2023 in the United Kingdom

2023 in the United Kingdom
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Countries of the United Kingdom
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Topics

Events of the year 2023 in the United Kingdom. This is the year of the coronation of King Charles III.

Incumbents

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Events

[edit]

January

[edit]

February

[edit]
  • 1 February – An estimated 475,000 workers go on strike, the single biggest day of industrial action for more than a decade, in disputes over pay and conditions. This includes 200,000 teachers, 100,000 civil servants including border force workers, university lecturers, security guards, and train drivers. The government warns the public to expect "significant disruption".[59]
  • 2 February
  • 3 February
  • 5 February
  • 6 February
    • 2022–2023 National Health Service strikes: Ambulance staff and nurses walk out, with further disruption to follow in the week, in what is expected to be the biggest-ever round of NHS strikes.[67]
    • Foreign Secretary James Cleverly offers his condolences to victims of the 7.8 magnitude Turkey–Syria earthquake and says the UK is deploying emergency response teams, including 76 search and rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs. The government issues an urgent warning to British travellers and holidaymakers who may be in or planning to visit the region.[68][69]
  • 7 February
  • 8 February
  • 9 February
  • 10 February
    • Chancellor Jeremy Hunt tells the BBC households are unlikely to receive extra help with their energy bills from April 2023, as he does not think the government has the "headroom to make a major new initiative to help people".[79]
    • Data released by the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK narrowly avoided a recession at the end of 2022 following zero per cent growth during October to December. This is also despite a fall in output of 0.5% during December due to strike action being staged prior to Christmas.[80]
    • Coronation of Charles III and Camilla
      • Buckingham Palace unveils the official Coronation logo, designed by Sir Jony Ive.[81]
      • A ballot offering 10,000 free tickets to the Coronation concert at Windsor Castle on 7 May opens.[82]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: Data from the Office for National Statistics for the week ending 31 January indicates COVID-19 cases have risen in England for the first time in 2023, with 1.02 million cases, an increase of 8% from 941,800 the previous week. Data for Scotland and Wales is less clear.[83]
  • 11 February – Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old teenage transgender girl is found dead in Warrington Park in Cheshire, England. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, both 15-years-old are arrested on suspicion of her murder.[84]
  • 13 February – Former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to three counts of indecent exposure during a hearing at the Old Bailey, including one committed four days before he killed Sarah Everard in 2021.[85]
  • 14 February – The Welsh government cancels all major road building projects in Wales, including the proposed Third Menai Crossing, amid concerns about the environment.[86]
  • 15 February
    • Inflation falls for the third month in a row, from 10.5% to 10.1%. This is mainly due to a decrease in fuel, restaurant, and hotel prices, according to the ONS. Food inflation remains at 16.7%.[87] Pay, excluding bonuses, rose at an annual pace of 6.7% from October to December 2022, and when inflation is taken into account, regular pay fell by 2.5%.[88]
    • Nicola Sturgeon announces her resignation as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party after eight years in the role; she will stay on until her successor has been elected.[89]
    • Two teenagers are charged with murder in relation to the death of Brianna Ghey.[90]
  • 16 February – The RMT announce four new days of train strikes for 16, 18 and 30 March, and 1 April.[91]
  • 17 February
    • David Ballantyne Smith, a former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin who attempted to sell confidential information to the Russians, is sentenced to 13 years imprisonment following a trial at the Old Bailey.[92]
