2013 in the United Kingdom on:  
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Events from the year
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
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 ...
–
David Cameron (
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
)
*
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 ...
–
55th
Events
January
*1 January – the United Kingdom assumes presidency of
G8 group.
Next G8 summit is to be held on the shores of
Lough Erne,
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...
in June 2013.
*4 January – Mark Cahill, a 51-year-old former pub landlord from
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 ...
becomes the first person in the UK to receive a
hand transplant.
*10 January –
April Casburn, a senior detective with the
Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
is found guilty of trying to sell information on the investigation into
phone hacking
Phone hacking is the practice of exploring a mobile device often using computer exploits to analyze everything from the lowest memory and central processing unit levels up to the highest file system and process levels. Modern open source toolin ...
to the ''
News of the World'', the newspaper at the centre of the scandal. On 1 February she is jailed for fifteen months.
*11 January – publication of the ''
Giving Victims a Voice'' report, initiated as a result of publicity surrounding the
Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal
It emerged in late 2012 that Jimmy Savile, an English media personality who had died the previous year, sexually abused hundreds of people throughout his life, most of them children but some as old as 75, and most of them female. He had been w ...
.
*16 January – a
helicopter crash in central London kills two people and injures 13 others.
*19 January – an
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
at
Glencoe in
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, kills four people.
*22 January – a death sentence handed to British citizen
Lindsay Sandiford by an Indonesian court for drug smuggling is condemned by the UK government.
*28 January – Government plans to
redraw constituency boundaries before the
next general election are defeated in 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. ...
by 334 to 292.
*30 January – Tony McCluskie is found guilty of the March 2012 murder of his sister, the actress
Gemma McCluskie and
jailed for life with a recommendation he serve a minimum term of 20 years.
February
*4 February – former
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
Minister
Chris Huhne pleads guilty to
perverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Stat ...
over claims he caused his ex-wife to accept
speeding points he had incurred. He also announces his intention to
resign
Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
his
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. ...
seat.
*5 February – the House of Commons votes 400 to 175 in favour of a vote on the bill to legalise
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
.
*7 February –
Secretary of State for Education
The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. The incumbent is a member of the C ...
Michael Gove confirms that plans to replace the
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
with a new
English Baccalaureate
The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is a school performance indicator in England linked to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results. It measures students' attainment by calculating an average score from specified subject grades. ...
qualification have been abandoned.
*23 February – UK loses top AAA credit rating for first time since 1978 after being downgraded by the ratings agency Moody's.
*25 February –
Cardinal Keith O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien (17 March 1938 – 19 March 2018) was a senior-ranking Catholic prelate in Scotland. He was the Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh from 1985 to 2013.
Cardinal O'Brien was the leader of the Catho ...
, Britain's most senior
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cleric, resigns as the
Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
The Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. The archdiocese covers an area of 5,504 km2. The metropolitan see is in the City of Edinburgh where the archbishop's s ...
due to allegations of
inappropriate
Inappropriateness refers to standards or ethics that are typically viewed as being negative in a society. It differs from things that are illicit in that inappropriate behavior does not necessarily have any accompanying legal ramifications.
Co ...
sexual behaviour
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) ...
towards
priests in the 1980s.
*27 February –
Archbishop of Glasgow
The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of ...
Philip Tartaglia
Filippo "Philip" Tartaglia (11 January 1951 – 13 January 2021) was a Scottish prelate who served as a bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Glasgow from 2012 until 2021. He previously served as Bishop of Paisl ...
is appointed
apostolic administrator
An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh
The Archdiocese of Saint Andrews & Edinburgh ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Andreae et Edimburgensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland. It is the metropolitan see of the province of Saint Andrews and Edinbu ...
following the resignation of
Cardinal Keith O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien (17 March 1938 – 19 March 2018) was a senior-ranking Catholic prelate in Scotland. He was the Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh from 1985 to 2013.
Cardinal O'Brien was the leader of the Catho ...
.
*28 February – the
Eastleigh by-election, triggered by the resignation of Chris Huhne, sees the Liberal Democrats hold the seat despite a UKIP surge that pushes the Conservatives into third place.
March
*4 March
**
Queen 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 Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
is admitted to hospital for observation after experiencing symptoms of
gastroenteritis.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
have described it as a "precaution". She is discharged the following day.
** Psychiatric patient
Nicola Edgington
Nicola Edgington (born 9 September 1980) is a British double killer who also attempted to murder a third person. Having killed her own mother in 2005, she attacked two strangers in the street in Bexleyheath in 2011, killing one. She was convicte ...
