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Events from the year
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.


Incumbents

*
Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
*
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
(
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
) *
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
50th


Events


January

* January –
Tax-exempt special savings account In the UK, the tax-exempt special savings account (TESSA) was one of a number of tax-free savings accounts. The TESSA was announced by John Major in his only budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1990 (the "budget for savings") and at first ...
s (TESSAs) introduced as a government concession to promote personal savings. * 3 January – The UK expels all
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
i diplomats from the country due to the Iraqi government's illegal annexation of
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
five months earlier. * 5 January – 27 people die as a result of gale-force winds across Britain. * 8 January – A train crash at
Cannon Street station Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Travelcard zone 1 located on Cannon Street in the City of London and managed by Network Rail. It is on ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
kills one person and injures over 500. * 11 January – As the recession deepens, 335 employees at the
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
car factory in
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
are made redundant, while
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
is looking for up to 1,000 voluntary redundancies at its British factories. Thousands of jobs in the financial services factor are reportedly at threat, as the total UK unemployment figure is currently standing at nearly 1,800,000, but is expected to rise to well over 2,000,000 by the end of the year. * 14 January –
Donald Coleman Donald Richard Coleman, CBE, JP, DL (19 September 1925 – 14 January 1991) was the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom for Neath from 1964 until his death in 1991. Early life Coleman was born in Barry, the son of a coa ...
, Labour MP for
Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...
in
South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
, dies aged 65. * 16 January – The final phase of the M40 motorway through
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
is opened, giving the
West Midlands conurbation The West Midlands conurbation is the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the towns of Sutton Coldfield, Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge and Halesowen in the English West Midlands ...
its first direct motorway link with
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. * 17 January – The
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
begins, as the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
joins Allied aircraft in bombing raids on Iraq. * 18 January – In spite of the deepening recession, the Conservatives have climbed back to the top of the opinion polls, a MORI poll placing them five points ahead of Labour on 46%. * 19 January – It is announced that unemployment has reached more than 1.8 million, and experts warn that the figure will exceed 2 million later this year. * 29 January –
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
resists calls from the Labour Party for interest rates to be cut, in a bid to combat the recession.


February

* 7 February – The
Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...
launch a mortar attack against 10 Downing Street, blowing in all the windows of the cabinet room, during a session of the War Cabinet, but there are no injuries. * 8 February – Heavy snow disrupts the country for a second time during the winter 1990–1991 season as Britain experiences a prolonged cold snap. * 17 February –
Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...
is reported to be on the verge of axing more than 13,000 employees. * 18 February – A man is killed in the
Victoria station and Paddington station bombings On 18 February 1991 two Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs exploded at London mainline stations, one at Victoria station and the other at Paddington station, killing one person and injuring 38 other people at Victoria station. I ...
. * 25 February – Alan Green,
Director of Public Prosecution The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members of ...
, announces that the
Birmingham Six The Birmingham Six were six Irishmen who were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 following their false convictions for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the C ...
could soon be free from prison after seventeen years as their convictions for terrorism and mass murder are no longer considered safe and satisfactory. * 26 February – British scientist
Tim Berners-Lee Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee (born 8 June 1955), also known as TimBL, is an English computer scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. He is a Professorial Fellow of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a profess ...
introduces
WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb (later renamed Nexus to avoid confusion between the software and the World Wide Web) is the first web browser and web page editor. It was discontinued in 1994. It was the first WYSIWYG HTML editor. The source code was released in ...
, the first
web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used on ...
, while working at
CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...
in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, the first
website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
goes online on 6 August. * 27 February – The National Institute of Economic and Social Research predicts that the recession will end this summer. * 28 February – Iraq accepts a provisional ceasefire, and British troops halt their advance on
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
.