    • Storm Otto strikes Scotland and parts of northern England, leaving around 30,000 homes without power and forcing a number of schools to close.[93]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: Office for National Statistics data for the week up to 7 February indicates that COVID-19 cases continued to increase in England, Wales and Scotland, but decreased in Northern Ireland. In England, In England it is estimated that 1,054,200 people had COVID-19, equating to 1.88% of the population, or around 1 in 55 people.[94]
  • 18 February – Coronation of Charles III and Camilla: Twelve new pieces of music are commissioned by the King for his coronation, including a composition by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Part of the service will also be in Welsh, it is confirmed.[95]
  • 19 February – Police searching for Nicola Bulley, missing since 27 January, announce they have found a body in the River Wyre.[96]
  • 20 February
    • Lancashire Police confirm the body found in the River Wyre the previous day is that of Nicola Bulley.[97]
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticises the rewriting of Roald Dahl's books after they were updated to remove references that could be considered offensive, such as characters being fat.[98]
    • Junior doctors in England vote to strike in their ongoing dispute for a 26% pay rise, and will stage a 72-hour walkout. The BMA maintains junior doctors' pay has been cut by 26% since 2008 after inflation is considered.[99]
  • 21 February
    • The UK Government announces that it had a budget surplus in January, with £5bn more in revenue than predicted.[100]
    • A planned 48-hour strike by nurses in England is called off to allow the Royal College of Nursing and Department of Health and Social Care to enter into renewed negotiations.[101]
    • The broadcasting regulator Ofcom writes to both ITV News and Sky News to ask them for an explanation of their actions following complaints made by the family of Nicola Bulley. Her family had been contacted by both outlets despite asking for privacy.[102]
    • Asda and Morrisons announce they are limiting the sale of some fruit and vegetable products, such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, because of a shortage caused by severe weather in Spain and North Africa which has affected harvests.[103]
    • The UK Government recommends a 3.5% pay rise for public sector workers in England, below the rate of inflation.[104]
  • 22 February
  • 23 February
    • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer outlines the five key issues that his party will focus on during the run up to the 2024 general election: higher economic growth, clean energy, improving the NHS, reforming the justice system, and raising education standards.[109]
    • Environment Secretary Therese Coffey, commenting on the vegetable shortage, tells MPs "we anticipate the situation will last about another two to four weeks".[110]
    • Three men are arrested in relation to the previous evening's shooting of DCI John Caldwell.[111]
  • 24 February
    • The British Medical Association announces that junior doctors in England will begin a three-day strike on 13 March.[112]
    • An earthquake measuring 3.7 magnitude strikes Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent at 11.59pm.[113]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: Office for National Statistics data for the week up to 14 February indicates COVID-19 cases continued to rise in England, Scotland and Wales, but remained uncertain in Northern Ireland. In England, the estimated number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was 1,223,000 (or 2.18% of the population and around 1 in 45 people).[114]
  • 27 February
    • Ofgem announces a 23% decrease in the quarterly price cap on the amount suppliers can charge for household energy bills, from £4,279 to £3,280 – a £999 drop, to apply from April 2023.[115]
    • Sunak and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announce a new agreement concerning movement of goods to/from Northern Ireland, named the Windsor Framework.[116]
    • Lidl becomes the latest UK food retailer to limit the sale of some fruit and vegetables due to an ongoing shortage.[117]
    • New regulations come into force in England and Wales banning transgender women who still have male genitalia, or those who are sex offenders, from being sent to women's prisons.[118]
  • 28 February

