1986 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1986 in the United Kingdom. It is particularly noted for the "Big Bang" deregulation of the financial markets.

Incumbents

* Monarch – Elizabeth II
* Prime Minister – Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)
* Parliament – 49th

Events

January

*January – The Vauxhall Belmont compact saloon goes on sale, giving buyers a traditional saloon alternative to the Astra hatchback and estate models. The car would remain in production until September 1991.
*7 January – The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders announces that a record of more than 1.8 million new cars were sold in Britain during 1985, beating the previous record set in 1983. The Ford Escort was Britain's most popular new car for the fourth year running and all of the top 10 best-selling new cars were produced by Ford, Vauxhall or Austin Rover. Continental and Japanese manufacturers enjoyed a good-sized percentage of the new car market though, with Fiat, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen and Volvo all doing well.
*9 January
**Michael Heseltine resigns as Defence Secretary over the Westland affair.
**After three successive monthly falls in unemployment, the jobless count for December 1985 increased by nearly 15,000 to 3,181,300.
*12 January – The game show ''Catchphrase'' begins on ITV hosted by Roy Walker along with the computer generated character Mr. Chips. It concludes in 2002, but is revived in 2013.
*14 January – The Salafi jihadist group al-Muhajiroun begins to operate in the UK.
*20 January – The United Kingdom and France announce plans to construct the Channel Tunnel, which they hope to open by the early-1990s.
*24 January – Leon Brittan resigns as Trade and Industry Secretary over the Westland affair.
*31 January – Unemployment for this month has increased to 3,204,900 – a postwar high which accounts for 14.4% of the workforce.

February

* February
**Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures affected most of Britain during the month.
**The British-built Peugeot 309 goes on sale in Britain, four months after its continental launch. It is built at the former Rootes/Chrysler factory at Ryton, near Coventry which is also set to produce a larger Peugeot saloon model from next year.
*6 February – The UK Government scraps plans to sell Austin Rover to Ford.
*12 February – The Franco-British Channel Fixed Link Treaty is signed at Canterbury as the Channel Tunnel plans move forward.
*15 February – In the Wapping dispute, fifty-eight people are arrested by police at a demonstration.
*17 February – The UK signs the Single European Act.

March

*March – Ford launches a new generation of its big-selling Escort and Orion ranges.
*4 March – The national tabloid newspaper ''Today'' launches from Wapping. It pioneers the use of computer photo typesetting and full-colour offset printing at a time when British national newspapers are still using Linotype machines and letterpress.
*5 March – The High Court disqualifies and fines 81 Labour councillors for failing to set a rate.
*13 March – '' The Sun'' newspaper alleges that comedian Freddie Starr ate a live hamster.
*18 March – Inheritance tax replaces Capital Transfer Tax.
*19 March – Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson; they will be married later this year.
*23 March – Chelsea F.C. are the first winners of the Football League's new Full Members Cup, beating Manchester City 5–4 in the final at Wembley, although Manchester City clawed the deficit to a single goal in the last five minutes after being 5–1 down.
*29 March – The first high-speed catamaran ferry is introduced into service in the British Isles, HSC ''Our Lady Patricia'' on Sealink British Ferries' Portsmouth–Ryde passage.
*31 March
** The Greater London Council is abolished, as are the metropolitan county councils of West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Tyne and Wear, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
** A fire causes extensive damage at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey.
** The Haig Pit, Whitehaven, Cumbria closes.

April

*April – Hanson Trust concludes its takeover of the Imperial Group for £2.5 billion.
*1 April – The Prince and Princess of Wales open the extension of London Underground's Piccadilly line to Heathrow Terminal 4. Trains do not stop at the station until 12 April.
*7 April – Clive Sinclair sells rights to ZX Spectrum and other inventions to Amstrad.
*15 April – The Shops Bill 1986, which would have liberalised Sunday shopping, is defeated in the House of Commons on its second reading, the last time that a government bill will fall at that stage, one of only four defeats in the Commons for Mrs Thatcher and the only time an entire government bill is defeated during her tenure.
*17 April
** Journalist John McCarthy is kidnapped in Beirut, where three other hostages are found dead. The Revolutionary Cells (RZ) claims responsibility as revenge for the recent American bombing of Libya.
** A treaty is signed to end the supposed Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly.
*20 April – Oxford United F.C., who joined the Football League only in 1962 and are in the First Division for the first time, win the Football League Cup with a 3–0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Wembley.
*24 April – Wallis, Duchess of Windsor dies in her home in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris, aged 89, outliving her husband by fourteen years.
*28 April – The first phase of the MetroCentre, Europe's largest indoor shopping centre, in Gateshead, is opened. The remainder of the centre is set to open this autumn.
*29 April – The Duchess of Windsor is buried at Frogmore.
*30 April – Rioting erupts overnight in prisons across Britain. Dozens of prisoners escape, while prisoners at Stafford Prison set the prison canteen alight by smashing windows and dumping a burning mattress onto the roof. The worst disturbances come at Northeye Prison in Sussex, where a 70-strong mob of prisoners takes over the jail and sets fire to the canteen, hospital wing and sports hall.