March

* 3 March – An
Ipsos MORI Ipsos MORI was the name of a market research company based in London, England which is now known as Ipsos and still continues as the UK arm of the global Ipsos group. It was formed by a merger of Ipsos UK and MORI in October 2005. The company ...
poll shows that
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
is more popular with his voters than his Conservative government. * 8 March –
Ribble Valley Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The total population of the non-metropolitan district at the 2011 Census was 57,132. Its council is based in Clitheroe. ...
, the tenth safest Conservative constituency in Britain, is won by the Liberal Democrats in a by-election. * 10 March – The UK reportedly has the fastest pace in rising unemployment of all the
European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
countries. * 14 March – The
Birmingham Six The Birmingham Six were six Irishmen who were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 following their false convictions for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the C ...
are freed after the
Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
quashes their convictions over the 1974 pub bombings in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
which killed 21 people and injured more than 160 others. * 15 March – Unemployment is now above 2,000,000 for the first time in two years. The number of British workers employed in the manufacturing industry has fallen below 5,000,000 for the first time since records began. * 19 March – Norman Lamont predicts 2% economic contraction for this year. * 21 March – Education Secretary
Kenneth Clarke Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham, (born 2 July 1940), often known as Ken Clarke, is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997 as well as serving as de ...
announces plans to remove further education and sixth form colleges from local authority control. * 23 March ** The Government launches its
Citizen's Charter The Citizen's Charter was a British political initiative launched by the then prime minister, John Major, on 22 July 1991, less than a year into his premiership. Aims It aimed to improve public services in the UK by: *Making administration acco ...
campaign. **
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
announces the abolition of the
Community Charge The Community Charge, commonly known as the poll tax, was a system of taxation introduced by Margaret Thatcher's government in replacement of domestic rates in Scotland from 1989, prior to its introduction in England and Wales from 1990. It pr ...
. * 28 March – An inquest in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
into the
Hillsborough disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...
records a verdict of accidental death on the 95 people who died as a result of the tragedy in 1989. Many of the victims' families criticise the verdict in open court, as many of them had been hoping for a verdict of unlawful killing, or an open verdict, and for criminal charges to be brought against the police officers who patrolled the game. * 29 March – Sir
John Stradling Thomas Sir John Stradling Thomas (10 June 1925 – 29 March 1991) was a Welsh Conservative Party politician. He was also a farmer, company director and broadcaster. Biography Thomas was educated at Rugby School and the University of London. He serv ...
, Conservative MP for
Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
, dies aged 65.


April

* 4 April ** Social services in the
Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
are criticised for their handling of more than 100 children who have returned to their families after being taken away over allegations of child abuse. ** Labour retains the Neath constituency at a by-election with the LabourParty candidate
Peter Hain Peter Gerald Hain, Baron Hain (born 16 February 1950), is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State ...
, receiving more than half of the vote. * 8 April – The
Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
announces plans for a new "super league" of eighteen clubs to replace the
Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
as the highest division of English football. The move is attacked by smaller
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
clubs, who fear that they could go out of business if TV revenue was confined to the proposed super league. * 18 April – Despite the continuing recession, the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
are still top of the opinion polls as the latest
MORI Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname, and also a Persian pet name for Morteza. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one clan in India. Italian surname *Barbara Mori, Uruguayan-Mexican actress * Camilo Mori, Chilean painter * Cesare ...
poll puts them two points ahead of
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
on 42%. The Liberal Democrats have trebled their showing in the last fifteen months, now gaining 15% of the vote. * 19 April –
George Carey George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells. During his time as archbishop the Ch ...
is enthroned as
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
. * 23 April – The government confirms that the unpopular
Community Charge The Community Charge, commonly known as the poll tax, was a system of taxation introduced by Margaret Thatcher's government in replacement of domestic rates in Scotland from 1989, prior to its introduction in England and Wales from 1990. It pr ...
is to be replaced by a new
Council Tax Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge The Community C ...
in 1993.


May

* 5 May – Hopes for a quick end to the recession are boosted by CBI predictions that a sharp recovery in business profits will begin shortly. * 6 May -
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
are crowned champions of the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. * 15 May –
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
win the
European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
with a 2–1 win over
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...
of Spain in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City. During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...
scores both of their goals to give English clubs a winning return to European competitions after their five-year ban was lifted last year. * 16 May – Unemployment is now at 2,175,000 – the highest figure since late-1988. It is also above the European average for the first time since 1987. * 17 May – The Conservatives are defeated at another by-election, when Labour gain the
Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
seat in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. * 18 May **
Helen Sharman Helen Patricia Sharman, CMG, OBE, HonFRSC (born 30 May 1963) is a British chemist and cosmonaut who became the first British person, first Western European woman and first privately funded woman in space, as well as the first woman to visit ...
becomes the first British person in space, flying with the
Soyuz TM-12 Soyuz TM-12 was the 12th expedition to Mir, and included the first Briton in space,The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-tm12.htm Helen Sharman. Crew Mission highlights The Mir crew welcomed aboa ...
mission. **
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
win the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for a record eighth time with a 2–1 win over
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
. Midfielder
Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...
, a multimillion-pound transfer target for
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
side
Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, suffers cruciate knee ligament damage early in the game and is not expected to play again in 1991. * 21 May –
South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
, which has some of the worst unemployment rates in Britain, receives a boost when the go-ahead is given for Japanese electrical company
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
to build a new factory in
Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...
that will create 1,400 jobs when it opens in 1993. * 22 May – Nearly six months after the breakthrough in the
Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
service tunnel, the breakthrough in the North rail tunnel is achieved. On the same day, road links to the British terminal are improved when the final section of the
M20 motorway The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It follows on from the A20 at Swanley, meeting the M25, and continuing on to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long. Although not signposted in England, ...
is opened between
Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
and Ashford, meaning that the tunnel's unbroken motorway link with
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
has already been completed an estimated three years before the first trains move between Britain and France. * 24 May ** Labour tops a MORI poll for the first time this year, as they stand six points ahead of the Conservatives on 43%. ** Sutton Manor Colliery at
Bold In typography, emphasis is the strengthening of words in a text with a font in a different style from the rest of the text, to highlight them. It is the equivalent of prosody stress in speech. Methods and use The most common methods in W ...
in the
Lancashire Coalfield The Lancashire Coalfield in North West England was an important British coalfield. Its coal seams were formed from the vegetation of tropical swampy forests in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago. The Romans may have been the fir ...
closes, the last in Britain to use a steam
winding engine A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also tradition ...
. * 27 May –
Eric Heffer Eric Samuel Heffer (12 January 192227 May 1991) was a British socialist politician. He was Labour Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton from 1964 until his death. Due to his experience as a professional joiner, he made a speciality of the ...
, Labour MP for
Liverpool Walton Liverpool, Walton is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Dan Carden of the Labour Party. Carden won the highest percentage share of the vote in June 2017 of 650 constituencies, 85.7%. It is t ...
, dies after a long battle against cancer. * 29 May – Economists warn that the economy is still in an "exceptionally steep" recession and that it could be another year before the first real signs of recovery become visible.