March

[edit]
  • 1 March
    • COVID-19 in the UK
      • Lockdown Files: WhatsApp messages leaked to the Daily Telegraph are reported as suggesting former Health Secretary Matt Hancock chose to ignore advice from experts in April 2020 that there should be "testing of all going into care homes".[125] A spokesman for Hancock says "These stolen messages have been doctored to create a false story that Matt rejected clinical advice on care home testing".[126]
    • A Freedom of Information request by BBC News reveals that 729 sex offenders who were under supervision disappeared off the radar in a three-year period from 2019 to the end of 2021.[127]
  • 2 March
    • COVID-19 in the UK: Lockdown Files: The Daily Telegraph publishes more of Matt Hancock's WhatsApp exchanges, this time with former education secretary Gavin Williamson in December 2020, when a debate into whether schools should reopen following the Christmas holiday was taking place. The leaked messages suggest Hancock favoured school closures, while Williamson was more hesitant.[128] Hancock, who worked alongside journalist Isabel Oakeshott to co-author a book, describes the release of the messages as a "massive betrayal and breach of trust".[129] In response, Oakeshott says she released the messages because she believed doing so was in the "public interest".[130]
    • Sir Keir Starmer unveils Sue Gray, who led the investigation into the Partygate scandal, as Labour's new chief of staff, sparking concern among some Conservative MPs about her impartiality.[131][132]
    • The public inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing finds that MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the attack when they failed to obtain intelligence that would have led them to follow Salman Abedi to the car where he was storing explosives. Ken McCallum, the director-general of MI5, says he regrets that the intelligence was missed.[133]
  • 3 March
    • COVID-19 in the UK:
      • Lockdown Files: The latest leaked WhatsApp messages published by the Daily Telegraph are reported as appearing to show former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case joking about locking people in quarantine hotels.[134]
      • Office for National Statistics data for the week up to 21 February indicates that COVID-19 infections were increasing in England and Wales, but decreasing in Northern Ireland, while the situation in Scotland was uncertain. In England, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was estimated to be 1,298,600 (roughly 2.31% of the population around 1 in 45).[135]
    • The Commons Select Committee of Privileges finds that former prime minister Boris Johnson may have misled Parliament over the Partygate scandal after evidence suggested breaches of COVID-19 rules would have been "obvious" to him. In response Johnson says that none of the evidence shows he "knowingly" misled parliament, and that "it is clear from this report that I have not committed any contempt of parliament".[136]
    • Buckingham Palace announces the first state visit to be made by Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen Consort; they will travel to France and Germany from 26 to 31 March.[137]
  • 4 March
    • COVID-19 in the UK:
      • Lockdown Files: The latest leaked WhatsApp messages published by the Daily Telegraph indicate, according to BBC News who have not seen or verified the messages, that Matt Hancock and his staff deliberated over whether or not he had broken COVID-19 regulations after pictures of him kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo, were published by The Sun newspaper. Other messages also show Hancock criticising the Eat Out to Help Out scheme for "causing problems" in areas where there were a high number of COVID-19 cases.[138]
    • Typhoon jets are scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to help escort a civilian plane en route from Iceland to Kenya following a loss of communication caused by an equipment malfunction. A sonic boom is heard over parts of England after the jets are allowed to fly at supersonic speed.[139]
  • 5 March
    • Train fares in England and Wales are increased by up to 5.9%, representing the largest increase in more than a decade.[140]
    • COVID-19 in the UK:
      • Lockdown Files: News outlets including BBC News, Sky News and The Independent — who have not verified the messages — report that further WhatsApp messages published by The Telegraph appear to show discussions about how and when the government should reveal details of the Kent variant in order to ensure people would comply with COVID-19 regulations. The news outlets also say Hancock appears to suggest they should "frighten the pants off everyone", while in another conversation, head of the civil service Simon Case suggests the "fear/guilt factor" is an important element of the government's messaging.[141][142][143] The Telegraph also reports messages showing ministers and civil servants discussing "[getting] heavy with the police" to enforce lockdown measures with senior police officers being brought into Number 10 to be told to be stricter with the public.[144]
    • Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Sunak says that migrants arriving in the UK on small boats will be prevented from seeking asylum under proposed new legislation to be brought before Parliament.[145]
    • In the Premier League, Liverpool beat Manchester United 7–0, the biggest margin in their historic rivalry and surpassing the previous margin of Liverpool FC 7–1 Newton Heath on 12 October 1895.[146]
  • 6 March
    • Media regulator Ofcom finds that a GB News programme which aired on 21 April 2022 was in breach of broadcasting rules, as it presented misinformation on COVID-19 and vaccines.[147][148]
    • Members of the Fire Brigades Union vote to accept a 7% pay rise backdated to July 2022, and worth 5% from July 2023, meaning they will not strike.[149]