May

*May – The last Talbot badged passenger cars are built in Britain and France by Peugeot who will continue making their own cars at the former Rootes Group plant near Coventry and the former Simca production facilities in France. Peugeot is to continue the Talbot brand for commercial vehicles and production of the Horizon range will continue in Spain and Finland until next year.
*5 May – Liverpool win the Football League First Division title for a record 16th time after winning 1–0 at Chelsea. Kenny Dalglish, in his first season as the club's player-manager, scores the goal which gives Liverpool the title.
*8 May – Labour makes large gains in local council elections, collecting 37% of the votes nationally compared to the Conservatives on 34% and the Alliance on 26%. These are the first national elections to be held since the recent abolition of the metropolitan councils.
*10 May – The first all-Merseyside FA Cup final ends in a 3–1 win for Liverpool over Everton, who become only the third team this century to win the double, having already secured the Football League First Division title.
*20 May – The Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act revises the prohibited degree of kinship for marriage.
*21 May – The Harrison Birtwistle opera ''The Mask of Orpheus'' premieres in London.

June

*10 June – Patrick Joseph Magee is found guilty of the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing and sentenced to life imprisonment.
*12 June
** Derek Hatton, leader of Liverpool council, is expelled from the Labour Party for belonging to the entryist Militant group.
** Austin Rover is renamed the Rover Group four years after the name change from British Leyland.
*14 June – The Queen rides to Trooping the Colour on horseback for the last time.
*23 June – Patrick Magee is jailed for life for the Brighton bombing of October 1984 as well as other IRA bombings.
*24 June – Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party stage protest at dissolution of Northern Ireland Assembly.
*29 June
** Richard Branson beats the speed record for a transatlantic crossing by boat in ''Virgin Atlantic Challenger II'' but is denied the Blue Riband award.
** The World Cup ends in Mexico with Argentina as winners and West Germany runners-up, but England's Gary Lineker wins the Golden Boot, having finished as the competition's leading scorer with six goals. Lineker, who has been at Everton for the last year and is the First Division's top scorer, is reported to be on the verge of a transfer to FC Barcelona of Spain.

July

* July – Nissan begins production of the Bluebird at its landmark factory near Sunderland.
*1 July – Gary Lineker becomes the most expensive British footballer ever in a £2.75 million move from Everton to FC Barcelona.
*2 July – 24 hours after Gary Lineker's transfer, Ian Rush sets a new transfer record for a British footballer when he agrees a £3.2 million move from Liverpool to Juventus of Italy, but is loaned back to Liverpool for a season and will not play his first game for Juventus until at least August 1987.
*4 July – A policeman is cleared of the manslaughter of five-year-old John Shorthouse, who was killed in an armed raid on a house in Birmingham in August last year.
*10 July – Austin Rover launches its new Honda-based Rover 800 executive car, which replaces the decade-old Rover SD1 and is part of a joint venture with Japanese carmaker Honda. The car will also be sold in the United States under the Sterling marque. The Honda version will be badged as the Honda Legend.
*12 July – Rioting breaks out at Portadown in Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics.
*17 July – It is announced that unemployment rose to 3,220,400 in June. It has now exceeded 3 million for nearly five years.
*23 July – Prince Andrew, Duke of York, marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London.
*24 July – 2 August – The Commonwealth Games are held in Edinburgh.
*28 July – Estate agent Suzy Lamplugh vanishes after a meeting in London. She was declared legally dead in 1994, but as of 2020, her body has still not been found and the case remains unsolved to the present day.
*30 July – A MORI poll shows that Labour are now nine points ahead of the Conservatives with 41% of the vote, with Liberal/SDP Alliance support now at 25%.

August

*8 August – Rival gangs of Manchester United and West Ham United fans clash on a Sealink ferry bound for Amsterdam where the two clubs are playing pre-season friendlies. The UEFA ban on English clubs in European competitions is continuing for a second season, and there are now fears that English clubs may not even be able to play friendlies overseas.
*13 August – The Eurotunnel Group is formed to operate the Channel Tunnel.
*15 August – The latest MORI poll shows that the Conservatives have eliminated Labour's nine-point lead and drawn level with them by gaining 37% in the latest opinion poll, in the space of just over two weeks.
*16 August – Figures released by the government reveal that a record of nearly 3,100,000 people claimed Unemployment Benefit last month, although the official total of unemployed people in Britain is still short of the record of nearly 3,300,000 which was set two years ago.
*19 August – The privatisation of the National Bus Company begins with the first sale of a bus operating subsidiary, Devon General, in a management buyout.
*22 August – John Stalker, deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester police, is cleared of misconduct over allegations of associating with criminals.
*25 August – Economists warn that a global recession is imminent, barely five years after the previous recession.
*29 August
**Britain's oldest twins, May and Marjorie Chavasse, celebrate their one-hundredth birthday.
**Highest national average 24-hour total rainfall until 2020.
*c. August – The one-millionth council house in the United Kingdom is sold to its tenants in Scotland, seven years after the Right To Buy scheme was launched.