June

* June –
Kia Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
, the
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
car company, begin importing cars to the United Kingdom for the first time, initially it will only import the
Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
(a rebadged version of the Japanese
Mazda 121 The Mazda 121 name has been used on a variety of Mazda automobiles for various export markets from 1975 until 2002: * 1975–1981 — Piston engined variants of the second generation Mazda Cosmo sports car * 1986–1991 — First ...
), but at least one further model is expected to join it by 1994. * 3 June – The
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
kill three IRA gunmen in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. * 6 June – Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock condemns John Major for high interest rates, as much as 17%, being charged on small businesses by banks. * 10 June – The
National Gallery (London) The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director of ...
opens its new Sainsbury Wing to the public. * 13 June – Unemployment reaches 2.25million, the lowest monthly rise reported this year. * 14 June – Julie Ann Gibson becomes the first woman to qualify as a pilot with the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. * 19 June –
Secretary of State for Employment The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001 the employment functions w ...
Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005. He previously held cabinet posi ...
announces a £230,000,000 plan to tackle rising unemployment. * 25 June –
Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
, the Japanese carmaker with a plant at
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, starts "price wars" by reducing the cost of its cars in order to boost flagging sales brought on by the recession. * 28 June ** Seven months after her resignation as Prime Minister,
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
announces that she will stand down as a
Member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
at the next general election, which has to be held within the next twelve months. ** The final breakthrough in the Channel Tunnel is achieved when the last section of clay in the South rail tunnel is bored away.


July

* July **South African-produced cars are imported to Britain for the first time, with the launch of the
Sao Penza The , also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004. It was marketed as the '' ...
, a rebadged version of the
Mazda 323 The , also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004. It was marketed as the '' ...
. However, the brand and the car is not a success and imports end just 2 years later. **Production of the
Vauxhall Belmont The Vauxhall Belmont is a saloon car sold in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall between January 1986 and September 1991. It was equivalent to a saloon version of the award winning Opel Kadett E, launched in the autumn of 1984, whose other body s ...
compact saloon ends ahead of the launch of the third generation Astra range of hatchbacks and estates which goes the sale in the Autumn with saloon and convertible models arriving later. * 3 July – Michael Shorey is convicted at the
Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...
of the July 1990 murders of Elaine Forsyth and Patricia Morrison, two estate agents with whom he shared a basement flat in north London. He is sentenced to two terms of
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
. The former ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' actress
Sandy Ratcliff Alexandra Ratcliff (2 October 1948 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and counsellor. She made an impression as a model and film actress in the 1970s, but she became known for being one of the original cast members of the BBC soap o ...
, who provided Shorey with an alibi on the night of the murders, is subsequently convicted of perjury. * 4 July – Labour retains the Walton seat at a by-election, with new MP
Peter Kilfoyle Peter Kilfoyle (born 9 June 1946) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Walton from 1991 to 2010. Early life The eleventh of fourteen children born to an Irish Catholic family on Merseyside, ...
gaining more than half of the vote. * 5 July – The
Bank of England The 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 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
closes down the
Bank of Credit and Commerce International The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was an international bank founded in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani financier. The bank was registered in Luxembourg with head offices in Karachi and London. A decade after opening, BCC ...
amid fraud allegations. Several local authorities in the UK lose millions of pounds in investments held with the bank. * 8 July – Two suspected IRA terrorists shoot their way out of Brixton Prison in London. * 11 July – Labour MP,
Terry Fields Terence Fields (8 March 1937 – 28 June 2008) was a British politician and firefighter. A member of the Militant group, he was the Labour Member of Parliament for Liverpool Broadgreen from 1983 to 1992. He was expelled from the Labour Party ...
, joins the list of people jailed for refusal to pay the
poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
after he receives a sixty-day prison sentence. He is the first MP to be jailed for refusing to pay the controversial tax which was introduced early last year. * 15 July – 17th G7 summit held in London. * 16 July – A government survey of children's school reading reveals that
Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...
, who died eight months earlier, has now overtaken
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have be ...
as the most popular author of children's books. * 17 July – The Ultimate
steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...
, Europe's longest, opens at
Lightwater Valley Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park is a theme park in North Stainley, North Yorkshire, England. The park was once home to Europe's longest roller coaster, The Ultimate. Lightwater Valley was founded by Robert Staveley in 1969, and is now ...
theme park in North Yorkshire. * 18 July – Economists warn that unemployment will reach 3,000,000 people (a level not seen since early-1987) by the end of next year. * 19 July –
Dean Saunders Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and s ...
becomes the most expensive footballer to be signed by an English club when he joins
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in a £2.9million transfer from
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...
. * 23 July – The
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
proposes the merge of 22 army regiments as part of a general reform programme. * 24 July –
Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
Norman Lamont Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, (born 8 May 1942) is a British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1990 until 1993. He was created a life peer in ...
assures the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
that the economic recovery will begin before the end of this year.