    • Wayne Couzens is sentenced to 19 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to three counts of indecent exposure in the months prior to the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard.[150]
    • A parole hearing for Charles Bronson, one of the UK's longest serving prisoners, is held at the Royal Courts of Justice. It is the second such hearing to be held in public.[151]
    • COVID-19 in the UK:
      • Lockdown Files: The Telegraph publishes messages that are reported to have been exchanged between Allan Nixon, a parliamentary Advisor and Matt Hancock from November 2020 in which they discuss threatening to cancel projects in MPs' constituencies if MPs do not support the local lockdown tiers legislation. It is also reported that as part of a strategy aimed at trying to stop MPs from rebelling against the legislation, party whips compiled a spreadsheet of 95 MPs who disagreed with this policy and the reasons for them disagreeing; these related to lack of parliamentary scrutiny, economic harm, harms to hospital, absence of cost benefit analysis and the policy being "unconservative".[152]
  • 7 March
    • A cold snap from the Arctic hits the UK, causing snowfall in Scotland and parts of northern England.[153] Two coal fire power stations are also reactivated amid concerns about the strain the cold snap could cause on the National Grid.[154]
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman introduces the Illegal Migration Bill into the House of Commons, which is designed to stop migrants arriving in the UK by boat. The legislation proposes to detain and remove those from the UK who arrive by illegal means, as well as blocking them from returning.[155]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation announces that everyone over 75, care-home residents and anyone considered to be extremely vulnerable aged five and over will be offered a spring COVID-19 booster vaccine. Vaccinations will begin in March in Scotland, early April in England and Wales, and mid-April in Northern Ireland.[156]
    • RMT staff working for Network Rail call off a strike planned for 16 March after being given a fresh pay offer.[157]
  • 8 March
  • 9 March
    • The UK government announces a two-year delay in the construction of the Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 in order to save costs.[160]
    • Asda and Morrisons lift their restrictions on the sale of fresh produce.[161]
    • Following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen, retired research scientist Christopher Harrison, 82, is convicted of the murder of his ex-wife, Brenda Page, in 1978.[162]
  • 10 March
    • The UK economy grew by 0.3% in January 2023, official figures show, much more than the 0.1% that was predicted by economists.[163]
    • The King bestows the title of Duke of Edinburgh on his younger brother, Prince Edward.[164]
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attends a summit in Paris with French president Emmanuel Macron and announces the UK will give France £500m over three years to help the UK stop the influx of migrants arriving by boat.[165]
    • The BBC tells Gary Lineker he cannot present BBC One's Match of the Day until an agreement can be reached over his social media use.[166]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: Office for National Statistics data for the week ending 28 February indicates COVID-19 cases are rising in Scotland, but the picture is unclear in the rest of the UK. In England, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was estimated to be 1,333,400, equating to 2.38% of the population, or around 1 in 40 people. In Scotland, the figure was 128,400, equating to 2.44% of the population or around 1 in 40 people.[167]
  • 11 March
    • The BBC apologises for 'limited' sports broadcasts, as a growing number of TV and radio presenters drop out of key programmes in support of Gary Lineker, amid an ongoing debate over impartiality.[168]
    • The Bank of England announces that the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank is to enter insolvency, following the demise of its US parent, the largest banking collapse since the 2007–2008 financial crisis. Many UK tech startups are prevented from accessing cash to pay staff.[169][170]
  • 12 March – The UK government announces that charges for prepayment energy meters are to be brought into line with those for customers paying by direct debit from 1 July, saving an average of £45 per year.[171]
  • 13 March
    • HSBC agrees to buy the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank, allowing UK tech firms and customers to access money and services as normal.[172]
    • Gary Lineker is allowed to return to presenting football, as the BBC announces an independent review of its social media guidelines. Director General Tim Davie acknowledges there are "grey areas" and says enforcing impartiality is a "difficult balancing act."[173]
    • Disgraced former pop star Gary Glitter is recalled to prison after breaching his licence conditions.[174]
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces an extra £5bn of government spending for UK defence over the coming two years.[175]
  • 14 March
    • Royal Mail unveils its first design of a new set of ten special stamps, featuring garden flowers and a silhouette of King Charles III.[176]
    • Following a trial at Preston Crown Court, Eleanor Williams is sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after falsely accusing several men of rape and claiming to have been trafficked by an Asian grooming gang.[177]
  • 15 March
  • 16 March
    • NHS staff in England, including nurses and ambulance staff, are offered a 5% pay rise from April along with a one-off payment of £1,655 to cover backdated pay. The offer does not include doctors, who are on a different contract.[182]
    • The government announces that TikTok is to be banned on electronic devices used by ministers and other employees, amid security concerns relating to the Chinese-owned app's handling of user data.[183]