, who stabbed a woman to death six years after killing her mother is
jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years.
*7 March
**
Foreign Secretary William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
announces the UK will send armoured vehicles and body armour to opposition forces in
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
to help save lives.
**The
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforced both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the United Kingdom's economic ...
gives the leading 50 companies providing
payday loans in the United Kingdom
Payday loans in the United Kingdom are typically small value (up to £1500) and for short periods. Payday loans are often used as a term by members of the public (and commentators) generically to refer to all forms of High-cost Short-term credit ...
12 weeks to change their practices after identifying "widespread irresponsible lending".
**
Mid Ulster by-election results in
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...
retaining the seat vacated by
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness ( ga, Séamus Máirtín Pacelli Mag Aonghusa; 23 May 1950 – 21 March 2017) was an Irish republican politician and statesman from Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during ...
**
Vicky Pryce
Vasiliki "Vicky" Pryce (' Kourmouzi ( el, Βασιλική Κουρμούζη); born 15 July 1952) is a Greek-born British economist and a former Joint Head of the United Kingdom's Government Economic Service.
She is currently the Chief Econom ...
, ex-wife of former Cabinet Minister Chris Huhne, is convicted of
perverting the course of justice
Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Stat ...
after accepting speeding penalty points on Huhne's behalf.
**Closure of
Daw Mill
Daw Mill was a coal mine located near the village of Arley, near Nuneaton, in the English county of Warwickshire. The mine was Britain's biggest coal producer. It closed in 2013 following a major fire. It was the last remaining colliery in the W ...
colliery following a major fire, the last mine in the
Warwickshire Coalfield
The Warwickshire Coalfield extends between Warwick and Tamworth in the English Midlands. It is about from north to south and its width is around half that distance. Its western margin is defined by the 'Western Boundary Fault'. In the northeast ...
.
*11 March – Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce are each jailed for eight months for perverting the course of justice.
*14 March
**Prime Minister
David Cameron says talks between himself and the leaders of the UK's other main political parties on the recommendations of the
Leveson report
The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed in July 2011. A series o ...
have broken down and that he intends to publish a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
on press regulation.
**
Labour Party peer
Lord Ahmed
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed ( ur, , born 24 April 1957) is a former British Labour politician of Pakistani origin. He was appointed a life peer in 1998 by the Labour Government.
Many of his political activities related to the Muslim communi ...
is suspended from the party after claiming a conspiracy by
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish-owned media organisations was responsible for his imprisonment for dangerous driving.
*16 March
**Lance Corporal
James Ashworth, who died in southern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
in 2012 while protecting his colleagues from a grenade blast is to be awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
.
**62 people are arrested by
Warwickshire Police
Warwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with only 823 (full-time equivalents ...
following civil unrest in
Nuneaton
Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth in northern Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire and West Midlands County.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's ...
town centre ahead of a football match between
Nuneaton Town
Nuneaton Borough Football Club is an English football club that is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The men's 1st team competes in the , the seventh tier of English football.
In 1889, Nuneaton St. Nicholas FC was the first team in Nuneaton to ...
and
Lincoln City.
*18 March – the final
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
news bulletins are transmitted from
Television Centre, after 43 years of occupying the building, as the corporation moves its entire news operation to
Broadcasting House in central London.
*21 March
**The date for the
Scottish independence referendum
A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side wo ...
is announced as 18 September 2014.
**A man is killed when his vehicle is hit by a
First Great Western
Great Western Railway (GWR) is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.[Reading to Taunton line
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spellin ...]
in Somerset.
*23 March – a blizzard which brings the heaviest March snow for 50+ years hits the north of England.
*26 March
**Former
Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirms he is to resign as an
MP and move to the United States to become head of the
International Rescue Committee in New York.
**A teenage girl is found dead by police at a house in the
Atherton area of
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
where four "out of control" dogs are subsequently put down. Police said her injuries are consistent with those of a dog attack. She is named the following day as 14-year-old Jade Anderson.
April
*1 April –
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
begins operations, merging all the former forces in the country.
*3 April – 17-year-old
Paris Brown is appointed as the first youth
Police and Crime Commissioner by Kent PCC
Ann Barnes
Ann Barnes (born Dixie Ann Cheney; June 17, 1945 – September 13, 2005) was an American actress and pop singer, best known for appearing as Cookie Bumstead on the short-lived television series '' Blondie'' (1957), based on the popular Chic Yo ...
. Her job is to represent young people's views on policing in Kent.
*8 April – former British 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 ...
dies in London following a stroke. Street parties are held in a number of cities across the UK to "celebrate".