August

* 8 August – John McCarthy, a British hostage held in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
for over five years is freed. * 12 August – ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' reports that every job vacancy is being chased by 22 applicants. * 16 August – The
Bank of England The 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 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
declares that the worst of the current recession is now over. * 23 August – Growing confidence over economic recovery has helped boost the Conservative government's popularity, as they return to the top of the MORI poll with a two-point lead over Labour putting them on 42%. * 30 August ** Scottish runner
Liz McColgan Elizabeth Nuttall (née Lynch, formerly McColgan; born 24 May 1964) is a Scottish former middle-distance and long-distance track and road-running athlete. She won the gold medal for the 10,000 metres at the 1991 World Championships, and a ...
becomes the first British gold medalist at the
World Athletics Championships The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...
in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan. ** Rioting breaks out on the Ely council estate in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
.


September

* September – Gordon Roddick and A. John Bird launch
The Big Issue ''The Big Issue'' is a street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. ''The Big Issue'' is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individ ...
, a then-monthly magazine to be sold by homeless people in response to growing number of rough sleepers on the streets of London. * 3 September – Following the recent outbreaks of violence in Leeds and Cardiff, rioting breaks out at Handsworth in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
,
Kates Hill Kates Hill, or Kate's Hill, is a residential area in Dudley, West Midlands, England. History Kates Hill was the scene of chaos in 1648 when parliamentarians used it as their base in the Civil War against King Charles I. As a result, many road ...
in
Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
and
Blackbird Leys Blackbird Leys is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish and Ward (politics), ward in Oxford, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, the population of the ward (whose boundaries may change occasionally so as to ens ...
in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. * 9 September – Rioting breaks out on the
Meadow Well Meadow Well, also known as Meadowell or the Ridges, is a district of North Shields, North East England. Historically in Northumberland, it is now part of the Tyne and Wear Metropolitan county. The population in 2016 was approximately 11,000. His ...
council estate on
Tyneside Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt. The population of Tyneside as published i ...
, with local youths attacking police officers following the recent death of two local teenagers in a police pursuit. Racially motivated attacks on
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n owned shops also involve looting and arson. * 12 September – Unemployment has hit 2,400,000 – the highest level since the spring of 1988 – completing a 50% rise in just over a year. However, the rate of rising unemployment is slowing down and retail sales are improving. * 13 September – Further rioting breaks out in
Tyneside Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt. The population of Tyneside as published i ...
. * 14 September – George Buckley, Labour MP for
Hemsworth Hemsworth is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, ...
in
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, dies aged 56. * 15 September – A poll shows that Labour Party leader
Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...
is a liability to his party, who are now behind
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
's
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
in the opinion polls. * 17 September –
Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...
hits out at claims that he is to blame for his party falling behind in the opinion polls, sparking speculation that
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
will call a general election within the next two months. * 19 September – Robin Leigh-Pemberton, governor of the
Bank of England The 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 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
, says that he is confident the recession is now over in Britain. * 20 September – Richard Holt, Conservative MP for Langbaurgh in
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, dies suddenly aged 60. * 25 September – Kidnappers in Beirut release elderly hostage
Jackie Mann Jackie Mann, (11 June 1914 – 12 November 1995) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain, who in later life was kidnapped by Islamists in Lebanon in May 1989 and held hostage for more than two years. RAF career Born in Nort ...
after over two years in captivity.