    • Scientists identify a gene variant that is known to increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and trace it to people with Orkney Island heritage, more specifically those with ancestry on the island of Westray.[184]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: Office for National Statistics data for the week ending 7 March (6 March in Scotland) indicates COVID-19 cases are falling in Scotland, but the picture is uncertain in the rest of the UK. In England, the survey suggests that 1,322,000 tested positive for the virus, equating to 2.36% of the population, or around 1 in 40.[185]
  • 18 March – Peter Murrell resigns as CEO of the Scottish National Party amid a row over party membership.[186]
  • 19 March
    • The UK government launches the Emergency Alerts service, a service to send text alerts to mobile phones in a situation where it is perceived there is an immediate risk to life.[187]
    • The BBC urges its staff to delete the TikTok app from its official devices amid concerns about its security.[188]
  • 20 March – The British government bans far-right Danish activist Rasmus Paludan from entering the United Kingdom over a threat to burn a Quran in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.[189]
  • 21 March
    • Partygate scandal: Former prime minister Boris Johnson publishes a 52-page defence of his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic in which he acknowledges misleading Parliament over the Partygate scandal, but says he did not do so intentionally.[190]
    • Baroness Louise Casey's report into the standards and culture of the Metropolitan Police is published, and describes critical failings, such as discrimination, the organisation's inability to police itself, failings towards women and children, and the loss of public confidence in the service.[191]
  • 22 March
    • Data released for February shows that inflation increased from 10.1% to 10.4%, largely due to an increase in the cost of fresh food (particularly vegetables), non-alcoholic drinks, restaurant meals, and women's clothes.[192]
    • A major incident is declared, with 35 injuries reported, after the 76m-long RV Petrel research vessel tips over at a dock in Leith.[193]
    • Boris Johnson gives evidence to the cross-party Privileges Committee, relating to his conduct during Partygate. He insists that he "did not lie" to the House of Commons and always made statements in good faith.[194]
    • MPs back Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland by 515 votes to 29.[195]
    • Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, issues a "sincere, heartfelt and unreserved" apology to people affected by the practice of forced adoption in Scotland during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.[196]
    • The RMT call off two strikes planned by staff at 14 train operators that were scheduled for 30 March and 1 April following discussions with the Rail Delivery Group.[197]
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publishes details of his tax returns following calls for him to be more transparent about his finances.[198]
  • 23 March
  • 24 March
    • Charles III's state visit to France, his first official overseas visit as King, is postponed following a request by French president Emmanuel Macron after unions threatened to stage a day of protests over pension reforms during his visit.[205]
    • MPs vote to back the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill, which will make catcalling, following someone or blocking their path an offence in England and Wales with a punishment of up to two years in prison.[206]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: The final Coronavirus Infections Survey is published by the Office for National Statistics, with data for the week up to 13 March. It shows an increase in COVID-19 cases for England, but an uncertain picture for the rest of the UK. The percentage of cases for the Home Nations are shown as follows: 2.66% in England (1 in 40 people), 2.41% in Wales (1 in 40 people), 1.42% in Northern Ireland (1 in 70 people), and 2.59% in Scotland (1 in 40 people).[207]
  • 25 March
  • 26 March
  • 27 March
  • 28 March
  • 29 March
    • Charles III begins a state visit to Germany, his first official overseas trip as monarch.[220]
    • The UK government introduces the Victims and Prisoners Bill into the House of Commons, which will give ministers the power to veto the release of some prisoners, and restrict marriage in prison for those serving whole life terms.[221]
    • Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick confirms the government's intention to utilise three locations, including two former military bases, to house migrants arriving into the UK as asylum seekers. The plans are an attempt by the government to save on hotel expenses.[222]
    • Humza Yousaf is sworn in as Scotland's First Minister at Edinburgh's Court of Session and begins naming his cabinet.[223]
  • 30 March
    • The government publishes its latest net zero strategy for the period to 2050, following a High Court ruling that its earlier plans were insufficient to meet climate targets.[224]
    • High-profile inmate Charles Bronson loses his latest bid for freedom.[225]
    • Thomas Cashman, 34, is convicted of shooting dead nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in her Liverpool home in August 2022.[226]
    • The Parliamentary Standards Committee recommends that former Scottish National Party MP Margaret Ferrier be suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days for breaching COVID-19 regulations in September 2020 when she took a train home from London following a positive COVID test.[227]
  • 31 March
    • Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show an 0.1% growth in the UK economy for the final three months of 2022, revising previous figures that had suggested no growth over that period.[228]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: The UK Health Security Agency confirms the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app will close on 27 April following a decline in its use.[229]