*9 April – six days after being appointed as Britain's first Youth Police and Crime Commissioner, Paris Brown steps down from the role after controversy over postings she made on Twitter.
*10 April – "
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
"Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" is a song in the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. It is the centrepiece of several individual songs in an extended set-piece performed by the Munchkins, Glinda (Billie Burke) and Dorothy Gale. Highlighted by the Lol ...
" charts at number 10 in the Official Midweek Charts as opponents of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have been buying copies of the song following her death two days earlier.
*17 April – the funeral of Margaret Thatcher takes place at London's
St Paul's Cathedral.
*19 April – the Royal Agricultural College at
Cirencester
Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...
is granted full university status as the
Royal Agricultural University
;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts"
, established = 2013 - University status – College
, type = public university, Public
, president = Charles III, King Charles
, vice_chancellor = P ...
.
*22 April – a London house goes on sale for a record £250 million, 700 times greater than the average £370,000 cost of a property in the city.
*23 April – businessman James McCormick is convicted on three counts of fraud at the
Old Bailey after selling
fake bomb detectors based on a device for finding golf balls to countries including Iraq and Georgia.
May
*2 May
**
James McCormick is jailed for ten years at the
Old Bailey.
**
2013 United Kingdom local elections show gains for the
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 ...
and
UKIP
The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...
and losses for the
Liberal Democrats and the
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 ...
.
**
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 ...
's
Emma Lewell-Buck
Emma Louise Lewell-Buck (born 8 November 1978) is a Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Shields since winning a by-election in 2013. She is South Shields’s first female MP.
Early life
From a family ...
retains the
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
Parliamentary seat for the party following the
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
triggered by the resignation of
David Miliband. However, Labour's majority is reduced significantly after the
UK Independence Party
The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...
secures almost a quarter of the votes cast.
*8 May – Sir
Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager in English football during his 27 years in charge of Manchester United, announces his retirement as the Manager of
Manchester United after the end of the Premier League season later in the month.
*9 May –
David Moyes, who has managed
Everton for 11 years during which they have qualified for European competitions on five occasions, is announced as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.
*13 May – Stuart Hazell, 38, admits the
murder of Tia Sharp
The murder of Tia Sharp (30 June 2000 – 2 or 3 August 2012) was a high-profile case of child murder in the United Kingdom. The victim was a 12-year-old girl, Tia Sharp, who was reported missing from and later found dead in the home of her gr ...
, 12-year-old granddaughter of his partner Christine Sharp, who was found dead in
New Addington
New Addington is a town in South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is located 5 miles south east of Croydon, south of Addington Village and north of Biggin Hill.
History
Until the 1930s, the area now known as New Addingt ...
, London, nine months ago. His murder trial began six days ago but he has previously denied the charge against him.
*14 May
** The
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 ...
publishes a draft European Union (Referendum) Bill aimed at holding a referendum on Britain's membership of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
by 2017. Prime Minister
David Cameron had previously said a referendum would be held if he could renegotiate the terms of Britain's EU membership, but Tory MPs have been unhappy that legislation for a referendum was not included in the recent
Queen's Speech.
** Stuart Hazell is sentenced to life imprisonment at the
Old Bailey with a recommended minimum term of 38 years.
*15 May
**In 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. ...
, an amendment to the
Queen's Speech expressing regret that it did not contain legislation for a referendum on Britain's EU membership is defeated 277–131.
**MPs debate government proposals to tighten the
law governing dangerous dogs following the death of Jade Anderson in March. The legislation would give police greater powers to deal with attacks on private property.
*16 May – UKIP leader
Nigel Farage
Nigel Paul Farage (; born 3 April 1964) is a British broadcaster and former politician who was List of UK Independence Party leaders, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016 and Brexit Party#Leaders, Lea ...
is heckled by angry protesters during a campaign visit to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.
*21 May – MPs vote 366–161 in favour of the
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which introduced same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
Background
Civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2004, allowi ...
taking an important step towards allowing
gay marriage in England and Wales.
*22 May –
murder of Lee Rigby
On the afternoon of 22 May 2013, a British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was attacked and killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London ...
in
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
: off-duty British soldier Fusilier Lee Rigby, a former drummer serving with
2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, is killed in the street. Two men carrying knives and a meat cleaver are subsequently shot and apprehended by police. The government treats the killing as a terrorist incident. The victim's identity is confirmed the following day.
