Lady Doreen Maria Josepha Sydney Buxton, second daughter of Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton. He was known until 1970 as the Earl of Euston.-Biography:He was born in 1919 in...
, aristocrat (b. 1919) - 11 April –
- Simon MiltonSimon Milton (politician)Sir Simon Henry Milton was a British Conservative politician. He lately served as London's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, and before that was a leader of Westminster City Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association.-Early life:Milton was the son of Clive and Ruth Milton and was...
, politician (b. 19611961 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1961 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Harold Macmillan, Conservative Party-Events:*1 January...
) - Angela ScoularAngela ScoularAngela Margaret Scoular was an English actress.-Early life:Her father was an engineer and she was born in London. She attended St.George's School, Harpenden, Queen's College, Harley Street and RADA.-Career:...
, actress (b. 19451945 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1945 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the end of World War II and a landslide General Election victory for the Labour Party.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI...
)
- Simon Milton
- 14 April – Trevor BannisterTrevor BannisterTrevor Gordon Bannister was an English actor best known for playing the womanising junior salesman Mr. Lucas in the sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1979, and for his role as Toby Mulberry Smith in the longest-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, from 2003 until it ended its run in 2010...
, actor (b. 19341934 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1934 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:...
) - 19 April – Elisabeth SladenElisabeth SladenElisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprised the role many times in subsequent decades, both on...
, actress (b. 19461946 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1946 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* 1 January** The first international flight from London Heathrow Airport, to Buenos Aires....
) - 20 April –
- Tim HetheringtonTim HetheringtonTimothy Alistair Telemachus Hetherington was a British-American photojournalistwith work that "ranged from multi-screen installations, to fly-poster exhibitions, to handheld device downloads." He was best known for the documentary film Restrepo , which he co-directed with Sebastian Junger; the...
, journalist, died in Misrata, LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(b. 19701970 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1970 in the United Kingdom. This is a General Election year with a change of government.-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Prime Minister - Harold Wilson , Labour Party ; Edward Heath, Conservative Party...
) - Tul Bahadur Pun, Nepalese World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
soldier, died in MyagdiParbat DistrictParbat District of 157,826.It is mainly famous for the Gupteshowr Cave, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims during Shivaratri. It is also noted for the Dahere Deurali Temple, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims during Balachaturdanshai....
, NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
(b. 19231923 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1923 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative Party , Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
)
- Tim Hetherington
- 22 April – W. J. GruffyddW. J. Gruffydd (Elerydd)William John Gruffydd , better known by his bardic name of Elerydd, was a Welsh Baptist minister and poet who served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales between 1984 and 1987....
, poet and former Archdruid of Wales (b. 19161916 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1916 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War I.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H...
) - 23 April –
- Terence LongdonTerence LongdonTerence Longdon was an English actor. Longdon, born in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire was best known for his lead role in the 1950s-1960s British TV series Garry Halliday where he played a Biggles-like pilot who flew into various adventure situations. In film he was Drusus, Messala's personal...
, actor (b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
) - John SullivanJohn Sullivan (writer)John Richard Thomas Sullivan OBE was an English television scriptwriter responsible for several popular British sitcoms, including Only Fools and Horses, Citizen Smith and Just Good Friends....
, writer (b. 19461946 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1946 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* 1 January** The first international flight from London Heathrow Airport, to Buenos Aires....
)
- Terence Longdon
- 26 April – Henry LeachHenry LeachAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Conyers Leach, GCB, DL was a former First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Royal Navy. Leach was the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff between 1979 and 1982, being the professional head of the Navy at the time of the Falklands War...
, Admiral of the FleetAdmiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
(b. 19231923 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1923 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative Party , Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 30 April – Richard HolmesRichard Holmes (military historian)Brigadier Edward Richard Holmes, CBE, TD, JP , known as Richard Holmes, was a British soldier and noted military historian, particularly well-known through his many television appearances...
, military historian (b. 19461946 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1946 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* 1 January** The first international flight from London Heathrow Airport, to Buenos Aires....
)
May
- 1 May –
- Ted LoweTed LoweEdwin Charles Ernest Lowe, MBE , known as Ted Lowe, was an English snooker commentator for the BBC. His unmistakably husky, hushed tones earned him the nickname "Whispering Ted".-Life and career:...