April

[edit]
  • 1 April
    • It is reported that three British men are being held in custody by the Taliban in Afghanistan.[230]
    • Manchester becomes the first city in the UK to launch a tourist tax, with a £1-per room per night City Visitor Charge.[231]
  • 2 April
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman confirms the UK is in negotiations with the Taliban following the reported arrest of three British nationals in Afghanistan.[232]
    • Braverman says that Rwanda is a safe place for the UK to send refugees after being asked about refugees being shot there by police at a demonstration in 2018, saying "that might be 2018, we're looking at 2023 and beyond".[233]
  • 3 April
  • 4 April
  • 5 April
    • The government confirms plans to use the vessel Bibby Stockholm to house around 500 male migrants off the Dorset Coast, citing the cheaper cost of doing so compared to housing them in hotels.[246]
    • A BBC News investigation claims the life coaching organisation Lighthouse is operated as a cult.[247]
    • The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said that US president Joe Biden has accepted an invitation from King Charles for an undated state visit to the United Kingdom.[248]
  • 6 April
  • 7 April
  • 10 April – Coronation of Charles III and Camilla: Buckingham Palace confirms that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will travel to Westminster in the more modern Diamond Jubilee State Coach for the coronation, before returning to Buckingham Palace in the more traditional Gold State Coach.[254]
  • 11 April
  • 12 April
  • 13 April
    • Data published by the Office for National Statistics shows a 0% growth in the UK economy during February as growth in the construction industry was offset by industrial action.[265]
    • Publication of the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study, a study involving children with development disorders, which has identified 60 new health conditions.[266]
    • Sainsbury's follows Tesco in cutting the price of milk.[267]
    • A report published by Diabetes UK indicates the UK is heading for what the charity describes as a "rapidly escalating diabetes crisis", with 4.3 million people experiencing a form of diabetes, a further 850,000 estimated to be living with the disease but unaware of it, and another 2.4 million people at risk of developing the condition. Cases of diabetes are more prevalent in less affluent areas of the country.[268]
  • 14 April
  • 15 April
  • 16 April – The building of all new smart motorways is cancelled over cost and safety concerns.[277]
  • 17 April
    • The 2023 World Snooker Championship is disrupted by a protestor from Just Stop Oil who climbs onto the snooker table during a match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry and pours orange powder over it. Two people are later arrested by South Yorkshire Police.[278]
    • The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is to investigate Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over a possible failure to declare an interest over a childcare company in which his wife has shares.[279]
    • Sunak announces a review of the "core maths content" taught in England's schools, with the establishment of a panel to conduct the review.[280]
    • New rules from Ofgem will prohibit the forced installation of prepayment meters for gas and electricity customers over the age of 85. Customers in debt will also have more time to clear their debt before being forced to switch to a prepayment meter.[281] But plans to resume the practice are subsequently criticised by campaigners who want it banned completely.[282]
  • 19 April
    • Inflation is reported to have fallen from 10.4% in February to 10.1% in March. It remains higher than forecasted, driven largely by the ongoing rise in food prices, which continue to increase at their fastest rate in 45 years.[283]
    • Colin Beattie resigns as SNP treasurer with immediate effect after his questioning by Police Scotland in their ongoing investigation into the party's finances.[284]