October

* October –
Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
launches the third generation of its popular Astra with hatchback and estate models with the saloon and convertible models arriving later. * 2 October – Just over two weeks after
Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...
was damned by a poll as a "liability" to the Labour Party, the leader and his MPs are celebrating after they overtake the Conservatives by two points in the opinion polls. * 9 October – The first
Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...
tournament to be held outside Japan is hosted at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. * 11 October –
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
outlines his vision of a "classless" Britain at a Conservative Party conference at
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, where his predecessor
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
voices her support for him. * 16 October – The ITV franchise auction results are announced and many notable names will go off the air, including
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...
, TVS, TSW,
TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchise ...
and
ORACLE An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...
Teletext. The changes will take effect at midnight on 1 January 1993. * 17 October – The smallest monthly rise in unemployment since last November is cited by the government as an "unmistakable" sign that the recession is drawing to a close. * 18 October – Labour's hopes of election success are boosted by the latest
MORI Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname, and also a Persian pet name for Morteza. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one clan in India. Italian surname *Barbara Mori, Uruguayan-Mexican actress * Camilo Mori, Chilean painter * Cesare ...
poll, which shows them six points ahead of the Conservatives on 45%. * 19 October –
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
singer
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
makes history when his hit single
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Written by Adams, Michael Kamen, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the power ballad was the lead single for both the soundtrack album from the 1991 film '' Robi ...
, which features in the film '' Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves'' (released on 14 June this year, and starring
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...
) enters its fifteenth successive week at #1 in the UK singles charts. * 22 October –
Leonora Knatchbull The Leonora Children's Cancer Fund was a British registered charity that was registered on 14 September 1994. It was, until 11 March 2010, registered charity number 1040757, when it was removed from the register following its merger with The Ed ...
, the five-year-old daughter of
Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne Norton Louis Philip Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born 8 October 1947), known until 2005 as Lord Romsey and until 2017 as The Lord Brabourne, is a British peer. Life and education Lord Mountbatten was born in Lambeth as the eldes ...
and his wife Penelope, dies after a one-year battle with kidney cancer. She was also a great-grandchild of Lord
Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...
, who was murdered by the
IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
in 1979. She is buried at
Romsey Abbey Romsey Abbey is the name currently given to a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery. The surviving Norman-era c ...
on 26 October. * 23 October – In the legal case of ''
R v R is a decision in which the House of Lords determined that under English criminal law, it is a crime for a husband to rape his wife. In 1990, the defendant, referred to in the judgment only as R to protect the identity of the victim, had been ...
'' decided on appeal, the
Law Lords Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House of ...
unanimously decide that
spousal rape Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and need not involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of domestic vi ...
is a crime in England and Wales, overturning the principle established by Matthew Hale (jurist), Chief Justice Hale in 1736. * 27 October – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, the power ballad performed by
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
singer
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
, loses its position at #1 on the singles charts after a record sixteen consecutive weeks, displaced by U2's The Fly (U2 song), The Fly. * 29 October – Hopes that the recession is drawing to a close are boosted by CBI findings, which show that manufacturers are now more optimistic than at any time in the past three years.


November

* November ** Computer retailer PC World (retailer), PC World opens its first branch in Croydon, Surrey. ** Alan Sked forms the Anti-Federalist League, a political party aiming to field election candidates opposed to the Maastricht Treaty. * 5 November – Robert Maxwell, owner of numerous business interests including the ''Daily Mirror'' newspaper, is found dead off the coast of Tenerife; his cause of death is unconfirmed, but reports suggest that he has committed suicide. * 7 November – Labour retains control of Hemsworth at the by-election, with new MP Derek Enright, while the Liberal Democrats gain Kincardine and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency), Kincardine and Deeside from the Conservatives at another by-election. A third by-election sees the Conservatives lose the Langbaurgh constituency to Labour, with 35-year-old Indian-born candidate Ashok Kumar (British politician), Ashok Kumar becoming the new MP. * 9 November – First ever controlled and substantial production of fusion energy achieved at the Joint European Torus in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. * 15 November – Britain's hopes of economic recovery are dealt with a major blow when shares on the Wall Street Stock Exchange fall by 120 points. * 16 November – Two IRA bombers die in St Albans, Hertfordshire, when a bomb explodes prematurely. * 18 November – Terry Waite, a British hostage held in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, is freed after four-and-a-half years in captivity. * 23 November – Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of rock band Queen (band), Queen, announces that he is suffering from AIDS, following lengthy media speculation about his health. * 24 November – Freddie Mercury dies at his home in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, just 24 hours after going public with the news that he was suffering from AIDS. * 25 November – The
Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
quashes the convictions of Winston Silcott, Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite, for the murder of PC Keith Blakelock in the Broadwater Farm riot at Tottenham, North London, six years ago. Raghip and Braithwaite are released from prison, but Silcott remains imprisoned for a separate murder. * 26 November – Julin Bristol, the last UK nuclear test, takes place at the Nevada Test Site. * 27 November ** Freddie Mercury is cremated after a funeral service held at West London Crematorium. ** The government announces that joyriders who are found guilty should face a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment as well as unlimited fines and unlimited automatic driving bans. Joyriding has recently surged across Britain, with almost all of those involved being children and teenagers. * 28 November – First performance of Alan Bennett's play ''The Madness of George III (play), The Madness of George III'' in London.