, snooker commentator (b. 19201920 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1920 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-Events:* 10 January - The steamer Treveal is wrecked in the English Channel; 35 people lose their lives....
) - Sir Henry CooperHenry CooperHenry Cooper may refer to:*Sir Henry Cooper , British Heavyweight boxer*Henry Cooper from Tennessee*Henry Cooper , English recipient of the Victoria Cross...
, boxer (b. 19341934 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1934 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:...
)
- Ted Lowe
- 5 May –
- Leslie AudusLeslie AudusLeslie John Audus was a British botanist and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve survivor of the Japanese internment camps of World War II. He cultured yeast to feed and save the lives of his fellow POW's...
, botanist (b. 19111911 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1911 in the United Kingdom. This is a Coronation and Census year.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H...
) - Claude ChoulesClaude ChoulesClaude Stanley Choules was the last World War I combat veteran, and was the last military witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. He was also the last veteran to have served in both world wars, and the last seaman from the First World War...
, Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
seaman, last living World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
combat veteran, died in PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(b. 19011901 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1901 in the United Kingdom. This year marks the transition from the Victorian to the Edwardian era.-Incumbents:*Monarch — Queen Victoria , King Edward VII...
)
- Leslie Audus
- 9 May – David CairnsDavid Cairns (politician)John David Cairns was a Scottish Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 2001 until his death. He represented the constituency of Inverclyde. He was the Minister of State at the Scotland Office until he resigned on 16 September 2008...
, Labour MP (b. 19661966 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1966 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Harold Wilson, Labour-Events:* 3 January...
) - 12 May – Noreen Murray, molecular geneticist (b. 19351935 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1935 in the United Kingdom. This royal Silver Jubilee year sees a General Election and changes in the leadership of both the Conservative and Labour parties.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V...
) - 16 May – Edward HardwickeEdward HardwickeEdward Hardwicke , sometimes credited as Edward Hardwick, was an English actor.-Early life and career:...
, actor (b. 19321932 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1932 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:* 8 January - The Archbishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorcees....
) - 17 May – Frank UptonFrank UptonFrank Upton was an English professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Upton, a hard tackling central defender, began his football career with Nuneaton Borough. He moved to Northampton Town in March 1953, making his league debut the same season...
, footballer (b. 19341934 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1934 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:...
) - 19 May – Kathy KirbyKathy KirbyKathy Kirby was an English singer who was reportedly the highest-paid female singer of her generation. She is best known for her cover version of Doris Day's "Secret Love" and for representing the United Kingdom in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in second place...
, singer (b. 19381938 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1938 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 22 May – Suzanne MizziSuzanne MizziSuzanne Mizzi was a glamour model, singer, interior designer, and artist. She made regular appearances as a Page Three girl in the British newspaper The Sun during the 1980s and 1990s, before going on to have a career as a catwalk model, as well as being involved in film and music...
, Malta-born British model, artist and interior designer (b. 1967) - 24 May – Blair Stewart-WilsonBlair Stewart-WilsonLieutenant-Colonel Sir Blair Aubyn Stewart-Wilson, KCVO was Equerry to Her Majesty The Queen and Deputy Master of the Household in the Royal Household from 1976 to 1994.-Biography:...
, courtier (b. 19291929 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1929 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative , Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:...
) - 25 May – Leonora CarringtonLeonora CarringtonLeonora Carrington OBE was a British-born Mexican artist, a surrealist painter and a novelist. She lived most of her life in Mexico City.-Early life:...
, British-born Mexican artist (b. 19171917 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1917 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War I.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-Events:...
) - 27 May – Janet Brown, comedienne and impressionist (b. 19231923 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1923 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative Party , Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 31 May –
- John MartinJohn Martin (Royal Navy officer)Vice Admiral Sir John Edward Ludgate Martin KCB DSC was a former Royal Navy officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey.-Naval career:...
, Royal Navy officer (b. 19181918 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1918 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the end of World War I after four years, which Britain and its allies won, and a major advance in women's suffrage.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V...
) - Hugh Stewart, film editor (b. 19101910 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1910 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King Edward VII , King George V*Prime Minister - H. H...