*24 May – a 24-year-old zoo worker is seriously injured after being attacked by a
Sumatran tiger at
South Lakes Wild Animal Park
South Lakes Safari Zoo (formerly South Lakes Wild Animal Park) is a zoo established in 1994 by David Gill, and located in Cumbria, England. Its name refers to its proximity to the Lake District, though it lies entirely within the Borough of B ...
in Cumbria. Sarah McClay subsequently dies in hospital as a result of her injuries. Police launch an investigation into the attack.
*25 May – 48 people are rescued from a boat which begins taking on water after colliding with a rock off the coast of
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
.
*30 May – a court in
Mold
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...
,
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 ...
, finds Mark Bridger guilty of abducting and murdering five-year-old
April Jones in October 2012. The trial judge recommends that 47-year-old Bridger should never be released from prison. The body of April Jones has not been found.
*31 May – Conservative MP
Patrick Mercer
Patrick John Mercer (born 26 June 1956) is a British author and former politician. He was elected as a Conservative in the 2001 general election, until resigning the party's parliamentary whip in May 2013 following questions surrounding paid ad ...
resigns the Tory whip following allegations he broke the rules on
lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencie ...
. He will not contest his seat in the
next general election.
June
*2 June – two
British Labour Party peers are suspended by their party after allegations they offered to undertake Parliamentary work in exchange for payment. A third peer, from the
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule m ...
resigns the
whip following the allegations.
*4 June – members of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
vote in favour of the
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which introduced same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
Background
Civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2004, allowi ...
, paving the way for
gay marriage in the United Kingdom.
*5 June –
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...
is admitted to a London hospital for an exploratory operation.
*10 June – Tory MP
Tim Yeo
Timothy Stephen Kenneth Yeo (born 20 March 1945) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of South Suffolk between the 1983 United Kingdom general election and tha ...
temporarily steps aside as head of the
Energy and Climate Change Select Committee
The Energy and Climate Change Select Committee was a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom that came into existence on 1 January 2009.
Formation
The House of Commons agreed to the committee's establish ...
amid allegations he offered to advise energy companies in exchange for payment.
*13 June – at
Manchester Crown Court
Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square) is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Crown Square in Manchester, England.
History
Until the 1940s, criminal court cases were heard at the Manchester Assize Courts. However, the assize ...
Dale Cregan
On 18 September 2012, two Greater Manchester Police officers, Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, were killed by Dale Cregan in a gun and grenade ambush while responding to a report of a burglary in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.
The inciden ...
is given a
whole life tariff
In England and Wales, life imprisonment is a sentence that lasts until the death of the prisoner, although in most cases the prisoner will be eligible for early release after a minimum term set by the judge. In exceptional cases, however, a j ...
for the murders of four people, including
two police officers.
*28 June –
Moors murderer Ian Brady loses a legal challenge to be transferred from a
psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
back to prison.
July
*6 July –
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
resigns from the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in protest at delays to changes in press regulations.
*7 July
**
Abu Qatada, a Muslim cleric with alleged links to
al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
is deported to Jordan from the UK to face charges of terrorism.
**
Andy Murray wins the
Men's Singles at
Wimbledon 2013 defeating
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl, Новак Ђоковић, translit=Novak Đoković, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 373 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 ...
of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
in straight sets. Murray becomes the first British man to win Wimbledon since
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slam tournaments and two Pro Slams single titles, as well ...
in 1936.
*9 July
**
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. Miliban ...
says he will end the automatic "affiliation" fee paid by three million union members to the
Labour Party after the
Unite union
Unite Union (Unite) is a trade union in New Zealand. It represents a number of workers across various industries, and was the sponsor of thSupersizemypay.comcampaign directed towards improving working conditions for fast food workers in the cou ...
was accused of secretly signing up its members to get its favoured candidate elected in the
Falkirk constituency.
**A man who posted threats to kill 200 people on social networking site Facebook leading to school closures in the US state of
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
is jailed for 28 months at
Newcastle Crown Court Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
* Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastl ...
.
**The option of imposing a
whole life tariff
In England and Wales, life imprisonment is a sentence that lasts until the death of the prisoner, although in most cases the prisoner will be eligible for early release after a minimum term set by the judge. In exceptional cases, however, a j ...
for the worst murders in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
is ruled illegal by the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
following a legal challenge by three convicted murderers serving such sentences. They are
Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Nevill Bamber (born Jeremy Paul Marsham; 13 January 1961) is a British convicted murderer. He was convicted of the 1985 White House Farm murders in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, in which the victims included Bamber's adoptive parents, Ne ...
