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2024 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 2024 in the United Kingdom.

2024 in the United Kingdom
Other years
2022 | 2023 | 2024 (2024) | 2025 | 2026
Countries of the United Kingdom
England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Popular culture

Incumbents

Events

January

  • 1 January
  • 2 January
    • Storm Henk:
      • The Met Office issues a severe weather warning as Storm Henk hits parts of the UK, bringing winds of up to 80 mph (128 km/h), along with the risk of flooding.[7]
      • A man in his 50s dies on the A433 near Kemble, Gloucestershire after a tree falls on his car during high winds.[8][9]
      • At the London Eye, strong winds blow open a pod hatch while a family of 11 is 400 ft in the air.[10]
      • Footage emerges of a mother and her three-year-old daughter being rescued from a submerged car in Birmingham.[11]
      • An 87-year-old woman dies on the B4526 near Crays Pond, Oxfordshire after the car she is driving hits a fallen tree.[12]
    • Research published by the RAC indicates that the target set by the UK government for installing rapid or ultra-rapid chargers near motorways was missed during 2023.[13]
    • Provisional data released by the Met Office indicates 2023 was the second warmest year on record in the UK behind 2022, with Wales and Northern Ireland experiencing their warmest year on record during 2023.[14]
    • 16-year-old Luke Littler beats Rob Cross to reach the World Darts Championship final, making him the youngest person to reach the final; overtaking Kirk Shepherd who was 21 years and 88 days old when he reached the 2008 final.[15]
  • 3 January
  • 4 January
  • 5 January
    • The Metropolitan Police says it is not investigating allegations against Prince Andrew after unsealed court papers in the United States contained groping allegations against him.[22]
    • Critics brand comments by Sir Howard Davies, chair of NatWest, as "astounding" and "out of touch with reality" after he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was "not that difficult" for someone to buy a house.[23]
    • Chris Skidmore, MP for Kingswood, announces his intention to stand down from Parliament "as soon as possible" in protest at the UK government's decision to issue more oil and gas licences. His decision will trigger another by-election.[24]
    • Lawyers representing potential victims of the British Post Office scandal say they have been contacted by a further 50 people following the broadcast of the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.[25]
  • 6 January
  • 7 January
    • Sir Keir Starmer admits he worries about the toll of a general election year on his two teenage children as he and his wife try to keep them out of the public eye.[28]
    • Sunak describes the Post Office scandal as "an appalling miscarriage of justice" and says the government is looking at ways to clear the names of those convicted because of faulty IT software.[29]
  • 8 January
    • Mondelez International announces plans to celebrate the bicentenary 200th Anniversary of Cadbury.[30]
    • Chinese authorities claim to have detained an individual who they say has been working for the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6.[31]
    • Ofgem grants permission for energy companies to resume the forced installation of prepayment meters a year after the practice was suspended and after drawing up new rules that prohibits them being installed under certain conditions, such as households where the occupant is over 75, where there are children under two, and for those with certain health conditions.[32]
    • At an event held in Parliament Square, the actor Idris Elba calls on the UK government to introduce an immediate ban on the sale of zombie knives and machetes to reduce the number of young people losing their lives because of the weapons.[33]
    • London and the south-east see a mix of snow, sleet, and rain as the country braces for a week-long cold spell.[34]
    • British Post Office scandal:
  • 9 January
    • Economists say that funding the student loans system in England is expected to cost the government an extra £10 billion a year.[37]
    • British Post Office scandal:
      • Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk tells Parliament the UK government is giving "serious consideration" to introducing legislation to quash the convictions of the 700 or so sub post masters who were prosecuted as a result of the Horizon IT scandal.[38]
      • Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells announces that she will hand back her CBE after more than a million people signed a petition calling for her to do so.[39]
      • Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who was Post Office minister during the scandal, comes under pressure to return his knighthood.[40]
  • 10 January
    • British Post Office scandal:
      • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces that emergency legislation will be brought through Parliament to "swiftly exonerate and compensate victims" of the Post Office scandal in England and Wales.[41]
      • First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf confirms those in Scotland convicted because of the scandal will also be cleared, and that he will work with the UK government to bring this about.[42]
    • Baroness Heather Hallett, chair of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, confirms the inquiry will postpone the start of hearing evidence about the development of a vaccine as more time is needed to prepare for a separate investigation into the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS. Consequently, the vaccine evidence, which was due to begin being heard in Summer 2024 may not begin until after the next general election.[43]
    • HS2 Ltd releases a revised forecast for building the London to Birmingham leg of the High Speed 2 rail link, which is now estimated to total £65bn.[44]
  • 11 January
  • 12 January
  • 13 January
  • 14 January
  • 15 January
    • The portrait of King Charles III for use on public buildings, such as courts and government offices is unveiled.[66]
    • Another week of strike action is announced by the ASLEF train drivers union, to run from Tuesday 30 January until Monday 5 February.[67]
    • The Home Office announces that it will proscribe the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation, accused of praising the Hamas attacks.[68][69]
    • A review into investigations conducted by Greater Manchester Police between 2004 and 2019 finds that girls were "left at the mercy" of paedophile grooming gangs for several years because of failings by senior police and council bosses.[70]