September

*September – GCSE examination courses replace both GCE 'O' Level and CSE courses for 14-year-olds.
*6 September – First episode of medical drama serial ''Casualty'' airs on BBC One. It will still be running on television more than thirty years later.
*8 September – Margaret Thatcher officially opens the first phase of the Nissan car factory at Sunderland, which has been in use for two months. It is the first car factory to be built in Europe by a Japanese carmaker.
*14 September – Fears of another recession in Britain are eased by economists at Liverpool University predicting 3.1% economic growth next year.
*18 September – It is announced that unemployment rose to 3,280,106 in July.
*19 September – A man is killed in the Colwich rail crash.
*24 September – The flotation of the Trustee Savings Banks attracts a record of more than 4 million applications for shares.

October

*7 October – The first edition of ''The Independent'' national morning newspaper is published in London.
*9 October
** "Babes in the Wood" murders: two girls, Nicola Fellows (aged nine) and Karen Hadaway (aged 10), are reported missing in Moulsecoomb, Brighton.
**Musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'' opens at Her Majesty's Theatre in London.
*10 October – "Babes in the Wood" murders: two bodies found in Wild Park, Brighton, are identified as those of the two girls reported missing yesterday and a murder investigation is launched; a conviction would not be obtained until 2018.
*12 October – Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh visit the People's Republic of China, the first ever visit to the country by a British monarch.
*14 October – The MetroCentre, a shopping complex built on the Tyneside Enterprise Zone, is opened. It is similar in concept to the Merry Hill Shopping Centre that is being developed near Dudley in the West Midlands. The MetroCentre is officially the largest shopping complex in Europe. Among the MetroCentre's tenants is Marks & Spencer, whose department store there is its first out of town outlet.
*24 October – The UK breaks off diplomatic relations with Syria over links to the Hindawi Affair.
*26 October
**Bus deregulation begins in the United Kingdom, except Greater London and Northern Ireland.
**Jeffrey Archer resigns as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party over allegations concerning prostitutes.
*27 October
**" Big Bang Day": London Stock Exchange is computerised, and opens to foreign companies.
**The Australian TV soap ''Neighbours'' is launched on BBC One, more than a year after debuting in its native country.
*28 October – Jeremy Bamber is found guilty of the 1985 "White House Farm murders" of his parents, sister and twin nephews in Essex, and is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum of 25 years and as of 2021 will still be in prison.
*29 October – Margaret Thatcher opens the completed M25 London Orbital Motorway, the first section of which opened in 1975. It covers a distance of 122 miles and features 31 junctions, although there are no service stations yet.

November

* November
**First UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the U.K. designated: Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast (Northern Ireland); Durham Castle and Cathedral; Ironbridge Gorge; Studley Royal Park (including the ruins of Fountains Abbey); Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites; and Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (Wales).
** Launch of the second generation Vauxhall Carlton, largest model in the Vauxhall range. It will be sold as the Opel Omega on the continent, and all European versions of the car will be built in West Germany.
*3 November – The Conservatives top a MORI poll for the first time this year, coming one point ahead of Labour with 40% of the vote. Liberal/SDP Alliance support has slumped to 18%.
*6 November
** 45 people are killed in the 1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash.
** Chancellor Nigel Lawson announces a £4.6 billion rise in public spending.
** Alex Ferguson is appointed manager of Manchester United football club following the dismissal of Ron Atkinson after more than five years in charge. United won two FA Cups under the management of Atkinson but have not won the league title since 1967 and are now second from bottom in the Football League First Division.
*7 November – Sir James Goldsmith's £5 billion bid for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is rejected.
*13 November – It is announced that unemployment fell by 96,000 in October.
*18 November – Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, who are both still in prison 20 years after their Moors Murders convictions, confess to the murders of two missing children - Pauline Reade, who vanished in July 1963 at the age of 16, and Keith Bennett, who was last seen in June 1964 at the age of 12.
*20 November – Greater Manchester Police begin their search for the two newly identified Moors Murders victims.
*21 November – The Government launches a £20 million campaign to warn members of the public about the dangers of AIDS.

December

*December – The first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy is diagnosed in British cattle.
*1 December – The government launches an inquiry into financial irregularities at Guinness.
*3 December – 4 million people apply for shares in British Gas in anticipation of flotation next week.
*4 December – 20-year-old roofer Russell Bishop is charged with the "Babes in the Wood" murders in Brighton two months ago but will not be convicted until a second trial in 2018.
*8 December – British Gas shares are floated on the Stock Exchange. The initial public offering of 135p per share values the company at £9 billion, the highest equity offering ever at this time.
*17 December – The world's first heart, lung and liver transplant is carried out at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.
*18 December – It is announced that unemployment fell to a four-year low of less than 3,100,000 in November. On 15 January 1987 it is announced that unemployment has fallen in December 1986 for the fifth month in succession.
*22 December – David Penhaligon, a leading Liberal Party MP, dies in a car crash near Truro in Cornwall at the age of 42.
*25 December – The highest audience of all time for a British television drama is attracted by the Christmas Day episode of ''EastEnders'', the BBC 1 soap opera, in which Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) serves the divorce papers on his wife Angie Watts, Angie (Anita Dobson) after discovering that she had feigned a terminal illness to try to stop him from leaving her in an episode aired in October this year. More than 30 million viewers tune in for the episode of the TV series which first went on air in February 1985.
*29 December – Harold Macmillan, Earl of Stockton and former Prime Minister, dies at the age of 92 at his home, Birch Grove in East Sussex.