,
Douglas Vinter and
Peter Moore, who are among a group of at least 49 prisoners in England and Wales serving such sentences. The sentence is not an option in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
*11 July – party leaders criticise
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is a public body in the United Kingdom created by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, largely as a response to the parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009. It establishes and monitors th ...
recommendations to increase MPs annual salaries by £6,000 to £74,000 from 2015.
*12 July – the funeral of murdered fusilier
Lee Rigby takes place in
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
; attendees include Prime Minister
David Cameron.
*13 July – two soldiers during a training exercise on the
Brecon Beacons on one of the hottest days of the year. The
Ministry of Defence works with
Dyfed-Powys Police to investigate. On 30 July a third soldier dies in hospital.
*15 July – the House of Lords approves the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, enabling gay marriages to take place in England and Wales from 2014.
*16 July –
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 14 October 2022. He previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport ...
announces that eleven hospitals will be placed in special measures because of major failings.
*17 July
**Rising temperatures led to heat health warnings being issued for Southern England and the Midlands in the UK's first prolonged heatwave since
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.
**
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
becomes legal in England and Wales after the
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which introduced same-sex marriage in England and Wales.
Background
Civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2004, allowin ...
receives Royal Assent.
*22 July
**
Prime Minister David Cameron announces plans for every household in the UK to have
pornography
Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults, automatically blocked by their internet provider unless they choose otherwise. The possession of online material depicting rape will also become illegal in England and Wales, bringing them into line with current Scottish legislation.
**The UK records its hottest day since July 2006, with 33.5C (92.3F) recorded at Heathrow and Northolt in west London.
**Home Office
"Go Home" vans begin to tour areas of London with high immigrant populations.
**
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...
(now Princess of Wales) gives birth to a boy at
St Mary's Hospital, London who becomes third in line to the throne and
Queen 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 Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
's third great-grandchild. He is subsequently named
George Alexander Louis.
*23 July – overnight thunderstorms bring the three-week heat wave to an end.
*27 July – six people are taken to hospital after a
double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
has its roof ripped off by a bridge in
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
, Greater Manchester.
*31 July – administrators recommend the dissolution of
Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust after it went into administration in April.
August
*1 August – temperatures of 33.7C are recorded at
Heathrow Airport and 34.1 in London – the hottest since 2006 – as the hot weather makes a brief return. The
Met Office
The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelope E ...
says it is the hottest day since 2003 and the warmest summer since 2006.
*2 August – Magdelena Luczak and her partner, Mariusz Krezolek, are jailed for life with a minimum of 30 years for the murder of Luczak's four-year-old son
Daniel Pelka, who was beaten, and starved to death.
*3 August –
Tony Wang, head of
Twitter UK, apologises after women received bombing and rape threats by users of the site. The apology comes as the company updates its rules to help clamp down on threats and harassment.
*5 August – the world's first
lab-grown
burger – produced from bovine
stem cell
In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...
s – is cooked and eaten at a news conference in London.
*6 August – it is reported that sewage workers from
Thames Water
Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltsh ...
have removed a fifteen ton bus-sized "
fatberg
A fatberg is a rock-like mass of waste matter in a sewer system formed by the combination of flushed non-biodegradable solids, such as wet wipes, and fat, oil and grease (FOG) deposits. The handling of FOG waste and the buildup of its deposits ...
" – thought to be Britain's largest – from a sewer beneath London, after the mass caused a 95% blockage and threatened to send raw sewage spurting from
manhole cover
A manhole cover or maintenance hole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole, an opening large enough for a person to pass through that is used as an access point for an underground vault or pipe. It is designed t ...
s.
*7 August –
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 ...
governor
Mark Carney
Mark Joseph Carney (born March 16, 1965) is a Canadian economist and banker who served as the governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020. Since October 2020, he is vice chairman an ...
says the Bank will not consider raising interest rates until the unemployment rate has fallen to 7% or below.
*10 August – 56 police officers are injured in Belfast after a night of loyalist rioting.
*11 August – two women who are UK nationals have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling drugs from
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, the country's police confirm.
*19 August
**Senior politicians urge police to explain why the partner of a ''
Guardian
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' journalist who published leaked documents from US whistleblower
Edward Snowden
Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...
was detained at
Heathrow Airport for nine hours.
**
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
MP
Caroline Lucas and her son are among protesters arrested at a site in West Sussex where energy firm
Cuadrilla is drilling for oil.
**Chief executive of the UK Independence Party, Will Gilpin steps down from his post.
*20 August – Britons Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid are formally charged with attempting to smuggle £1.5m worth of cocaine out of Peru. They are remanded in custody the following day.