    • Alison Phillips confirms she will stand down as editor of the Daily Mirror at the end of January, having been in the role since 2018.[71]
  • 16 January
    • Schools are closed and commuters face disruption following snowfall across parts of the UK.[72]
    • Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith resign their positions as Deputy Chairmen of the Conservative Party, after saying they would back rebel amendments on the Rwanda bill.[73] Jane Stevenson also resigns as a Parliamentary Private Secretary so she can vote for the amendment.[74]
    • British brothers Stewart and Louis Ahearne are sentenced to three and a half years in prison by a court in Switzerland for their part in a 2019 robbery of Ming dynasty art from a museum in Geneva.[75]
    • The Met Office issues a warning for what is expected to be the coldest January night since 2010.[76] Temperatures fall to −14 °C in parts of Scotland, while the following night (17 January) is the coldest of the winter for many places.[77]
    • Giving evidence to the inquiry into the Post Office scandal, Paul Patterson, the chief executive of Fujitsu Europe, says the company has a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted as a result of its faulty IT software, and apologises for the impact the scandal had on those affected by it.[78]
  • 17 January
  • 18 January
    • The UK Statistics Authority rebukes the prime minister for misleading the public over the backlog of asylum applications, which he claimed in a social media post had been cleared, while several thousand still remained. The UKSA says the claim could have affected public trust in the government.[84]
    • A newborn girl is found in a shopping bag in Newham, London. It is thought that she was less than an hour old when she was found.[85]
    • The legal deadline to form a Northern Ireland Executive. On the same day, over 150,000 public sector workers stage a general strike across Northern Ireland.[86][87]
  • 19 January
  • 20 January
  • 21 January
    • Weather alerts, including two amber warnings, are issued for the entire UK as Storm Isha brings winds of up to 99 mph.[97][98]
    • A technical fault prevents some Tesco grocery orders from being fulfilled.[99]
    • A spokesman for Sarah, Duchess of York confirms she has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma following the removal of a cancerous mole during treatment for breast cancer, and is undergoing further investigation. She is the third member of the royal family to undergo a medical procedure in under a week.[100]
  • 22 January
    • Two deaths are reported in the aftermath of Storm Isha, while tens of thousands of homes remain without power, and transport services face ongoing disruption. A new storm – Storm Jocelyn – is expected to hit parts of the UK tomorrow.[101]
    • After the Royal Mail proposes that its deliveries should be made from Monday to Friday only, Downing Street states that the government would not support such a move, with the Prime Minister expressing a view that Saturday deliveries provide "flexibility and convenience".[102]
    • Consultancy firm Cornwall Insight forecasts that energy bills will fall by 16% in April, saving the average household around £300 a year.[103]
    • The UK and US launch fresh air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.[104]
    • The UK's Charity Commission launches an investigation into antisemitic speeches given by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to students at a UK-based Islamic charity, which included chants of "death to Israel".[105]
  • 23 January
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates government borrowing in December was at £7.8bn, a fall from £16.2bn in December 2022, and the lowest since 2019.[106]
    • Sunak tells Parliament the UK will not hesitate to launch further air strikes against Houthi rebels if they continue to attack shipping targets in the Red Sea, but does not seek confrontation with the group.[107]
    • Most of the UK is placed under a Met Office yellow weather warning for high winds as Storm Jocelyn arrives.[108]
    • 2023 Nottingham attacks: Valdo Calocane admits three counts of manslaughter and three of attempted murder.[109]
  • 24 January
  • 25 January
    • The UK government announces fresh plans to ban the sale of zombie knives, with legislation taking effect from the autumn.[114]
    • Lloyds Banking Group announces plans to cut around 1,600 positions from its branch staff in a reorganisation that it says is because more customers are banking online.[115]
  • 26 January
  • 27 January
    • The UK government suspends funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, after the organisation sacked several officials reported to have been involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.[119]
    • Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, asks Henry Staunton to step down as chair of Post Office Limited after 13 months in the role, as the government moves to strengthen governance at the Post Office in the wake of the long-running Horizon IT scandal.[120]
    • John Lewis & Partners announce further cuts to the number of its staff over the coming five years, with The Guardian reporting up to 11,000 jobs could go.[121]
    • The British Association of Dermatologists warns against the use of skincare products by children as young as eight, saying that to do so could leave them with irreversible skin damage.[122]
  • 28 January
  • 29 January
    • The King and the Princess of Wales are both discharged from hospital.[125]
    • Laurence Fox loses a High Court libel case with social media users he called paedophiles.[126]
    • Reporting on cases in family courts in England and Wales is extended to a further 16 venues following a trial at three locations.[127]
    • A University College London study of five cases of Alzheimer's disease suggests they could have been caused by a treatment in which the patients were injected with growth hormones from dead people, a treatment that was withdrawn in the mid-1980s.[128]
  • 30 January
    • Lucy Letby has her initial request for permission to appeal against seven murder convictions and six attempted murder convictions refused by the Court of Appeal.[129]
    • HSBC is fined £57.4m by the Bank of England for "serious failings" over its measures to protect customer deposits.[130]
    • The ONS publishes its latest forecast of UK population, suggesting that the number of people in the UK could rise from 67 to 73.7 million by 2036, driven by strong immigration.[131][132]
  • 31 January