)
- John Martin
June
- 3 June – Miriam KarlinMiriam KarlinMiriam Karlin, OBE was a British actress who worked on screen for over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Paddy in The Rag Trade, a 1960s BBC and 1970s LWT sitcom , especially for her catchphrase "Everybody out!"...
, actress (b. 19251925 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1925 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 4 June –
- Donald HewlettDonald HewlettDonald Marland Hewlett was an English actor, born in Northenden, Manchester, and best known for his sitcom roles as Colonel Charles Reynolds in It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Lord Meldrum in You Rang, M'Lord?, both written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft...
, actor (b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
) - Martin RushentMartin RushentMartin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
, record producer (b. 19481948 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1948 in the United Kingdom. The Olympics are held in London and some of the government's key social legislation takes effect.-Incumbents:* Monarch – King George VI* Prime Minister – Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:...
)
- Donald Hewlett
- 5 June – Gordon LorenzGordon LorenzGordon Lorenz , was an English songwriter and record producer, who made his fame by writing the UK Christmas number one hit "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma" for St Winifred’s School Choir...
, songwriter and record producer (b. c. 19491949 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1949 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George VI*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* January - A national sex survey is carried out into the sexual behaviour of 4,000 Britons...
) - 8 June –
- John Mackenzie, film director (b. 19281928 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1928 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - Roy SkeltonRoy SkeltonRoy William Skelton was an English actor and voice artist, whose voice was more familiar to television viewers than his name...
, television actor (b. 19311931 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1931 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour and national coalition-Events:* 6 January - Sadler's Wells Theatre opens in London....
)
- John Mackenzie, film director (b. 1928
- 10 June – Patrick Leigh FermorPatrick Leigh FermorSir Patrick "Paddy" Michael Leigh Fermor, DSO, OBE was a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Cretan resistance during World War II. He was widely regarded as "Britain's greatest living travel writer", with books including his classic A Time of...
, World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
soldier and author (b. 19151915 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1915 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War I, which had broken out in the August of the previous year.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H...
) - 12 June – John WiltonJohn Wilton (British diplomat)Sir Arthur John Wilton KCMG KCVO MC , known as John Wilton, was a British diplomat who was Ambassador to Kuwait and to Saudi Arabia ....
, diplomat (b. 19211921 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1921 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-January to June:* 1 January - Car tax discs introduced....
) - 14 June – Badi UzzamanBadi UzzamanMohammed Badi Uzzaman Azmi , better known as Badi Uzzaman and also known as BadiUzzaman, was an Indian-born British television and film actor. According to The Guardian, Uzzaman was perhaps best known for his role as a hospital patient in the 1985 television series, The Singing Detective, opposite...
, actor (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 17 June – Jacquie de CreedJacquie de CreedJacqueline Balmer was an English stuntwoman and presenter, and holder of the Long Distance Car Ramp Jump Record. During the 1980s she became famous in the United Kingdom for staging a series of spectacular car stunts...
, stunt woman (b. 19571957 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1957 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch – Elizabeth II* Prime Minister – Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan, Conservative Party-Events:* 9 January – Resignation of Anthony Eden as Prime Minister due to ill-health....
) - 18 June – Brian HawBrian HawBrian William Haw was an English protester and peace campaigner who lived for almost ten years in a camp in London's Parliament Square from 2001, in a protest against UK and US foreign policy...
, activist (b. 19491949 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1949 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George VI*Prime Minister - Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* January - A national sex survey is carried out into the sexual behaviour of 4,000 Britons...
) - 24 June – A. H. WoodfullA. H. WoodfullAlbert Henry "Woody" Woodfull was an English product designer. Laying down many of the ground rules of industrial design in plastics while heading British Industrial Plastics' Product Design Unit, his work had international influence.Woodfull was born in Birmingham and trained as a silversmith at...
, plastic products designer (b. 19121912 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1912 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H. Asquith, Liberal-Events:* 1 January - Post Office takes over National Telephone Company....
) - 25 June – Margaret TyzackMargaret TyzackMargaret Maud Tyzack, CBE was a British actress.-Early life:Tyzack was born in Essex, England, the daughter of Doris and Thomas Edward Tyzack. She grew up in West Ham...
, actress (b. 19311931 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1931 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour and national coalition-Events:* 6 January - Sadler's Wells Theatre opens in London....