*21 August – an inspection report reveals that a female inmate at
HMP Bronzefield
HMP Bronzefield is an adult and young offender female prison located on the outskirts of Ashford in Surrey, England. Bronzefield is the only purpose-built private prison
A private prison, or for-profit prison, is a place where people ar ...
was kept in solitary confinement for more than five years.
*22 August –
Yes Scotland
Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...
is forced to close its computer systems after being hacked by "forces unknown".
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
's Digital Forensic Unit launches an investigation but uncovers no evidence of criminality.
*23 August – a
Super Puma L2 helicopter crashes near
Sumburgh Airport in the
Shetland Islands
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
, resulting in four fatalities among the oil rig workers being carried. Operation of the helicopter model is globally suspended.
*27 August – David Cameron recalls
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 ...
from its summer recess to discuss responses to the
Syrian crisis in the wake of a
chemical weapons attack in Damascus.
*29 August
**MPs vote 285–272 against the principle of British involvement in any military intervention in the
Syrian conflict.
**Members of the
Fire Brigades Union
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime firefighters (including officers up to chief fire officer / firemaster), retained firefighters and emergency control room staff.
History
The first recorded ins ...
vote to take industrial action in a dispute over pensions, threatening the first firefighters' strike across England, Scotland and Wales since 2002.
September
*3 September – the
Library of Birmingham, the largest public library in the UK, is opened.
*5 September – sixty people are injured as more than 130 vehicles are involved in a series of crashes in thick fog on the
Sheppey Crossing
The Sheppey Crossing is a bridge which carries the A249 road across The Swale (a tidal strait of the Thames Estuary), linking the Isle of Sheppey with the mainland of Kent. The four-lane crossing measures 21.5 m (71 feet) in width, at a height ...
in Kent.
*7 September – a man is arrested on suspicion of burglary, trespass and criminal damage after scaling a fence to get into
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
.
*10 September – MP
Nigel Evans
Nigel Martin Evans (born 10 November 1957) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ribble Valley (UK Parliament constituency), Ribble Valley constituency in Lancashire si ...
resigns as a
Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
The speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the lower house and primary chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The current speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, was elected Speaker on 4 November 201 ...
after being charged with sexual offences.
*11 September – Conservative Party chairman
Grant Shapps
Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who is serving as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since October 2022. He previously served as Secretary of State for Transport in the Premiership of Bo ...
writes to the UN Secretary General demanding an explanation after a UN official criticised
housing benefit changes as a "disgrace".
*20 September – UKIP withdraws the party whip from MEP
Godfrey Bloom
Godfrey William Bloom TD (born 22 November 1949) is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber from 2004 to 2014. He was elected for the UK Independence Party in the European elec ...
after he referred to female activists as "
slut
''Slut (archaic: slattern)'' is an English-language term for a person, usually a woman or girl, who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous. It is usually used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of d ...
s" during his party's annual conference.
*24 September – at its annual conference, Labour leader Ed Miliband says that if elected in 2015, his party would freeze energy prices for their first 20 months in office.
*25 September
**Firefighters in England and Wales stage a four-hour strike in a dispute over changes to their pensions.
**
Chessington World of Adventures bans animal print clothing because it says animals at the wildlife park find it confusing.
* 27 September – Prime Minister
David Cameron rejects an invitation for a head-to-head TV debate on Scottish independence with
Scotland's First Minister
The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chairs ...
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...
October
*3 October – ''
The Mail on Sunday
''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...
'' editor
Geordie Greig
George Carron Greig (born 1960), known as Geordie Greig, is an English journalist and former editor of the ''Daily Mail''. He was editor in 2020 when it surpassed '' The Sun'' to become the best-selling newspaper in the UK.
Early life and care ...
issues an unreserved apology to Ed Miliband after a reporter was sent to a private memorial service for one of his relatives in an attempt to gather opinions from his family about a recent ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' article that had accused the Labour Leader's late father,
Ralph
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
of hating Britain. Two reporters are suspended as a result of the incident.
*7 October – launch of the
National Crime Agency
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is a national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's lead agency against organised crime; human, weapon and drug trafficking; cybercrime; and economic crime that goes across regional and in ...
, a new body designed to tackle some of Britain's most serious crimes.
*8 October
**Banks begin to unveil details of the mortgages they will offer under the government's expanded
Help to Buy
Help to Buy is the name of a government programme in the United Kingdom that aims to help first time buyers, and those looking to move home, purchase residential property. It was announced in Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne's 2013 budg ...
scheme.
**The
Scottish Government announces that the loss making
Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport () is an international airport serving the west of Scotland, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and southwest of Glasgow. It is the less busy of the two airports serving the western part of ...
in Glasgow is to be taken into
public ownership
State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownershi ...