February

  • 1 February
  • 2 February
    • Senior Labour MP Darren Jones confirms that the party has ditched its commitment to spend £28bn a year on green investment schemes if it wins the next general election.[143]
    • The killers of 16-year-old transgender girl Brianna Ghey are named as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both aged 15 at the time of the murder in February 2023. They are sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to minimum terms of 22 and 20 years, respectively.[144]
    • Water UK, the umbrella trade organisation for the UK's water companies, says that the average annual water bill is expected to increase by 6% in England and Wales from April, an average rise of £27 to £473.[145]
  • 3 February
  • 4 February – CCTV footage of alkali attack suspect Abdul Shakoor Ezedi in a Tesco store is shown by the police, as a reward of £20,000 is offered for information leading to his capture.[151]
  • 5 February
    • Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and will postpone public duties while undergoing treatment.[152]
    • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for snow for large parts of north Wales, and northern and central England, for 8 February as unseasonably mild temperatures are replaced by colder weather.[153]
    • A 16-year-old boy is found guilty of plotting to launch a terrorist attack at the Isle of Wight Festival following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.[154]
    • The UK government launches a six-week consultation on plans for Martyn's Law, which would make provisions to better protect the public against potential acts of terrorism.[155]
  • 6 February – Around eight million people on means tested benefits begin to receive the final scheduled cost-of-living payment from the UK government, as Sunak tells the BBC the financial pressures on households are beginning to ease.[156]
  • 7 February
    • The government announces that dentists will be offered a £20,000 bonus to work in the areas of England with the poorest access to NHS care.[157]
    • Data published by Halifax Bank indicates that UK house prices increased by 2.5% in January 2024 when compared to the same month in 2023.[158]
    • The Met Office issues two amber snow warnings for the following day covering north Wales, north-west Shropshire, the Peak District and south Pennines.[159]
  • 8 February
  • 9 February
    • Weather warnings remain in place as snow and rain continue to fall across the UK.[162]
    • Police tell reporters they believe that Abdul Shakoor Ezedi may have drowned in the River Thames, based on CCTV of the suspect at Chelsea Bridge.[163]
    • The Duke of Sussex settles his remaining phone hacking claims against Mirror Group Newspapers, with the newspaper agreeing to pay his legal costs along with around £300,000 in compensation.[164]
  • 10 February
  • 11 February – British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown accuses Malaysia of seeking "political revenge" for her reporting after a court jailed her in absentia for criminal defamation of a Malaysian royal.[169]
  • 12 February
    • Azhar Ali, the Labour Party's Rochdale by-election candidate, is suspended from the party over comments about Israel and Jewish people. He will however remain on the ballot as the Labour candidate, as it is too late to replace him under electoral law.[170]
    • Three apologises after three days of outages that left around 12,000 people without mobile signals and data.[171]
    • Child killer Colin Pitchfork will be reconsidered for parole after successfully challenging a Parole Board decision to refuse him parole on the grounds he poses too much of a risk if released from prison.[172]
  • 13 February
    • A catastrophic loss of seabird numbers is reported by the RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology, due to the spread of H5N1 bird flu.[173]
    • Police begin an investigation into reports of antisemitism during a performance by comedian Paul Currie at the Soho Theatre in London, which left Jewish audience members feeling "unsafe" and "threatened".[174]
    • Labour leader Keir Starmer insists he took "decisive action" over comments made by Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali.[175]
    • Cosmetics retailer The Body Shop enters administration, putting more than 2,200 jobs at risk.[176]
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that the average annual increase in employee earnings (excluding bonuses) was 6.2%, using data from the final three months of 2023.[177]
  • 14 February
    • Office for National Statistics data shows that UK inflation remained at 4% in January 2024, despite a slight fall in food prices and a rise in energy prices.[178]
    • Train drivers' union ASLEF announces that drivers at five train operators – Chiltern, c2c, East Midlands, Northern and TransPennine – have voted for a further six months of industrial action.[179]
    • Food delivery drivers with companies including Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo stage a five-hour strike between 5pm and 10pm over pay and conditions.[180]
  • 15 February
  • 16 February
  • 18 February – Senior police officers condemn "sexist and homophobic" comments made online about Karen Findlay, the newly-appointed deputy chief constable of British Transport Police, following news of her promotion.[188]
  • 19 February
  • 20 February