) - 26 June – Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of EarlsferryAlan Rodger, Baron Rodger of EarlsferryAlan Ferguson Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry, FRSE, FBA, PC was a Scottish lawyer and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
, judge (b. 19441944 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1944 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Winston Churchill, coalition-Events:...
)
July
- 3 July –
- Iain BlairIain BlairIain Blair was a Scottish actor and author who, using the pen name Emma Blair wrote a series of romantic novels.-Life and career:Blair was born in Glasgow and spent the first few years of his life there...
, author (b. 19421942 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1942 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Winston Churchill, coalition-Events:...
) - Anna MasseyAnna MasseyAnna Raymond Massey, CBE was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel Hotel du Lac.-Early life:...
, actress (b. 19371937 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1937 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Stanley Baldwin, national coalition , Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - Roy RedgraveRoy Redgrave (British Army officer)Major-General Sir Roy Michael Frederick Redgrave, KBE MC was Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong.-Military career:...
, Army officer (b. 19251925 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1925 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
)
- Iain Blair
- 11 July – George Lascelles, 7th Earl of HarewoodGeorge Lascelles, 7th Earl of HarewoodGeorge Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE AM , styled The Hon. George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was the elder son of the 6th Earl of Harewood , and Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and...
, aristocrat (b. 19231923 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1923 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Andrew Bonar Law, Conservative Party , Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 15 July – Googie WithersGoogie WithersGeorgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
, India-born British actress, died in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(b. 1917) - 16 July – John CrookJohn CrookJohn Hurrell Crook, BSc, PhD, DSc , was a British ethologist who filled a pivotal role in British primatology....
, ethologist (b. 19301930 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1930 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - King George V* Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:* 1 February - The Times publishes its first crossword....
) - 17 July – Sean HoareSean HoareSean Hoare was a British entertainment journalist. He contributed to articles on show business, from actors to reality television stars...
, entertainment reporter (b. 19641964 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1964 in the United Kingdom. The year sees a general election with a change of government.-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Prime Minister – Alec Douglas-Home, Conservative , Harold Wilson, Labour-Events:...
) - 19 July –
- Sheila BurrellSheila BurrellSheila Mary Burrell was a British actress. A cousin of Lord Olivier, she was born in Blackheath, London, the daughter of a salesman. She attended St John's, Bexhill-on-Sea and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, London...
, actress (b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
) - Julian OswaldJulian OswaldAdmiral of the Fleet Sir John Julian Robertson Oswald GCB was a British naval officer who served as Chief of the Naval Staff and First Sea Lord.-Naval career:...
, admiral (b. 19331933 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1933 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, national coalition-Events:* January - The London Underground diagram designed by Harry Beck is introduced to the public....
)
- Sheila Burrell
- 20 July – Lucian FreudLucian FreudLucian Michael Freud, OM, CH was a British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impasted portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time...
, German-born British artist (b. 1922) - 23 July –
- Richard PikeRichard PikeRichard Andrew Pike was the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2006 - 2011.-Education:He attended Gosport County Grammar School . From Downing College, Cambridge he gained a 1st Class BA in Engineering in 1971, and later in 1977 gained a PhD...
, chemist (b. 19501950 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1950 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch — King George VI*Prime Minister — Clement Attlee, Labour Party-Events:* 16 January — The BBC Light Programme first broadcasts the daily children's radio feature Listen with Mother....
) - Amy WinehouseAmy WinehouseAmy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, singer-songwriter (b. 19831983 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1983 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Prime Minister - Margaret Thatcher, Conservative-Events:...
)
- Richard Pike
- 27 July – John Rawlins, Surgeon Vice Admiral (b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
)
August
- 6 August – John WoodJohn Wood (English actor)John Wood, CBE was an English actor.-Biography:Wood was born in Derbyshire and studied law at Jesus College, Oxford where he was president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. Changing to drama, Wood became known as a stage actor, appearing in numerous West End productions as well as on...
, actor (b. 19301930 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1930 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - King George V* Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:* 1 February - The Times publishes its first crossword....
) - 12 August – Robert Robinson, television and radio broadcaster (b. 19271927 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1927 in the United Kingdom.1927 saw the renaming of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, recognising in name the Irish free state's independence, it having come into existence with the Anglo-Irish Treaty...