.
**British physicist
Peter Higgs
Peter Ware Higgs (born 29 May 1929) is a British theoretical physicist, Emeritus Professor in the University of Edinburgh,Griggs, Jessica (Summer 2008The Missing Piece ''Edit'' the University of Edinburgh Alumni Magazine, p. 17 and Nobel Prize ...
is awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
for his theory of the
Higgs boson.
*10 October – Justice Minister
Jeremy Wright
Sir Jeremy Paul Wright , MP (born 24 October 1972) is a British lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General for England and Wales from 2014 to 2018 and as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2018 to 2019. A ...
confirms that former Liberian President
Charles Taylor will serve his jail sentence for war crimes in the UK.
*11 October – the UK government publishes a draft Royal Charter aimed at underpinning self-regulation of the press following an agreement by the three main political parties. However, the proposals are greeted with concerns about press freedom by the industry. Proposals put forward by the press has previously been rejected by the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
.
*15 October –
Charles Taylor arrives in the UK to serve the remainder of his 50-year prison sentence, the first head of state to be convicted of war crimes since World War II.
*18 October – a planned firefighters strike in England and Wales for the following day is called off at the eleventh hour, following progress in talks over pensions.
*20 October – about 100 homes are damaged when a "tornado" hits
Hayling Island
Hayling Island is an island off the south coast of England, in the borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, east of Portsmouth.
History
An Iron Age shrine in the north of Hayling Island was later developed into a Roman temple in the 1st c ...
in Hampshire.
*21 October – the government approves
Hinkley Point C
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a two-unit, 3,200 MWe EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England.
The site was one of eight announced by the British government in 2010, and in November 2012 a nuclear site ...
, the first nuclear plant to be constructed in the UK since 1995. It will be completed in 2023 and remain operational for 60 years, supplying about 7% of the country's electricity.
*22 October – former Prime Minister
Sir John Major calls for the government to levy a windfall tax on Britain's energy companies after three of the six major gas and electricity suppliers raise their prices by between eight and ten percent.
*23 October – Prime Minister David Cameron announces a review of green energy taxes after saying they had pushed up household bills to "unacceptable" levels.
*26 October – the
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men's representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was ...
begins.
*28 October – St Judes Day storm: 99 mph gust recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight
*30 October – the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
grants a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
on press regulations after the newspaper industry loses a last minute legal bid to seek an injunction against the plans.
November
*1 November – firefighters in England and Wales stage a four and a half-hour strike in a row over pension ages, as "contingency" crews battle a large scrapyard blaze in London.
*14 November – the last living British person to be born in the 1800s, Grace Jones, dies at the age of 113.
*18 November – Prime Minister David Cameron welcomes a decision by
search engine
A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...
companies
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
and
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
to block online images of child abuse.
*20 November – the
General Synod of the Church of England
The General Synod is the tricameral deliberative and legislative organ of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church ...
votes in favour of legislation to allow the ordination of women as bishops by 2014.
*21 November
**Former non-executive chairman of the Co-operative Bank
Paul Flowers is arrested by police in a drugs supply investigation, having been exposed agreeing to buy cocaine and methamphetamine by the ''
Mail on Sunday
''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...
'' newspaper. Flowers is also suspended from the Labour Party and Methodist Church as a result of the allegations.
**It is reported that
three women believed to have been held as slaves for the last three decades were rescued from a residence in London on 25 October.
*26 November – Scotland's
First Minister
A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...
launches the
Scottish Government's White Paper setting out its vision for an
independent Scotland.
*27 November – following a trial at Northampton Crown Court, businessman Anxiang Du is convicted of the
2011 murder of a family of four in a revenge attack after losing a legal case against them.
*29 November – eight people are killed and 19 seriously injured after a police helicopter
crashes into The Clutha pub in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
December
* 4 December – pig semen exports from Britain to China are the subject of a protocol signed in Beijing by Environment Secretary
Owen Paterson
Owen William Paterson (born 24 June 1956) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minist ...
as part of a trade mission that includes the Prime Minister,
David Cameron. The Chinese wish to improve their semen stock from boars in England and Northern Ireland.
*5 December –
Cyclone Bodil
Cyclone Xaver (or Storm Xaver), also known as the North Sea flood or tidal surge of 2013, was a winter storm that affected northern Europe. Force 12 winds and heavy snowfall were predicted along the storm's path, and there were warnings of a s ...
hits the UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, disrupting traffic and causing widespread damage amid fears of flooding along the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
coast.