  • 20 April – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is handed the findings of an investigation into bullying allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.[285]
  • 21 April
  • 22 April – Sunak holds an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the evacuation of British nationals caught up in the Sudan conflict.[294][295]
  • 23 April
    • Diane Abbott is suspended from the Labour Party after writing a letter in The Observer in which she downplays racism against Irish people, Jews, and Travellers.[296]
    • Sunak confirms that British diplomats and their families have been evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid" operation.[297]
    • The Emergency Alerts service is tested by the government at 3pm BST. An estimated 80% of smartphones are believed to be compatible to receive the alert, but around 7% of those do not receive it. Many people on the Three network report that the alert failed to appear on their phone, while others do not receive it because their phone is switched to aeroplane mode or they have disabled emergency alerts.[298][299]
    • 2023 London Marathon: Sifan Hassan wins the women's race, while Kelvin Kiptum wins the men's event and breaks the course record.[300]
  • 25 April
  • 26 April
    • Andrew Bridgen is expelled from the Conservative Party after comparing COVID-19 vaccines to the Holocaust and being found to have breached lobbying rules.[304]
    • The first evacuation flight from Sudan lands in the UK.[305]
    • The Illegal Migration Bill passes its final stage in the House of Commons, with MPs voting 289–230 in favour of the bill.[306]
    • The UK's Competition and Markets Authority blocks Microsoft's £55bn deal to buy US video game company Activision Blizzard, citing concerns about reduced choice for gamers and reduced innovation; the move needed the approval of competition regulators in the United States, United Kingdom and European Union.[307]
  • 27 April
    • Three days of fresh train strikes are called after both ASLEF and the RMT reject a pay offer from the Rail Delivery Group. The strikes dates are announced for 13 May 31 May and 3 June (ASLEF) and 13 May (RMT).[308]
    • Following a hearing at the High Court, Mr Justice Linden rules that the nurses' strike planned for 30 April – 2 May is partially unlawful as it falls partly outside the six-month period from when members of the Royal College of Nursing voted to strike. The strike is cut short by a day as a consequence.[309]
    • The NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app closes down.[229][310]
  • 28 April – Richard Sharp resigns as chairman of the BBC over his breach of the BBC's rules regarding public appointments after failing to declare his connection to a loan secured by former prime minister Boris Johnson worth £800,000.[311]
  • 29 April
    • Coronation of Charles III and Camilla: Organisers announce that among the changes to the ceremony for the coronation will be to invite people watching proceedings to swear allegiance to the King and his heirs. The service will also include female clergy and representatives from several different religions.[312]
    • The Guardian apologises following the publication of a cartoon depicting former BBC chairman Richard Sharp, who is Jewish, with exaggerated features and carrying a puppet of Rishi Sunak, after it was criticised for being antisemitic.[313]
    • The final UK rescue flight from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum takes off as the rescue of UK nationals comes to an end.[314] Another flight from Port Sudan is subsequently arranged for 1 May.[315]
  • 30 April
    • Eight people are stabbed, one fatally, in a street brawl near a nightclub in Bodmin, Cornwall. Police arrest a 24-year-old man on suspicion of murdering another man in his 30s.[316] The deceased victim is subsequently named as Michael Allen, aged 32.[317]
    • Alex Chalk, the Secretary of State for Justice, announces new rules for terrorists in prison in England and Wales which will see them limited to two boxes of books and prevented from leading religious meetings.[318]