    • Police announce that a body recovered from the River Thames is believed to be that of Abdul Shakoor Ezedi because of the distinctive clothing the deceased person was wearing.[192]
    • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announces that cough syrups containing codeine linctus will no longer be available in the UK without a prescription amid concerns they can become addictive.[193]
    • The Body Shop announces the closure of half of its 198 UK stores, with closures set to begin immediately; the company's head office will also be reduced in size.[194]
  • 21 February
    • An Opposition day House of Commons debate calling for a ceasefire in Gaza descends into chaos after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle breaks with Parliamentary convention to allow a vote on a Labour amendment calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" over the scheduled SNP motion calling for an "immediate ceasefire". The decision leads to protests from both Conservative and SNP MPs, who walk out of the House, leaving Labour's motion to be nodded through when the other two parties do not take part in the vote. Amid calls for his resignation, Hoyle says that he allowed the House to vote on the Labour motion so MPs could express their view on "the widest range of propositions" and was trying to protect MPs' safety.[195]
    • A test-firing of the Trident nuclear missile system from a Royal Navy submarine is reported to have failed, for the second time in a row.[196]
    • The UK freezes the assets of six Russian prison bosses after the death of activist Alexei Navalny in a penal colony the previous week.[197]
    • The UK quits the Energy Charter Treaty, which had allowed fossil fuel companies to sue governments over profits lost in the drive towards net zero.[198]
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics shows a surplus in government finances of £16.7bn in January 2024, more than double the figure for January 2023.[199]
  • 22 February
    • More than 60 MPs have signed a House of Commons motion calling for the resignation of Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.[200]
    • A further 50 sanctions against Russia are announced, aimed at restricting those supplying its military with munitions such as rocket launchers, missiles and explosives.[201]
    • Employees of a company contracted by the Home Office are suspended after a baby's birth certificate was returned to the parents with the place of birth, Israel, crossed out.[202]
    • The UK government announces that legislation will be introduced to clear hundreds of sub-postmasters in England and Wales who were wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon IT scandal.[203]
  • 23 February
    • Thousands of people in the Keyham area of Plymouth, Devon are evacuated as an unexploded World War II bomb is moved by military convoy for disposal at sea. The bomb was discovered in a garden three days prior. This is also the first time that the UK Emergency Alert System is used in a live situation.[204]
    • Ofgem confirms that the average annual energy bill will fall by £238 from April to £1,690, its lowest rate for two years.[205]
    • Shamima Begum loses her legal bid to overturn the decision to revoke her UK citizenship.[206]
    • Ibrahima Bah is sentenced to nine years and six months in prison.[207]
    • The Cabinet Office confirms that Paula Vennells has been formally stripped of her CBE for "bringing the honours system into disrepute".[208]
    • A body found in the River Thames is formally identified as that of Abdul Shakoor Ezedi.[209]
  • 24 February
    • Police are called to Willy's Chocolate Experience in Glasgow after the event – which was advertised as an immersive and interactive family experience using AI generated images – turns out to be a largely empty warehouse with a few props and decorations;[210] attendees label the event a "scam" and "farce".[211] In the following week, photos and videos from the shambolic event go viral online, garnering international media attention.[212][213]
    • Conservative MP and a former Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson has the party whip suspended over his claims that "Islamists" have "got control" of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.[214]
    • Another round of joint UK–US air strikes are carried out against Houthi rebels.[215]
  • 25 February – The Post Office has hired investigators, including some former police officers, to look at the work of its own investigation into the Horizon IT scandal.[216]
  • 27 February
  • 28 February
    • The Duke of Sussex loses a High Court challenge against the UK government's decision to downgrade his security status when he stopped being a working royal.[220]
    • A study in the British Medical Journal links ultra-processed foods to 32 negative health impacts, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death.[221]
    • Following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Iain Packer is found guilty of the April 2005 murder of Emma Caldwell, a sex worker whose body was found in woods five weeks after she disappeared from Glasgow. Packer, who is also convicted of 32 other offences against women, including rapes and sexual assaults, is sentenced to at least 36 years in prison, the second longest prison sentence to be handed out by a Scottish court.[222]
  • 29 February