Undated

*Inflation reaches a 19-year low of 3.4%.
*Introduction of Working tax credit, Family credit, a tax credit for poorer families.
*Bank of England withdraws its guidance on Mortgage loan, mortgage lending.
*Establishment of National Museums Liverpool, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside group of institutions, funded through national government.
*Mathematician Simon Donaldson wins a Fields Medal.
* Children and young people's counselling charity, Childline, founded.

Publications

*Janet and Allan Ahlberg's children's book ''The Jolly Postman''.
*Kingsley Amis's novel ''The Old Devils''.
*Jeffrey Archer's novel ''A Matter of Honour''.
*Iain Banks' novel ''The Bridge (novel), The Bridge''.
*John le Carré's novel ''A Perfect Spy''.
*Richard Dawkins' book ''The Blind Watchmaker''.
*Brian Jacques' children's fantasy novel ''Redwall (novel), Redwall'', first in the eponymous series.
*Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel ''The Light Fantastic''.

Births

January

* 1 January
** Anna Brewster, actress and model
** James Cottriall, English-born Austrian singer and musician
** Colin Morgan, actor
* 2 January – Rob Beckett, comedian, narrator, and presenter
* 3 January – Liam Treadwell, National Hunt jockey (died 2020)
* 4 January – James Milner, footballer
* 6 January – Alex Turner (musician), Alex Turner, musician
* 7 January – Liam Fontaine, footballer
* 8 January – Emika, electronic musician
* 9 January – Craig Davies (footballer), Craig Davies, footballer
* 10 January – Abbey Clancy, model and television personality
* 11 January
** Kamara Bacchus, actress and radio personality
** Kelly Chambers (footballer), Kelly Chambers, footballer
** Liam Coleman, footballer
** Terry Etim, mixed martial artist
** Rachel Riley, television presenter
* 12 January
** Edward Drake (skier), Edward Drake, Olympic skier
** Chris Evangelou, actor and boxer
** Kieron Richardson, actor
* 13 January – Rosalind Canter, equestrian
* 17 January
** Nicholas D. Cooper, actor
** Lucy Evangelista, model and pageant winner
* 18 January – John Farnworth, football freestyler, entertainer, actor, and Guinness World Records, World Record holder
* 20 January – Hannah Daniel, actress
* 22 January – Ella Edmondson, singer/songwriter
* 23 January – Anne Foy, children's television presenter
* 24 January
** Mischa Barton, British-born American actress
** Oliver Brennand, rugby player
** Montell Douglas, Olympic sprinter and bobsleigher
* 26 January
** Luke Bowen, speedway rider
** Danny Crow, footballer
* 28 January
** Jessica Ennis-Hill, Olympic heptathlete
** Ashley Lilley, actress and singer
* 29 January – Mark Howard (footballer, born January 1986), Mark Howard, footballer

February

* 1 February
** Kerry Blewett, lifeguard and canoe sprinter
** Joe Connor (footballer, born 1986), Joe Connor, footballer
** Tom Deacon (comedian), Tom Deacon, comedian
* 2 February – Gemma Arterton, actress
* 3 February
** Donald Barrell, rugby player
** James DeGale, boxer
** David Edwards (footballer, born 1986), David Edwards, footballer
* 4 February – Lewis Chalmers, footballer
* 5 February – Billy Sharp, footballer
* 6 February – Jon-Allan Butterworth, Paralympic cyclist
* 7 February – Ben Batt, actor
* 8 February – James Collins (rugby union), James Collins, rugby player
* 11 February
** Bim Afolami, politician
** Tom Bartram, cricketer
** Mark Coulson, footballer
* 19 February
** Duncan Bradshaw, cricketer
** Ophelia Lovibond, actress
* 21 February – Charlotte Church, singer/songwriter
* 23 February
** Darren Cheesman, hockey player
** Laura Coleman, model, social media influencer, and actress
* 25 February
** Andrew Dick (footballer), Andrew Dick, footballer
** James and Oliver Phelps, identical twin actors
* 27 February – Adam Bartlett, footballer
* 28 February – Kingsley Ben-Adir, actor