) - 17 August – Frank MunroFrank MunroFrancis Michael "Frank" Munro was a Scottish international footballer who played as a centre back.Munro played for Dundee United and Aberdeen in his native Scotland before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1968...
, international footballer (b. 19471947 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1947 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Clement Attlee, Labour-Events:* January – One of the most severe winters on record in the UK....
) - 20 August – Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, Red ArrowsRed ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
pilot dies in a crash at the Bournemouth Air FestivalBournemouth Air FestivalThe Bournemouth Air Festival is an annual air show held along the coast of Bournemouth, between Bournemouth pier and Boscombe pier, in Dorset, England...
(b. 19781978 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1978 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Prime Minister - James Callaghan, Labour-Events:* 16 January - The firefighters strike ends after three months when firefighters accept an offer of a 10% pay rise and reduced working hours.* 18 January - The...
) - 22 August – John Howard DaviesJohn Howard DaviesJohn Howard Davies was an English television director and producer and former child actor.Davies was born in Paddington, London, the son of the scriptwriter Jack Davies...
, comedian (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 28 August –
- Billy DrakeBilly DrakeGroup Captain Billy Drake DSO, DFC & Bar was a British air ace. He scored 20 enemy aircraft confirmed destroyed, six probable and nine damaged with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War...
, World War II fighter pilot (b. 19171917 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1917 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War I.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-Events:...
) - Tony Sale, computer museum curator (b. 19311931 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1931 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour and national coalition-Events:* 6 January - Sadler's Wells Theatre opens in London....
)
- Billy Drake
September
- 11 September – Andy WhitfieldAndy WhitfieldAndy Whitfield was a Welsh actor and model. He was best known for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand during 2010, a year before his death at the age of 39.-Career:...
, actor (b. 19721972 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1972 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Prime Minister - Edward Heath, Conservative Party- Events :...
) - 13 September – Richard HamiltonRichard Hamilton (artist)Richard William Hamilton, CH was a British painter and collage artist. His 1956 collage, Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, produced for the This Is Tomorrow exhibition of the Independent Group in London, is considered by critics and historians to be one of the...
, artist (b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
) - 16 September –
- Brian BurnettBrian BurnettAir Chief Marshal Sir Brian Kenyon Burnett GCB DFC AFC was a former senior Royal Air Force officer who became Air Secretary.-Early life and RAF career:...
, Royal Air Force Air Secretary (b. 19131913 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1913 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H. Asquith, Liberal-Events:* 1 January - British Board of Film Censors receives the authority to classify and censor films....
) - William HawthorneWilliam HawthorneSir William R. Hawthorne CBE, FRS, FREng, FIMECHE, FRAES, was a British professor of engineering who worked on the development of the jet engine....
, aeronautical engineer (b. 19131913 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1913 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - H. H. Asquith, Liberal-Events:* 1 January - British Board of Film Censors receives the authority to classify and censor films....
)
- Brian Burnett
- 19 September – Ginger McCainGinger McCainDonald "Ginger" McCain was an English National Hunt trainer, perhaps best known for training the legendary horse Red Rum. A successful trainer who won many races, he trained Red Rum on Crosby beach near Liverpool...
, horse trainer (b. 19301930 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1930 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - King George V* Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:* 1 February - The Times publishes its first crossword....
) - 22 September – Jonathan CecilJonathan CecilJonathan Hugh Gascoyne-Cecil , more commonly known as Jonathan Cecil, was an English theatre, film and television actor.-Early life:...
, actor (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 23 September – Douglas Stuart, 20th Earl of Moray, aristocrat (b. 19281928 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1928 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
) - 27 September – David Croft, television writer, director and producer, died in TaviraTaviraTavira is a Portuguese city, situated at 37°07' north, 7°39' west in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is 30 km east of Faro and 160 km west of Seville in Spain. The Gilão River meets the Atlantic Ocean in Tavira....
, Algarve, PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(b. 19221922 in the United KingdomThe social and political problems of most prominence in the United Kingdom in 1922 showed a further departure from those that chiefly occupied public attention during World War I, and the country had by then almost returned to its normal condition...
)
October
- 7 October –
- George BakerGeorge Baker (actor)George Baker, MBE was an English actor and writer. He was best-known for portraying Tiberius in I, Claudius, and Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.-Personal life:...