March

  • 1 March
    • 35-year-old Marcus Osborne is given a whole life order, the most severe possible sentence available in England and Wales, for the "sadistic" murders of Steven Harnett and Katie Higton. He receives a further 10-year sentence for the rape and false imprisonment of another woman who was present at the scene, who cannot be named for legal reasons.[227]
    • 29-year-old Joshua Jacques is sentenced to a minimum of 46 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend and three of her family members in a "sacrifice" at their home in Bermondsey, south London, in April 2022.[228]
    • The Met Office reports that England and Wales had their warmest February on record this year, with an average of 7.5 °C recorded for England and 6.9 °C for Wales.[229]
    • Scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science announce the discovery of a new species of sea slug off the southwest coast of England.[230]
  • 2 March
  • 4 March
    • The Princess of Wales is photographed for the first time since her surgery, with US celebrity news site TMZ publishing a photo of the princess riding as a passenger in a car being driven by her mother near Windsor Castle.[233] Rumours and conspiracy theories over Catherine's whereabouts have surfaced in recent weeks as she hasn't been seen in public since late December.[234]
    • Cadbury celebrate their 200th anniversary.[235]
  • 6 March
  • 7 March – The Scottish Government announces an independent public inquiry into the police handling of the Emma Caldwell murder investigation.[238]
  • 8 March
    • Former Prime Minister Theresa May confirms she will step down as an MP before the next general election.[239]
    • A report into the Troubles-era British Army spy known as Stakeknife concludes that he probably cost more lives than he saved.[240]
    • London's Homerton Fertility Centre has its licence to operate suspended over "significant concerns" after three separate errors in which embryos were lost during the freezing process.[241]
  • 9 March
    • BBC News reports that seedlings have begun to sprout from genetic material recovered at the site of the felled Sycamore Gap Tree, offering hope that the iconic tree could be restored in the future.[242]
    • The creation of the Elizabeth Emblem is announced. It will be awarded by the monarch to the next of kin of members of the United Kingdom emergency services who are killed on duty.[243][244] It will be the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross.[243][244]
    • The 10th pro-Palestinian march to be staged in central London since the beginning of the Israel–Gaza conflict takes place, with tens of thousands of protestors calling for an immediate ceasefire.[245]
    • A man is arrested after a car crashes into the gates of Buckingham Palace in the early hours of the morning.[246]
  • 10 March
    • Kensington Palace releases the first official photograph of the Princess of Wales since she underwent abdominal surgery in January.[247] However, hours later, four international photo agencies – Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images and AFP – withdraw the photo from their services over concerns it has been photoshopped or AI generated, after an "inconsistency in alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand" is noted along with various other signs of digital manipulation.[248] Kensington Palace declines to comment on the photo, as speculation intensifies over why an altered photo has been published.[249]
    • The Mail on Sunday serialises A Very Private School, Earl Spencer's memoirs of his schooldays at Maidwell Hall during the 1970s, in which he alleges that he was sexually abused by a female member of staff while a boarder at the school. Spencer also alleges the school's headmaster during his time there took sexual pleasure in beating the boys. In response, the school says it has referred the allegations to a "local authority designated officer".[250]
  • 11 March
  • 12 March – Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggests a fifth of the working age population, around 9.2 million adults between the ages of 16 and 64, were not in employment between November 2023 and January 2024.[257]
  • 13 March
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK economy grew by 0.2% in January 2024, largely fuelled by retail sales, both in the High Street and online.[258]
    • Sunak tells Prime Minister's Questions he will not return £10m donated to the Conservative Party by Frank Hester, because he has apologised and "his remorse should be accepted".[259]
    • Metro Bank announces it will cease seven day trading from 29 March, with 1,000 jobs also being lost by the company.[260]
    • The UK government announces a scheme to offer failed asylum seekers £3,000 if they agree to move to Rwanda voluntarily.[261]
  • 14 March
  • 16 March
  • 18 March – At Manchester Crown Court, Jacob Graham is sentenced to 13 years in prison together with a further five year extended period on licence for creating a "freedom encyclopaedia" containing details on how to build weapons for the purposes of terrorism.[269]
  • 19 March
    • At Southend Crown Court, 39-year-old Nicholas Hawkes, the first person in England and Wales to be convicted of cyberflashing, is sentenced to 66 weeks in prison. This new offence follows passage of the Online Safety Act, which came into effect on 31 January.[270]
    • HMRC announces that its self-assessment helpline will be closed for six months of the year, with the line scheduled to close from 8 April to 30 September. Customers seeking help during that period will be forced to use an online chatbot.[271]
    • The British Board of Film Classification updates its guidelines, meaning films containing scenes of sex or nudity are more likely to receive a 15 rather than a 12A rating going forward.[272]
  • 20 March
    • Inflation falls from 4% to 3.4%, its lowest rate since September 2021.[273]
    • HMRC reverses the plan for its self-assessment helpline, announced the previous day, following criticism from the public and MPs.[274]
    • The Senedd approves Vaughan Gething as the next First Minister of Wales.[275]
    • The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery, announces that "any breach" of patient confidentiality will be investigated after reports a member of staff tried to access her private records.[276]
  • 21 March
  • 22 March
    • Following media speculation about her health, it is revealed that the Princess of Wales has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment.[279]
    • Wetherspoons reports an eightfold increase in pre-tax profits during the first six months of the 2023–24 financial year.[280]
  • 23 March – A report compiled by the Resolution Foundation indicates a rise in the number of people leaving work due to long-term health conditions, with the number of people inactive due to long-term health conditions rising from 2.1 million in 2019 to 2.8 million in October 2023, the longest sustained rise since 1994–1998 when records began. The UK is also the only country in the G7 not to return to pre-pandemic employment levels.[281]
  • 24 March – Avanti West Coast is to increase the fee for an overtime shift for its drivers by 380% following a deal with train drivers' union ASLEF.[282]
  • 26 March
  • 27 March – Provisional figures from the Home Office indicate that 4,644 migrants have crossed the English Channel in boats during the first three months of 2024.[285]
  • 28 March – BBC News publishes details of a 2016 draft report that implies the Post Office knew its defence case in the Horizon IT scandal was false, and that it had not made full disclosure to defendants.[286]
  • 29 March
  • 30 March
    • First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill says she is determined the Stormont Assembly and Executive will continue to function following the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson as DUP leader.[290]
    • Cambridge beat Oxford to win both the 2024 men's and women's Boat Races, giving Cambridge their first consecutive men's victory and their seventh consecutive women's victory.[291]
  • 31 March
    • Charles III makes his first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer when he attends the Easter Sunday service at Windsor.[292]
    • The UK government says it will work alongside the Northern Ireland Executive to maintain stability at Stormont.[293]