December

* 1 December – Thousands of British shops, including retail giants Asda and Tesco, defy trading laws, and open their doors on a Sunday in a bid to boost trade that has been badly hit by the ongoing recession. * 5 December – The Robert Maxwell business empire goes into receivership with debts in excess of £1,000,000,000, exactly one month after Robert Maxwell's death. The ''Daily Mirror'' reports that Maxwell had wrongly removed £350,000,000 from its pension fund shortly before he died. * 10 December – Ronald Coase wins the Nobel Prize in Economics "for his discovery and clarification of the significance of transaction costs and property rights for the institutional structure and functioning of the economy". * 12–15 December – Concentration of vehicle exhausts in London causes an estimated 160 deaths. * 16 December – Stella Rimington announced as the first female director general of MI5. * 19 December – Unemployment is now above 2,500,000 for the first time since early-1988. * 23 December – Bohemian Rhapsody returns to the top of the British singles charts after sixteen years, with the proceeds from the rerelease being donated to the Terence Higgins Trust. * 27 December – The last MORI poll of 1991 shows that Labour are six points ahead of the Conservatives with 44% of the vote. * 29 December – A quarterly opinion poll shows that Neil Kinnock and Labour are three points ahead of John Major and the Conservatives, sparking hope for Labour that they will win the next general election (which has to be held within five months) or at least the election will result in a hung parliament for the first time since 1974.


Undated

* The economy remains rooted in the recession which began last year. * Despite the deepening recession, inflation has been substantially decreased to 5.9%. * The National Curriculum assessment ("standard attainment tests" or SATs) is first carried out, at Key Stage 1 in primary schools in England. * One Canada Square at Canary Wharf in London becomes the tallest building in the UK. * The Communist Party of Great Britain dissolves. * Scout Groups may admit girls to all their sections. * Despite the onset of the recession and a sharp fall in new car sales (with fewer than 1,600,000 new cars being sold in 1991 compared to the record of more than 2,300,000 in 1989), Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK's car plant at City of Sunderland, Sunderland returns a profit for the first time, making £18,400,000 this year. It currently only makes the Nissan Primera, Primera family saloon and hatchbacks there, but from August next year it will be joined by the new version of the smaller Nissan Micra, Micra. * Sea defences at Mappleton in Holderness are built.


Publications

* Martin Amis's novel ''Time's Arrow (novel), Time's Arrow''. * Beryl Bainbridge's novel ''The Birthday Boys''. * Iain M. Banks' short story collection ''The State of the Art''. * Pat Barker's novel ''Regeneration (novel), Regeneration''. * Louis de Bernières' novel ''Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord''. * Brian Keenan (writer), Brian Keenan's autobiographical account of more than four years as a hostage in Lebanon ''An Evil Cradling'' * Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels ''Reaper Man'' and ''Witches Abroad''.


Births


January

* 2 January – Ben Hardy (actor), Ben Hardy, Actor * 12 January – Pixie Lott, Singer * 13 January – Genevieve Gaunt, Actress * 15 January – Danny Addy, Professional Footballer * 18 January – Matthew Kane (actor), Matthew Kane, Actor * 20 January ** Tom Cairney, Professional Footballer ** Jolyon Palmer, Professional Racing Driver, Motorsport Commentator, and Columnist * 21 January – Ben Bowns, Professional Hockey Player * 22 January – Alex MacDowall, Professional Racing Driver * 24 January – Nadene Caldwell, Professional Futsal Player * 25 January – Fergus Bell, Professional Footballer * 26 January – Nico Mirallegro, Actor * 29 January – Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, Aristocrat, Billionaire and Businessman


February

* 2 February ** Lloyd Ashley, footballer ** Chris Baker (high jumper), Chris Baker, high jumper * 5 February – Sam Corcoran, footballer * 7 February – Holly Clyburn, golfer * 11 February – Georgia May Foote, actress * 17 February ** Ed Sheeran, singer/songwriter ** Bonnie Wright, actress * 18 February – Henry Surtees, racing driver (died 2009) * 20 February – Jocelyn Rae, English-Scottish tennis player * 21 February – Joe Alwyn, actor and model * 24 February – Hannah Clowes, gymnast * 26 February – Calum Butcher, footballer