, Bulgarian-born actor (b. 1931) - Phil WalkerPhil Walker (journalist)Philip Andrew Geoffrey Walker was a British former newspaper editor.Walker grew up in Cardiff, where he attended Howardian High School. He entered journalism in 1962, working for the South Wales Echo, then in 1964 moved to London to work for the Daily Sketch. In 1966, he joined the Reading...
, newspaper editor (b. 19441944 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1944 in the United Kingdom. This year is dominated by World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Winston Churchill, coalition-Events:...
)
- George Baker
- 15 October – Betty DriverBetty DriverElizabeth Mary "Betty" Driver, MBE was an English singer, actress and author, best known for her role as Betty Williams on the British soap opera, Coronation Street, appearing in more than 2,800 episodes...
, actress (b. 19201920 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1920 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George V*Prime Minister - David Lloyd George, coalition-Events:* 10 January - The steamer Treveal is wrecked in the English Channel; 35 people lose their lives....
) - 16 October – Dan WheldonDan WheldonDaniel Clive "Dan" Wheldon was a British racing driver from England. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in both 2005 and 2011...
, racing driver (b. 19781978 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1978 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Prime Minister - James Callaghan, Labour-Events:* 16 January - The firefighters strike ends after three months when firefighters accept an offer of a 10% pay rise and reduced working hours.* 18 January - The...
) - 20 October – Sue LloydSue LloydSue Lloyd was an English model turned actress with numerous film and television credits.-Biography:...
, actress (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 28 October – Campbell ChristieCampbell ChristieCampbell Christie, CBE was the General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress from 1986-98.The son of a Galloway quarryman, he joined the civil service at the age of 17, rising through the ranks of the Civil Service Clerical Association...
, former general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union CongressScottish Trades Union CongressThe Scottish Trades Union Congress is the co-ordinating body of trade unions, and local Trades Councils, in Scotland. With 39 affiliated unions as of 2007, the STUC represents around 630,000 trade unionists....
(b. 19371937 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1937 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Stanley Baldwin, national coalition , Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 29 October – Sir Jimmy SavileJimmy SavileSir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
, DJ and television presenter (b. 19261926 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1926 in the United Kingdom. The year is dominated by the General Strike.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George V*Prime Minister – Stanley Baldwin, Conservative-Events:...
)
November
- 3 November – John YoungJohn Young (Scottish politician)John Young was a Scottish politician. He was a Conservative and Unionist Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West of Scotland from 1999 to 2003....
, former Conservative MSP (b. 19301930 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1930 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:* Monarch - King George V* Prime Minister - Ramsay MacDonald, Labour-Events:* 1 February - The Times publishes its first crossword....
) - 8 November – Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, Red ArrowsRed ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...
pilot dies in an ejector seat incident (b. 19761976 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1976 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - Elizabeth II*Prime Minister - Harold Wilson, Labour Party , James Callaghan, Labour-Events:...
) - 10 November – Alan KeenAlan KeenDavid Alan Keen was a British Labour Co-operative politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston from 1992 until his death.-Early life:...
, Labour MP (b. 19371937 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1937 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Stanley Baldwin, national coalition , Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 20 November – Shelagh DelaneyShelagh DelaneyShelagh Delaney, FRSL was an English dramatist and screenwriter, best-known for her debut work, A Taste of Honey ....
, writer (b. 19391939 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of World War II.-Incumbents:*Monarch – King George VI*Prime Minister – Neville Chamberlain, national coalition-Events:...
) - 27 November –
- Gary SpeedGary SpeedGary Andrew Speed, MBE was a Welsh football player and manager. He was captain of the Wales national football team until he retired from international football in 2004 and he remains the most capped outfield player for Wales and the second overall, having appeared 85 times at senior level between...
, footballer and manager (b. 19691969 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1969 in the United Kingdom. The year is dominated by the beginnings of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Prime Minister - Harold Wilson, Labour Party-Events:...
) - Ken RussellKen RussellHenry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
, director (b. 19271927 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1927 in the United Kingdom.1927 saw the renaming of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, recognising in name the Irish free state's independence, it having come into existence with the Anglo-Irish Treaty...
)
- Gary Speed