March

* 1 March
** Joanna Blair, javelin thrower
** Aaron Bramwell, rugby player
** Alec Utgoff, Ukrainian-born actor
* 2 March
** James Ashmore (footballer), James Ashmore, footballer
** Jay Conroy, footballer
* 3 March
** Iwan Brown, rugby player
** Tom Curle, footballer
* 5 March – Matty Fryatt, footballer and coach
* 6 March
** Danny Jones (rugby league), Danny Jones, rugby league footballer (died 2015)
** Charlie Mulgrew, footballer
* 7 March – Geraint Davies (rugby league), Geraint Davies, rugby player
* 8 March – Emma Cousin, artist
* 11 March
** Peter Bissell, cyclist
** Tom Clarke (musician), Tom Clarke, musician and frontman for The Enemy (English rock band), The Enemy
** Will Dobson, cricketer
* 12 March
** Mat Bailey, footballer
** Danny Jones, musician, singer/songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for McFly
* 13 March
** Hannah Claydon, model
** Kat Driscoll, Olympic trampoline gymnast
* 14 March – Jamie Bell, actor
* 16 March
** Dave Coupland, golfer
** Joe Denly, cricketer
* 19 March – Kane Ashcroft, footballer (died 2015)
* 20 March – Kirsty Blackman, politician
* 21 March
**Samantha Bowen, Iraqi War veteran and Paralympic sitting volleyball player
**Sam Nixon, singer and TV presenter
* 22 March
** Tom Cheeseman, footballer
** Eddie Dennis, wrestler
* 24 March
** Tom Davies (rugby union, born 1986), Tom Davies, rugby player
* 25 March
** Ashleigh Ball (field hockey), Ashleigh Ball, hockey player
** Bob Davidson (footballer), Bob Davidson, footballer
* 26 March – Luc Bernard, video game designer and artist
* 28 March
** Jay Curtis, television & radio broadcaster and actor
** Bolu Fagborun, Nigerian-born rugby player
* 29 March – Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, footballer
* 31 March
** Scott Baker (darts player), Scott Baker, darts player
** Matthew Collins (Welsh footballer), Matty Collins, footballer

April

* 1 April – Fardad Farahzad, Iranian-born journalist
* 3 April – Coleen Rooney, Media Personality
* 6 April – David Avery, actor
* 7 April – Andi Fraggs, singer/songwriter and music producer
* 8 April – Liam Scarlett, choreographer (died 2021)
* 9 April
** Doctor P, dubstep producer and DJ
** Leilani Franco, contortionist
* 10 April
** Sam Attwater, actor
** Adam Connolly, footballer
** Martin Drury, footballer and coach
* 12 April – Nick Crumpton, zoologist and children's author
* 13 April – Michael Bingham, Olympic track-and-field athlete
* 14 April – Matt Derbyshire, footballer
* 15 April
** Chris Dagnall, footballer
** Tom Heaton, footballer
* 16 April
** Darren Campbell (footballer), Darren Campbell, footballer
** Paul Di Resta, racing driver
* 17 April – Brett Ferres, rugby player
* 18 April
** Jordan Brookes, comedian
** Gavin Cadwallader, footballer
** James Dabill, motorcycle trials rider
** Gareth Evans (weightlifter), Gareth Evans, Olympic weightlifter
* 21 April – Blair Cowan (rugby union), Blair Cowan, rugby player
* 22 April – Stuart Anderson (Scottish footballer), Stuart Anderson, footballer
* 23 April – Stuart Fleetwood, footballer
* 25 April – Daniel Sharman, actor
* 27 April – Jenna Coleman, actress
* 29 April – Donna Etiebet, rower
* 30 April – Michael Collins (footballer, born 1986), Michael Collins, footballer

May

* 3 May
** Kell Brook, boxer
** Poppy Delevingne, model
** Jon-Lewis Dickinson, boxer
* 5 May – Brett Domino, musician and comedian
* 6 May – David Buchanan (footballer, born 1986), David Buchanan, footballer
* 7 May – Jamie Day (footballer, born 1986), Jamie Day, footballer
* 10 May – Liam Davies, rugby player
* 11 May – Marc Fitzpatrick, footballer
* 12 May – Luke Douglas, Australian-born rugby player
* 13 May
** Mark Bott, cricketer
** Robert Pattinson, actor
* 14 May – Richard Huckle, convicted sex offender (died 2019)
* 15 May – Tom Champion, footballer
* 16 May – Charlie Fink, songwriter, producer and filmmaker
* 17 May – Jodie Taylor, footballer
* 19 May – Christian Begg, cricketer
* 20 May
** Dexter Blackstock, footballer
** Robert Emms, actor
* 23 May – Matthew Crampton, cyclist
* 24 May – Charlie Casely-Hayford, fashion designer
* 25 May – Lauren Crace, actress and radio presenter
* 26 May
** Fern Brady, comedian and writer
** James Cockle (speedway rider), James Cockle, speedway rider
** Martin Paul Eve, academic, writer, and disability rights campaigner
* 27 May – Conor Cummins, motorcycle racer
* 28 May – Laura Dockrill, author and performance poet
* 29 May
** Anthony Barry (footballer), Anthony Barry, footballer
** Danny Fox, footballer
* 31 May – Chris Brooker, rugby player