April

  • 1 April
    • The cost of an average annual energy bill falls by £238 to £1,690 under the latest Ofgem price cap, its lowest for two years.[294]
    • The cost of a TV licence increases by £10.50 from £159 to £169.50.[295]
    • The National Living Wage rises from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour, and is extended to workers over 21.[296]
  • 2 April
    • Royal Mail stamp increases – 1st class standard stamp goes up by 10p to £1.35 and 2nd class standard increases by 10p to 85p. Other postage has increased too.
    • Three Britons, named as John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby, are identified as being among seven people working for the food charity World Central Kitchen, who were killed during air strikes in Gaza the previous day.[297]
    • Data compiled by the British Retail Consortium indicates falling prices of sugar, jam and chocolate helped to reduce food inflation to its lowest level for two years in March.[298]
  • 3 April – The Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and former UK national security adviser Lord Ricketts call for an immediate suspension of the sale of arms to Israel following the World Central Kitchen air strikes.[299]
  • 4 April
    • Three former Supreme Court justices and more than 600 legal experts call for the UK government to end weapons sales to Israel, saying the UK risks breaking international law over a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza.[300]
    • Foreign Secretary David Cameron rules out sending western troops to Ukraine since it would provide Russia with a "target".[301]
    • At Leeds Crown Court, Piran Ditta Khan, who planned the 2005 robbery during which PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead, is convicted of her murder. He is the last of the seven-member gang involved in the robbery to stand trial.[302]
    • The deadline for installing new scanners at airports is extended, meaning airline passengers at major airports will continue to face limits on the amount of liquid they can carry in hand luggage.[303]
    • The Met Office issues a yellow severe weather warning for wintry showers and high winds ahead of the arrival of Storm Kathleen, expected to reach the UK on 6 April.[304]
  • 5 April – John Tinniswood, a great-grandfather from Merseyside, officially becomes the world's oldest living man at the age of 111 years and 283 days.[305]
  • 6 April
    • Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson describes calls for the UK to end arms sales to Israel as "shameful".[306]
    • Two planes collide at Heathrow Airport causing damage to both aircraft, but there are no injuries to people on board.[307]
  • 7 April
    • Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden tells the BBC he still believes it is legal for the UK to sell arms to Israel.[308]
    • Analysis by BBC News suggests that those running the Post Office were paid £19.4m during the 24 years of the Horizon IT scandal.[309]
  • 8 April
  • 9 April
  • 10 April
    • A review into gender services carried out by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass calls for gender services for young people to match the standards of other NHS care.[316]
    • Five people are arrested after pro-Palestinian protestors spray red paint on the Ministry of Defence building in London.[317]
    • Meta lowers the minimum age for WhatsApp users in the UK and EU from 16 to 13.[318]
  • 11 April
  • 12 April
  • 13 April
  • 14 April
    • Sunak confirms that RAF fighter jets shot down "a number of drones" fired at Israel by Iran.[326]
    • Richard Lee, whose daughter Katrice Lee disappeared near a British military base in Paderborn, Germany, in 1981, says he will hand back his Army medals in protest at how the case was handled.[327]
    • Lawyers representing around 250 survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing confirm plans to take legal action against MI5.[328]
    • Charities supporting asylum seekers announce plans to launch legal challenges to moving people to Rwanda once legislation declaring it a safe country is passed in the coming days.[329]
    • The Duke of Kent confirms he is stepping down as Colonel of the Scots Guards after 50 years, and handing the role over to the Duke of Edinburgh.[330]
    • The UK experiences its warmest temperature of 2024 so far, with 21.8 °C recorded in the village of Writtle, near Chelmsford, Essex.[331]
  • 15 April
  • 16 April
    • Figures show the rate of UK unemployment rose to 4.2% between December 2023 and March 2024, its highest level for six months.[334]
    • EasyJet cancels all flights to and from Tel Aviv for the whole of the summer, citing safety concerns following Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel.[335]
    • A Muslim student at Michaela Community School loses a High Court challenge against a ban on prayer rituals.[336]
    • The Tobacco and Vapes Bill passes by 383 votes to 67, banning anyone born after 2009 from legally buying cigarettes in the UK.[337]
  • 17 April
  • 18 April
  • 19 April
    • Retail sales in the UK saw zero growth in March as consumers cut back on their spending due to ongoing financial pressures brought about by the cost of living crisis.[343]
    • In a speech on welfare, Sunak sets out plans to tackle what he describes as the UK's "sick note culture" by stripping GPs in England of their authority to sign people off work. In response Labour says the government has failed to deliver a healthy nation or economy and has "run out of ideas".[344]
    • Research by Ofcom indicates that almost a quarter of children aged between five and seven have their own smartphones, with two fifths of them regularly using messaging services such as WhatsApp, even though it has a minimum age restriction of 13.[345]
    • Coventry Building Society agrees a potential takeover deal with the Co-Operative Bank worth £780m.[346]
    • The Metropolitan Police apologises to antisemitism charity leader Gideon Falter, who was threatened with arrest by one of its officers for being near a pro-Palestinian march on 13 April, and who was described by the officer as being "openly Jewish".[347]
    • The Grade II listed, 16th-century Burn Bullock, a former coaching inn, is badly damaged by fire.[348]
  • 20 April