*15 December –
Andy Murray wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013.
*16 December – Home Secretary Theresa May announces draft legislation to introduce tougher prison sentences for people convicted of offences relating to human trafficking.
*19 December – part of the ornate ceiling of the
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London. in London collapses during a performance, injuring at least 81 people in the audience.
*20 December – following a
trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...
at
Isleworth Crown Court
Isleworth Crown Court is a Crown Court centre which deals with criminal cases at 36 Ridgeway Road, Isleworth, London.
History
The site was originally been occupied by three large manor houses. However, following the Second World War, the Minis ...
, sisters Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo, who worked as personal assistants to food writer
Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook.
She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson st ...
and her husband
Charles Saatchi for several years, are found not guilty on charges of stealing from the couple.
*23 December
**Former MP
Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane (born Josef Denis Matyjaszek; 21 May 1948) is a British former politician, author and commentator who served as Minister of State for Europe from 2002 to 2005. He joined the Labour Party in 1970 and has held most party offices. ...
is sentenced to six months in jail for expenses fraud after he admitted to submitting 19 false receipts totalling £12,900.
**
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
computer pioneer and codebreaker
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical co ...
, who had been
chemically castrated in 1952 following his conviction for
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
, is given a posthumous
royal pardon.
Publications
* ''
The Quarry'' novel by
Iain Banks
Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of ''The Wasp Factor ...
* ''Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck'' by
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''.
Early life
Jeff Kinney was bor ...
Births
* 22 July –
Prince George of Wales
Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...
Deaths
January
* 1 January
**
Allan Hancox, 80, judge,
Chief Justice of Kenya
The Chief Justice of Kenya is the head of the Judiciary of Kenya and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya and is an office established under Article 161 of the Kenyan Constitution. The Chief Justice is assisted by the Deputy Chief Justice w ...
(1989–1993).
**
Christopher Martin-Jenkins
Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, MBE (20 January 1945 – 1 January 2013), also known as CMJ, was a British cricket journalist and a President of MCC. He was also the longest serving commentator for ''Test Match Special'' (TMS) on ...
, 67, Cricket journalist, cancer. (''
Test match Special
''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 LW ...
'').
* 2 January
**
Beatrice Bolam, 93, politician
**
Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton MBE (15 June 1917 – 2 January 2013) was a British presenter, writer and producer who worked on BBC Radio. He created the 1950s radio serials ''Riders of the Range'' and ''Journey into Space'', and also inspired the stage ...
, 95,
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
writer, producer and presenter (
Journey into Space
''Journey Into Space'' is a BBC Radio science fiction programme written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. It was the last UK radio programme to attract a bigger evening audience than television. Originally, four series were produced (the four ...
).
* 3 January
**
Sir Robert Clark, 89, naval officer and businessman.
**
George Falconer, 66, Scottish footballer (
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
,
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...
).
**
Alfie Fripp
Alfred George Fripp (13 June 1914 –3 January 2013), known as "Alfie" or "Bill", was a British Royal Air Force squadron leader who was a flight sergeant during the Second World War. He was shot down by the Luftwaffe in 1939 and held in t ...
, 98, RAF pilot, longest-serving British POW during World War II.
**
Jimmy Halliday, 85, leader of the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...
from 1956 to 1960.
* 4 January
**
Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue, 81,
Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art (1972–1996).
**
Derek Kevan
Derek Tennyson Kevan (6 March 1935 – 4 January 2013) was an English footballer. He spent the majority of his club career playing as a centre-forward for West Bromwich Albion, where he earned the nickname "The Tank". In 1961–62 he was j ...
, 77, footballer (
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
).
**
Jim Watson, 95, politician, Mayor of Blackburn (1982–1983).
* 5 January
**
Gwendoline Butler
Gwendoline Butler, née Williams (19 August 1922 – 5 January 2013) was a British writer of mystery fiction and romance novels since 1956, she also used the pseudonym Jennie Melville. Credited for inventing the "woman's police procedural", i ...
, 90, author.
**
Mary Susan McIntosh, 76, sociologist, feminist, political activist and campaigner for lesbian and gay rights
* 7 January
**
Stanley Cohen, 70, sociologist.
**
Jeremy Hindley
Jeremy Hindley (1 January 1944 – 7 January 2013) was an English horse trainer who trained around 700 winners in a 17-year career.
He trained horses such as Protection Racket, who won the Irish St. Leger, The Go-Between, who won 11 starts ...
, 69, horse trainer, motor neurone disease.
* 8 January
**
Alasdair Milne, 82, television producer and former Director-General of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
**