June

* 1 June – Skream, DJ and producer
* 3 June
** Jordan Crane (rugby union), Jordan Crane, rugby player
** Mike Dodds (football coach), Mike Dodds, football coach
* 4 June
** Scott Boyd, footballer
** Oona Chaplin, Spanish-born actress and dancer
** Nicole Emmanuel, footballer
** Shelly Woods, Paralympic wheelchair racer
* 5 June – Charlotte Dobson, Olympic sailor
* 8 June – Michelle Cooper, bowler
* 9 June – Luis Felber, British-born Peruvian musician
* 10 June – Zara Dampney, Olympic beach volleyball player
* 12 June
** Gary Buckland, boxer
** Scott Flinders, footballer
** Luke Youngblood, actor
* 13 June – Mark D. Ferguson, film director, screenwriter and camera operator
* 14 June – Jonathan Clare, cricketer
* 15 June
** Jordan Andrews, composer, musician and producer
** Dean Bowditch, footballer
* 17 June
** Steven Davies, cricketer
** Helen Glover (rower), Helen Glover, rower
* 18 June
** Kevin Bradley (Scottish footballer), Kevin Bradley, footballer
** Gareth Duke, Paralympic swimmer
** Ian Field, cyclo-cross cyclist
** Richard Madden, actor
* 20 June – Alex Davies (rugby union), Alex Davies, rugby player
* 21 June – Stuart Abbot, footballer
* 23 June – Colin Ryan (actor), Colin Ryan, actor
* 24 June – Stuart Broad, cricketer
* 25 June
** Megan Burns, musician and actress
** Sean Crombie, rugby player
* 26 June – Paddy Coupar, rugby player
* 27 June – Sam Claflin, actor

July

* 3 July – Chris Bush (playwright), Chris Bush, playwright and artistic director
* 4 July
** Marvin Bartley, footballer
** Julia Beckett, Olympic swimmer
* 10 July
** Tom Richards (squash player), Tom Richards, squash player
** Scott Westgarth, boxer (died 2018)
* 11 July
** Derek Carcary, footballer
** Ian Cathro, football coach
* 14 July – Dan Smith (singer), Dan Smith, singer
* 16 July – James Drury, English-born Virgin Islands footballer
* 17 July – William Easton (footballer), William Easton, footballer
* 21 July
** Michael Collins (rugby union, born 1986), Michael Collins, rugby player
** Rebecca Ferguson (singer), Rebecca Ferguson, soul singer/songwriter
* 22 July – Robert Campbell (footballer, born 1986), Robert Campbell, footballer
* 24 July – Alissa Firsova, Russian-born classical composer, pianist, and conductor
* 25 July
** Kate Butters, basketball player
** Alan Clyne, squash player
* 26 July – Mathew Birley, footballer
* 29 July – FuntCase, DJ and dubstep producer
* 31 July – Charlie Clemmow, actress

August

* 1 August
** Damien Allen, footballer
** Daisy May Cooper, actress and writer
* 3 August – Rebekah Cook, motorcycle trials rider
* 4 August – Leon Camier, motorcycle racer
* 5 August – Jamie Baker (tennis), Jamie Baker, tennis player
* 6 August – Nick Brodie, coxswain
* 9 August
** Robert Adcock, badminton player
** Aled Brew, rugby player
* 10 August – Ross Burkinshaw, boxer
* 15 August
** Teddy Sinclair, singer/songwriter
* 16 August
** Danny Ayres, speedway racer (died 2020)
** Niki Birrell, Paralympic sailor
* 19 August
** Rachael Burford, rugby player
** Zuby, rapper
* 20 August
** Grant Anderson (footballer), Grant Anderson, footballer
** Kerry Barr, curler
** Steven Campbell (footballer), Steven Campbell, footballer
** Andrew Surman, footballer
* 22 August
** James Frost, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist for The Automatic
** Bobby Cole Norris, television personality
** Benjamin Satterley, wrestler
* 24 August
** Jonny Cocker, racing driver
** Jamie Cox (boxer), Jamie Cox, boxer
* 27 August – Laura Bates, feminist writer
* 28 August
** Stuart Bithell, Olympic sailor
** Paul Crook (rugby league, born 1986), Paul Crook, rugby player
** Florence Welch, English singer/songwriter
* 30 August – Theo Hutchcraft, pop musician