    • Chris Stark, head of the Climate Change Committee, tells the BBC that Rishi Sunak has "set us back" on climate change, in contrast to the progress made under Theresa May and Boris Johnson. In response, a government spokesperson says: "We are the first major economy to halve greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and have set into law one of the most ambitious 2035 climate change targets of any major economy".[349]
    • Co-op Live, the UK's largest indoor arena seating 23,500 and costing £365m to build, opens in Manchester.[350] The venue is forced to apologise, however, after cancelling some tickets to a test gig with Rick Astley and offers ticketholders affected tickets to another concert.[351]
    • Dr Hilary Cass, the author of a report into gender identity services for young people, says she is "very angry" about "misinformation" spread regarding the report.[352]
  • 21 April – The 2024 London Marathon takes place.[353]
  • 22 April
    • Parliament passes the Safety of Rwanda Bill, with plans to deport the first asylum seekers to Kigali in July.[354]
    • Newsreader Huw Edwards resigns from the BBC, nine months after being suspended following allegations of sexual misconduct and being admitted to hospital with "serious mental health issues".[355]
    • The Metropolitan Police apologise to Doreen Lawrence after failing to provide information about a suspect in her son's murder.[356]
    • Drivers at 16 train operators announce a series of one-day rolling strikes between 7 and 9 May.[357]
    • Co-op Live announces the postponement of its opening events starring Peter Kay as the venue is not ready.[358]
  • 23 April
    • Office for National Statistics data indicates UK government borrowing was at £120.7bn in March 2024, lower than the figure for the same time the previous year, but £6.6bn higher than the government's forecasts.[359]
    • Five migrants including a child are reported to have died attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat, just hours after passage of the Rwanda Bill.[360]
    • Sunak pledges an additional £500m to support Ukraine, on top of the £2.5bn allocated for this financial year.[361]
    • Sunak announces "the biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation, to meet the challenge of an increasingly dangerous world". He confirms that defence spending will increase from 2.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 2.5% by 2030, meaning an extra £75bn for the military over the next six years.[362]
  • 24 April
    • Four people are injured and several vehicles are damaged as a number of runaway horses – one seemingly covered in blood – escape from the Household Cavalry and gallop through central London.[363]
    • Three people are injured and one arrested after a stabbing incident at a school in Ammanford, Wales.[364]
    • Unions claim that 70,000 civil service jobs will be cut in order to fund an increase in defence spending. Chancellor Hunt says that cuts in public spending will cost "a great deal less" than allowing Russia to win.[365]
  • 25 April
    • Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years if it wins the next general election.[366]
    • The SNP's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens collapses.[367]
    • Shoplifting is reported to have hit a record high in 2023, with more than 430,000 offences recorded. This figure is up by more than one-third compared to 2022, and likely represents a fraction of the true number of incidents.[368]
    • In the High Court, Laurence Fox is ordered to pay £180,000 in libel damages to former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal.[369]
    • The Environment Minister, Robbie Moore says "Additional time will be needed to efficiently and effectively roll out the schemes across the UK," as the Cash for Bottle deposit scheme is delayed until October 2027.[370]
    • Moroccan asylum seeker Ahmed Alid is convicted of the murder of Terence Carney, who was stabbed multiple times in an attack at Hartlepool in October 2023.[371]
    • Gary Roden resigns as the general manager of Co-op Live following a series of problems and delays at the venue.[372]
  • 26 April
    • A trial begins of the first personalised melanoma vaccine, based on mRNA, the same technology as current COVID vaccines.[373]
    • Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles will resume his public duties from the following week after making good progress with his cancer treatment.[374]
    • An inquest into the 2020 Reading stabbings concludes they could have been avoided but for problems with the sharing of intelligence between authorities.[375]
    • A teenage girl from Greater Manchester is believed to be the first child to be subject to a stalking order after a prolonged campaign of harassment against a family in the area.[376]
    • Two British men are charged with helping Russian intelligence following a suspected arson attack on a Ukrainian business in London.[377]
  • 27 April – Conservative MP and ex-minister Daniel Poulter defects to Labour, saying he has concerns over the NHS and other public services.[378]
  • 28 April – Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris looks at creating legislation to allow the return of asylum seekers to the UK after figures show that 80% of recent asylum seekers arriving in Ireland are people who crossed from Northern Ireland.[379]
  • 29 April – 2024 Scottish government crisis: First Minister, Humza Yousaf, announces he will resign as both leader of the SNP and first minister of Scotland when his successor is chosen.[380]
  • 30 April
    • Brexit: Physical checks begin on meat and dairy products, plants, seeds, and a number of other goods imported from the European Union, which are expected to cost British firms about £330m per year.[381]
    • 2024 Hainault sword attack: A 14-year-old boy is killed and four other people are wounded by a man wielding a sword in Hainault, northeast London. The attacker is arrested and police say the incident is not terror-related.[382]
    • Rwanda asylum plan:
      • Home Office figures suggest that of the 5,700 asylum seekers earmarked for deportation to Rwanda, only 2,143 can immediately be located.[383]
      • BBC News reports that the UK has sent its first failed asylum seeker to Rwanda after he voluntarily agreed to go.[384]
    • Charles III returns to his public duties for the first time since his cancer diagnosis with a visit to University College Hospital's Macmillan Cancer Centre. He also becomes patron of Cancer Research UK.[385]
    • A bid by an Abu Dhabi based consortium to buy The Telegraph collapses, meaning the newspaper is for sale again.[386]