March

* 6 March – Matthew Briggs, English-born Guyanese Professional Footballer * 10 March ** Kadeena Cox, Paralympic Sprinter and Cyclist ** Usman Khan (terrorist), Usman Khan, Islamic terrorist and perpetrator of the 2019 London Bridge stabbing (died 2019) * 11 March ** Tammy Beaumont, Professional Cricketer ** Jack Rodwell, Professional Footballer * 14 March – Jake Ball (cricketer), Jake Ball, Professional Cricketer * 17 March – Daisy Head, Actress * 22 March – Ashley Eastham, Professional Footballer * 26 March – Andrea Atzeni, Italian-born Jockey * 27 March – Chloe Marshall, Model


April

* 3 April – Mitch Austin, American Football player * 5 April – Nathaniel Clyne, footballer * 7 April – Anne-Marie, singer * 8 April – Liam Boyce, footballer * 19 April – Steve Cook, footballer * 20 April – Marissa King, Gymnast * 21 April ** Frank Dillane, actor ** Max Chilton, racing driver * 23 April – Nathan Baker, footballer * 26 April ** Nathan Buck, cricketer ** Will Heard, singer/songwriter * 27 April – Rebecca Ryan, actress * 29 April – Adam Smith (footballer, born 1991), Adam Smith, footballer * 30 April – Moses Boyd, jazz drummer


May

* 3 May – Carlo Acutis, England-born Italian Catholic computer programmer, beatified (died 2006 in Italy) * 6 May – Siobhan Williams, actress * 13 May ** Jen Beattie, footballer ** Jack Brereton, politician * 14 May – Chantelle Cameron, boxer * 17 May – Ashley Bryant, decathlete * 22 May – Kyle Bartley, footballer * 26 May – Samuel Ross, fashion designer, creative director and artist * 30 May ** Elijah Baker, actor, writer and director ** Callum Booth, footballer


June

* 3 June – Nicky Clark, footballer * 8 June – Qasim Akhtar, actor * 11 June – Dan Howell, YouTuber, radio presenter * 13 June – Lyndon Arthur, boxer * 14 June – Jesy Nelson, singer/songwriter * 15 June – Sam Billings, cricketer * 16 June – Joe McElderry, singer * 17 June – Staz Nair, actor and singer * 21 June ** Jake Ball (rugby union), Jake Ball, rugby player ** Georgina Hagen, actress and singer * 22 June – Katie Jarvis, actress * 24 June – Yasmin Paige, actress * 26 June – Josh Charnley, footballer * 27 June ** Dan Osborne, television personality ** Oliver Stark, actor * 28 June ** Will Stevens, racing driver ** George Webster (actor), George Webster, actor * 30 June – David Witts, actor


July

* 2 July – Jordan Bowery, Professional Footballer * 6 July – Ashley Lloyd, Actor and Dancer * 8 July – Jamie Blackley, Manx-born Actor * 13 July – Martin Joseph Ward, Professional Boxer * 15 July ** Lennox Clarke, Professional Boxer ** Josh Cook, Professional Racing Driver * 16 July – Andros Townsend, Professional Footballer * 21 July – Blanco White, Singer/Songwriter * 24 July – Jacob Banks, Nigerian-born Singer/Songwriter * 30 July – Diana Vickers, Singer


August

* 4 August – Lucinda Dryzek, Actress * 8 August – Tony Clay, Actor * 9 August – Alice Barlow, Actress and Singer * 15 August – Ellen Gandy, Swimmer * 16 August – Tom Bristow, Professional Rugby Player * 18 August – George Atkins (cyclist), George Atkins, Professional Cyclist * 22 August – Joe Arundel, Professional Footballer * 24 August – Chris Brookes, Professional Wrestler * 25 August – Luke Ayling, Professional Footballer * 26 August – Tommy Bastow, Actor and Musician * 29 August – Ryan J. Brown, Screenwriter


September

* 1 September – Rhys Bennett, Professional Footballer * 2 September ** Lucy Armstrong, Composer ** Damson Idris, Actor and Producer * 3 September – Ellary White, English footballer * 5 September – Skandar Keynes, Actor * 6 September – Drew Cheshire, Professional Footballer * 8 September – Joe Sugg, YouTuber * 11 September – Luke Hubbins, Professional Footballer * 13 September – Sonny Bradley, Professional Footballer * 24 September – Owen Farrell, Professional Rugby Player * 26 September – Charlotte Spencer (actress), Charlotte Spencer, Actress