September

* 6 September
** Daniel Dillon (footballer), Daniel Dillon, footballer
** Phil Doughty, footballer
* 7 September
** Charlie Daniels (footballer), Charlie Daniels, footballer
** Jodie Turner-Smith, actress and model
* 11 September – Adam Dixon (field hockey), Adam Dixon, hockey player
* 12 September
** Alfie Allen, actor
** Akwasi Fobi-Edusei, footballer
** Dawn Foster, journalist, broadcaster, and author (died 2021)
* 13 September – Darren Daniel, rugby player
* 14 September
** Paul Brannigan, actor
** Joel Byrom, footballer
* 15 September – Jenna McCorkell, figure skater
* 16 September – Hasib Hussain, Islamic terrorist, murders 13 people during 7 July 2005 London bombings (suicide 2005)
* 17 September
** Jack Adams (rugby union), Jack Adams, rugby union player (died 2021)
** Rob Elvins, footballer
** Ashley Foyle, footballer
** Sophie (musician), Sophie, Scottish songwriter and record producer (died 2021)
* 18 September
** Cammy Bell, footballer and coach
** Keeley Hazell, model
* 22 September
** CASisDEAD, rapper and MC
** Ryan Dicker, footballer
** Steven Findlay, rugby player
* 23 September – Lisa Farnell, Canadian-born curler
* 25 September – Josh Bateman, rugby player
* 26 September – Martin Cranie, footballer
* 27 September
** Efe Echanomi, Nigerian-born footballer
** Greg Fleming, footballer
* 29 September – Cerith Flinn, actor

October

* 1 October
** Paul Edwards (boxer), Paul Edwards, boxer
** Carl Finnigan, footballer
** Danny Francis (footballer, born 1986), Danny Francis, footballer
* 2 October – Tom Hudson (English actor), Tom Hudson, actor
* 3 October
** Alex Ball (cricketer), Alex Ball, cricketer
** Calum Forrester, rugby player
* 4 October – Gary Boyd (golfer), Gary Boyd, golfer
* 6 October – Michael Eilberg, dressage rider
* 8 October
** Louis Dodds, footballer
** George Flanagan, rugby player
* 9 October – Sam Ashton, footballer
* 10 October
** Jamie Conlan, boxer
** Matty Dale, rugby player
** Lucy Griffiths (actress, born 1986), Lucy Griffiths, actress
* 13 October
** Gabby Agbonlahor, footballer
** Beth Croft, Christian musician
* 14 October
** Matt Bulman, footballer
** Tom Craddock, footballer
* 15 October – Tommy Forecast, footballer
* 16 October – Craig Pickering, sprinter
* 17 October – Sam Foley, footballer
* 18 October – Aidan Collins, footballer
* 19 October – Anthony England, rugby player
* 20 October
** Charlie Brown (singer), Charlie Brown, singer/songwriter
** Charlie Duffell, cricketer
** Ryan Esders, rugby player
* 21 October – Keith Barker, cricketer
* 22 October
** John Boyle (footballer, born 1986), John Boyle, footballer
** Phil Burleigh, rugby player
** Dale Roberts (footballer, born 1986), Dale Roberts, footballer (died 2010)
* 23 October
** Emilia Clarke, actress
** Lee Costello, motorcycle racer
* 24 October
** Will Bragg, cricketer
** John Ruddy, footballer

November

* 2 November – Cherrelle Fennell, Olympic gymnast
* 3 November – Scott Armstrong (rugby union), Scott Armstrong, rugby player
* 4 November – Seve Benson, golfer
* 6 November
** Nick Aldis, wrestler
** Craig Bryson, footballer
* 8 November
** Draft (musician), Draft, electronic music producer, DJ and songwriter
** Jamie Roberts, rugby player
* 10 November – Travis Binnion, English-born Irish footballer and cricketer
* 13 November
** Kevin Bridges, stand-up comedian
** Adam Cox, gymnast
* 14 November
** Richard Buck, sprinter
** Matt Cook (rugby league), Matt Cook, rugby player
** Ashley Fuller, footballer
* 15 November
** Jamie Chestney, bowler
** Jared Hodgkiss, footballer
* 16 November
** Anthony Crolla, boxer
** Ayden Duffy, footballer
* 17 November
** Matt Barron, rugby player
** Greg Rutherford, Olympic track-and-field athlete
* 19 November – Sam Betty, rugby player
* 20 November – Oliver Sykes, vocalist and frontman for Bring Me the Horizon
* 21 November
** Tom Cahill (footballer, born 1986), Tom Cahill, footballer
** Sam Palladio, actor and musician
* 22 November
** Jack Blumenau, actor
** Paul Dixon (footballer, born 1986), Paul Dixon, footballer
* 23 November – Liam Davis (footballer, born 1986), Liam Davis, footballer
* 25 November – Louise Alder, lyric soprano
* 26 November – Nathan Craze, hockey player
* 27 November
** Sammy Dobson, actress
** George Eaton (journalist), George Eaton, journalist
* 28 November
** Dan Carden, politician
** Helen Wood (TV personality), Helen Wood, TV personality
* 29 November – Joe Colbeck, footballer