May

June

  • 3 June
  • 4 June
    • A woman is arrested for throwing a milkshake at Nigel Farage at his election campaign launch in Clacton-on-Sea. A man is also arrested in connection with the incident.[475]
    • Asian hornets are reported to have survived a UK winter for the first time. The invasive species is a potential threat to honey bees and other native pollinators.[476]
    • A cyberattack at several London hospitals forces operations to be cancelled and emergency patients to be diverted elsewhere.[477]
  • 5 June
  • 5–6 June – Events take place in the UK and France to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. The King pays tribute to veterans in Portsmouth, while the Prime Minister speaks at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.[481][482]
  • 6 June
  • 7 June
    • Rishi Sunak is criticised for leaving the D-day commemorations early to return to the UK to work on the election campaign.[485] He says: "On reflection, it was a mistake not to stay in France longer – and I apologise."[486]
    • Data produced by Zoopla indicates that rents for new properties rose by 6.6% in the year to April 2024, but that this was the slowest rise in two and a half years.[487]
  • 9 June – Restrictions on carrying more than 100ml of liquid in hand luggage are temporarily reintroduced at some regional airports in order to "enable further improvements to be made" to new checkpoint systems. Those affected are Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, London City, Aberdeen, Southend and Teesside.[488]
  • 10 June – Twenty buildings across the UK are vandalised as part of a co-ordinated attack by Palestine Action, a pro-Palestine group.[489]
  • 11 June
    • A High Court judge rules that convicted sex offender Gary Glitter must pay more than £500,000 to a victim he abused when she was 12 years old.[490]
    • A 28-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of public order offences after objects are thrown at Nigel Farage during a campaign tour in Barnsley.[491]
    • Rishi Sunak unveils the Conservative Party's general election manifesto, which includes a further cut in National Insurance, a halving of immigration, and several new housing policies.[492]
    • Former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon is awarded the inaugural King Charles III Harmony Award during a ceremony held at St James's Palace.[493]
    • Two animal rights protestors vandalise a portrait of Charles III at London's Philip Mould Gallery by covering it with posters.[494]
  • 12 June – The ONS reports that the UK economy failed to grow during April. The zero percent growth rate is attributed to unusually high rainfall, well above the long-term average, which impacted consumer spending.[495]
  • 13 June
  • 14 June
  • 15 June – Trooping the Colour, the King's birthday parade, takes place.[505]
  • 16 June – Euro 2024: In their first game of the tournament, England win 1–0 against Serbia.[506]
  • 17 June
  • 18 June – A review conducted into the first Stephen Lawrence murder investigation concludes that four retired detectives who worked on the case will not face any criminal charges over their actions during the investigation.[510]
  • 19 June
    • Figures show inflation fell to the Bank of England's target of 2% in the year to May 2024, down from 2.3% the previous month, and the first time it has been at 2% since July 2021.[511]
    • A woman who accused a therapist of raping and sexually assaulting her at his clinic in London's Belsize Park in 2016 is awarded £200,000 in damages following a civil case she brought against him, after the Crown Prosecution Service did not pursue the case.[512]
    • Figures show that 880 migrants crossed the English Channel on 18 June, setting a new record for daily crossings.[513]
    • Just Stop Oil protesters vandalise Stonehenge by spraying the megaliths with orange cornflour powder paint.[514][515]
    • A police officer working as part of the prime minister's close protection team is suspended and later arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into bets on the date of the general election.[516]
    • BBC News reports that Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, has become the second Conservative candidate to face an investigation by the Gambling Commission over betting on the date of the general election. It is subsequently reported that her husband, Tony Lee, the Conservative Party's campaigns director, is also being investigated by the Commission.[517][518]
  • 20 June
    • The Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25%, its seventh consecutive freeze.[519]
    • Sunak says he is "incredibly angry" to learn of allegations that members of his party have betted on the date of the election, and that he will "boot out" anyone found to have broken the law.[520]
    • The number of people becoming ill from a recent outbreak of E. coli across the UK reaches 256, which includes 86 hospitalisations. The UK Health Security Agency reports that case numbers have now slowed, and that everything possible is being done to find the root cause, which may be pre-packaged sandwiches containing lettuce.[521]
  • 21 June
    • Nigel Farage tells the BBC that he believes the Russo-Ukrainian War to have been precipitated by the West's eastward expansion of NATO and the European Union, but that the war itself is Vladimir Putin's fault.[522]
    • Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, who are members of Britain's richest family, are convicted and sent to prison for exploiting staff brought from India to work in their Geneva villa.[523]
  • 22 June
    • Thousands of people join the "Restore Nature Now" march through central London to Parliament Square, demanding action on the UK's declining wildlife.[524]
    • The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Met Office issue a yellow heat health alert for most of England, to come into force from the morning of Monday 24 June and remain in place until the afternoon of Thursday 27 June.[525]
    • Following criticism from other party leaders over his comments about Putin, Nigel Farage pens an op-ed in The Telegraph in which he says he has never been an "apologist or supporter" of Putin, but that "if you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don’t be surprised if he responds".[526]
  • 23 June
  • 24 June
    • Princess Anne is taken to hospital with a head injury thought to have been caused by a horse.[530]
    • The UK records its hottest temperature of 2024 so far, with 28.3°C recorded at Wisley in Surrey.[531]
    • NHS England confirms that data managed by Synnovis, an organisation that manages blood tests, was stolen in a cyberattack on 3 June.[532]
    • Flights are restored at Manchester Airport, but with delays for passengers scheduled to travel the previous day.[533]
    • Julian Assange leaves the UK after five years held at Belmarsh Prison after reaching a deal with the US to plead guilty to one charge under the Espionage Act instead of the original 18. He will be returned to his native Australia.[534]
  • 25 June
  • 26 June
    • The media is allowed to report that Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were convicted of concealing the birth of a child and preventing the course of justice after reporting restrictions are lifted. The pair also face a retrial for manslaughter provisionally scheduled to begin in March 2025 and will remain in custody until then.[542]
    • An inquest jury finds that failures "across multiple agencies" contributed to the death of Zara Aleena, who was sexually assaulted and murdered in June 2022 as she walked home from a night out.[543]
    • Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, admits to placing bets on Scottish Liberal Democrat election candidates, but says he did not place bets on the date of the election itself.[544]

Predicted and scheduled events

Deaths

See also

References

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