October

* 1 October – Gus Kenworthy, British-born, American Olympic Freestyle Skier, Actor, and YouTuber * 2 October – Gordon Reid (tennis), Gordon Reid, Scottish Wheelchair Tennis Player * 4 October – Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Singer/Songwriter * 9 October – Danny Ansell, Professional Footballer * 10 October – Kate Avery, Professional Long-Distance Runner * 14 October ** Andrew Butchart, Olympic Runner ** Shona McGarty, Actress * 25 October – Omar Beckles, Professional Footballer * 28 October – Lucy Bronze, Professional Footballer * 29 October **Grant Hall (footballer), Grant Hall, Professional Footballer **Toby Tarrant, Radio Broadcaster


November

* 2 November – Holly Bradshaw, Olympic Pole Vaulter * 4 November – Michael Jacobs (footballer), Michael Jacobs, Professional Footballer * 6 November – George Bowerman, Professional Footballer * 8 November ** Elinor Crawley, Actress ** DanTDM, Daniel Middleton, YouTuber * 11 November – Emma Blackery, Singer/Songwriter, Youtube Vlogger, Record Producer, and Author * 21 November ** Nathan Cameron, Professional Footballer ** Lewis Dunk, Professional Footballer * 22 November – Kadeen Corbin, Professional Netball Player * 28 November – Scott Allan, Professional Footballer * 30 November – Ryan Bowman, Professional Footballer


December

* 4 December – Aiden Grimshaw, Singer * 11 December – Rebecca Chin, Paralympic Rower * 15 December – Joe Collister, Professional Footballer * 16 December – Charlie Clare, Professional Rugby Player * 18 December – Marcus Butler, Model and YouTuber * 19 December – Declan Galbraith, Singer * 24 December – Louis Tomlinson, Singer and Member of One Direction * 30 December – Eddie Battye, Professional Footballer


Full date unknown

* Sheila Atim, Ugandan-born Actress, Singer, Composer, and Playwright * Elliot Barnes-Worrell, Actor


Deaths

* 8 January – Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) (born 1960) * 11 January ** Charles Mozley, artist (born 1914) ** Alec Rose, Sir Alec Rose, sailor (born 1908) * 14 January –
Donald Coleman Donald Richard Coleman, CBE, JP, DL (19 September 1925 – 14 January 1991) was the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom for Neath from 1964 until his death in 1991. Early life Coleman was born in Barry, the son of a coa ...
, politician (born 1925) * 20 January – Alfred Wainwright, author and illustrator (born 1907) * 21 February – Margot Fonteyn, Dame Margot Fonteyn, ballet dancer (born 1919) * 16 March – Rowland Baring, 3rd Earl of Cromer, central banker and diplomat (b. 1918) * 21 March – George Abecassis, race car driver (born 1913) * 24 March – Maudie Edwards, actress and singer (born 1906) * 3 April – Graham Greene, author (born 1904); died in Switzerland * 16 April – David Lean, film director and producer (born 1908) * 18 April – Martin Hannett, record producer (born 1948) * 20 April – Steve Marriott, singer, musician (Small Faces and Humble Pie (band), Humble Pie) (born 1947) * 22 May – Stan Mortensen, former footballer (born 1921) * 31 May – Angus Wilson, novelist and short story writer (born 1913) * 14 June ** Peggy Ashcroft, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, actress (born 1907) ** Bernard Miles, Bernard Miles, Baron Miles, actor and director (born 1907) * 15 June – Arthur Lewis (economist), Arthur Lewis, economist, Nobel Prize in Economics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1915) * 9 July – Frank George Griffith Carr, Frank Carr, sailor and founder of the Maritime Trust (born 1903) * 30 July – Arthur Rook (dermatologist), Arthur Rook, dermatologist (born 1918) * 12 August – Edward George Bowen, CBE, physicist (born 1911) * 30 August – Cyril Knowles, footballer (born 1944) * 16 September – Carol White, actress (born 1943) * 27 September ** Roy Fuller, poet (born 1912) **Joe Hulme, former footballer and cricketer (born 1904) * 13 October – Donald Houston, actor (born 1923) * 27 October **George Barker (poet), George Barker, poet (born 1913) **Andrzej Panufnik, Sir Andrzej Panufnik, composer and musician (born 1914, Poland) * 5 November – Robert Maxwell, media proprietor (born 1923, Czechoslovakia) * 14 November – Tony Richardson, film director (born 1928) * 24 November – Freddie Mercury, singer (Queen (band), Queen) (born 1946) * 4 December – Cliff Bastin, former footballer (born 1912) * 6 December – Richard Stone, economist, Nobel Prize in Economics, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913) *14 December – John Arlott, journalist, author and cricket commentator (born 1914)


See also

* 1991 in British music * 1991 in British television * List of British films of 1991


References

{{Year in Europe, 1991 1991 in the United Kingdom, Years of the 20th century in the United Kingdom 1991 by country, United Kingdom