December

* 1 December
** Michael Bakare, footballer
** Natasha O'Keeffe, actress
** Andrew Tate, internet personality
* 2 December – Adam Le Fondre, footballer
* 5 December – Leigh Alderson, ballet dancer
* 6 December – Sean Edwards (racing driver), Sean Edwards, racing driver (died 2013)
* 8 December
** Lara Carroll, English-born Australian Olympic swimmer
** Amir Khan (boxer), Amir Khan, boxer
* 9 December – Dale Appleby, cyclist
* 10 December – Matthew Bates, footballer
* 11 December
** Gary Carr (actor), Gary Carr, actor, dancer, and musician
** Kris Doolan, footballer
** Lee Peltier, footballer
* 12 December
** Sean Clohessy, footballer
** Ayden Faal, rugby player
** Jo Fraser, painter
* 13 December – Ben Evans (golfer), Ben Evans, golfer
* 14 December
** Phil Boulton, rugby player
** Ryan Dickson, footballer
* 18 December
** Eku Edewor, actress, television presenter, and model
** Harry Fry (racehorse trainer), Harry Fry, racehorse trainer
* 19 December – Calvin Andrew, footballer
* 20 December
** Ian Bibby, cyclist
** Benjamin Brierley (rugby union), Benjamin Brierley, English-born German rugby player
** Chris Cornes, footballer
* 23 December – Ben and Tom Birchall, Tom Birchall, motorcycle-with-sidecar racer
* 26 December
** Josh Beech, English-born American singer/songwriter
** Nichola Burley, actress
** Emily Fleeshman, actress
** Kit Harrington, actor
* 27 December – Liam Craig, footballer
* 28 December – Hannah Elsy, rower
* 30 December
** Nikki Brammeier, cyclist
** Ellie Goulding, singer
** Faye Marsay, actress

Date Unknown

* Alice Birch, playwright and screenwriter
* Caroline Bird, poet, playwright, and author
* Brian Blackwell, convicted murderer
* Joe Borg (screenwriter), Joe Borg, screenwriter
* Millie Brown (performance artist), Millie Brown, performance artist
* Hugh Brunt, music conductor
* Jen Calleja, writer and literary translator
* Poppy Corbett, playwright
* Thomas Crowther (ecologist), Thomas Crowther, professor of ecology at ETH Zurich and co-chair of the advisory board for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
* Deckscar, DJ and music producer
* Ryan Edgar, footballer
* Laura Evans (snooker player), Laura Evans, snooker player
* Martin Paul Eve, academic, writer, and disability rights campaigner
* Floating Points, electronic music producer, DJ, and musician
* Katrina Forrester, political theorist and historian
* Danny Fox (artist), Danny Fox, artist

Deaths

*3 January – Dustin Gee, comedian (born 1942)
*4 January
**Christopher Isherwood, novelist (born 1904)
**Phil Lynott, Irish singer, ''Thin Lizzy'' frontman (born 1949)
*1 February – Dick James, singer and record producer (born 1920)
*10 February – Brian Aherne, actor (born 1902)
*14 February – Edmund Rubbra, composer (born 1901)
*28 February – Sir Thomas Williams (Warrington MP), Thomas Williams, Labour MP (born 1915)
*10 March – Ray Milland, actor (born 1907)
*17 March – John Bagot Glubb, Sir John Bagot Glubb, general and author, leader of the Arab Legion (1939–1956) (born 1897)
*3 April – Peter Pears, tenor (born 1910)
*11 April – Lady Penelope Chetwode, Penelope Betjeman, travel writer and wife of Sir John Betjeman (born 1910)
*23 April – Jim Laker, cricketer (born 1922)
*24 April – Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born 1896)
*1 May – Hylda Baker, actress (born 1905)
*8 May – Manny Shinwell, Baron Shinwell, trade union official and Labour MP (born 1884)
*3 June – Dame Anna Neagle, actress (born 1904)
*23 June
**Sir Moses Finley, classical scholar (born 1912 in the United States)
**Nigel Stock (actor), Nigel Stock, actor (born 1919)
*25 June – Laurie Fishlock, cricketer and footballer (born 1907)
*16 July – Robert Boothby, Baron Boothby, Conservative MP (born 1900)
*18 July – Sir Stanley Rous, president of FIFA and former secretary of the Football Association (born 1894)
*27 July – Osbert Lancaster, cartoonist (born 1908)
*3 August – Beryl Markham, British-born Kenyan pilot and author (born 1902)
*31 August – Henry Moore, sculptor (born 1898)
*17 September – Pat Phoenix, actress (born 1923)
*5 October
** Mairin Mitchell, journalist, author and translator (born 1895)Mairin Mitchell - a Memory of Ambleside
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** James H. Wilkinson, mathematician (born 1919)
*16 October – Ted Sagar, footballer (born 1910)
*28 October
**John Braine, novelist (born 1922)
**Ian Marter, actor and writer (born 1944)
*22 December – David Penhaligon, Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Member of Parliament, MP (car accident) (born 1944)
*29 December – Harold Macmillan, former Prime Minister (born 1894)
*31 December – Geoffrey John Audley Miles, senior Royal Navy admiral and veteran of both world wars (born 1890)

See also

* 1986 in British music
* 1986 in British television
* List of British films of 1986

References

{{Year in Europe, 1986

1986 in the United Kingdom,
Years of the 20th century in the United Kingdom
1986 by country, United Kingdom