May

[edit]
  • 1 May
  • 2 May
    • The 5% pay increase for one million NHS staff in England is signed off at a meeting between the UK government and representatives from 14 trade unions; all NHS employees but doctors and dentists are represented at the meeting.[321]
    • A man is arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing shotgun cartridges into the grounds. A controlled explosion is also carried out by police.[322]
  • 3 May – Coronation of Charles III and Camilla: As the Metropolitan Police release details of security measures in place, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat says that anti-monarchy groups will be allowed to protest at the coronation.[323]
  • 4 May
  • 5 May – Following the first conviction for trafficking for the purposes of organ removal in England and Wales, Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu is sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison after bringing a young street trader to the UK in order to procure his kidney for a transplant. The senator's wife and a doctor who also assisted in the plan are also sent to prison.[328]
  • 6 May
    • Coronation of Charles III and Camilla:
      • The Coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey, London, with the two-hour ceremony emphasising diversity and inclusion. There are contributions from several faiths, including Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh representatives, while elements of the ceremony are also held in the Welsh and Gaelic languages.[329][330]
      • Graham Smith, leader of the Republic pressure group, is arrested at a protest in Trafalgar Square prior to the coronation.[331]
  • 7 May
  • 8 May
  • 9 May
  • 10 May
    • The government confirms it will replace its plan for all EU-era legislation to expire at the end of 2023 with a list of 600 laws it wishes to replace.[342]
    • Vodafone confirms it will begin switching off its 3G network from June, prompting concerns that people with older and more basic phones could experience "digital poverty".[343]
    • The legal case Duke of Sussex v Mirror Group Newspapers begins at the High Court.[344]
    • Adam Price announces his resignation as leader of Plaid Cymru after a report found a culture of misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.[345]
  • 11 May
  • 12 May
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK economy grew by 0.1% between January and March 2023, with ongoing strike action and the cost of living crisis contributing to the smaller than expected growth.[350]
    • Following a three-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court, David Boyd is convicted of the October 1992 murder of Nikki Allan in Sunderland.[351]
  • 13 May
  • 14 May – Former Archbishop of York Lord Sentamu is forced to resign his position as an assistant bishop in the Church of England Diocese of Newcastle following a report that criticised his handling of a child sex abuse case during his tenure as Archbishop of York.[355]
  • 15 May
  • 16 May
    • Following a trial at Reading Crown Court, three fraudsters who supplied forged passports to some of the UK's most notorious criminals, are sentenced to prison.[358]
    • Data produced by the Office for National Statistics indicates the number of people not working because of a long-term health condition has reached two and a half million. The rise is attributed to an increase in mental health problems among young people, and an increase in people suffering back and neck problems as a result of working at home.[359]
    • Stellantis, owners of Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, urge the UK government to renegotiate parts of its Brexit trade deal, warning that the UK could lose its car industry. The company has committed to making electric vehicles in the UK, but says it may not be able to do so because of the combined effect of post-Brexit trade rules and increases in raw material costs.[360]
  • 17 May
    • The Renters (Reform) Bill is introduced into Parliament.[361]
    • The UK government bans the issuing of licences for animal testing of chemicals used in cosmetics products.[362]
  • 18 May
  • 19 May
  • 20 May – 2023 Northern Ireland local elections: Sinn Féin become the largest political party in Northern Ireland after making significant gains in the local election votes.[363]
  • 21 May – Labour and the Liberal Democrats call for an inquiry into whether the home secretary, Suella Braverman, broke the Ministerial Code after it is reported she asked civil servants whether they could arrange a private speed awareness course, rather than the standard group one, after she was caught speeding in summer 2022 during her tenure as attorney general.[368]
  • 22 May
    • Buckingham Palace declines a request for the remains of Prince Alemayehu, brought to the UK as a child in the 19th century and buried at Windsor Castle following his death, to be returned to his native Ethiopia.[369]
    • Margaret Ferrier loses her appeal against a proposed 30 day ban from the House of Commons over her breach of COVID-19 rules in September 2020.[370]
    • Sir Richard Branson's rocket company Virgin Orbit ceases operations, following a recent mission failure and financial difficulties.[371]
  • 23 May
    • The International Monetary Fund upgrades its growth forecast for the UK, which it says will now avoid a recession in 2023.[372]
    • Following his conviction on 12 May, David Boyd is sentenced to a minimum term of 29 years in prison for Nikki Allan's murder.[373]
    • The Cabinet Office refers former prime minister Boris Johnson to the police following fresh allegations of rule breaches during the COVID-19 pandemic.[374]
  • 24 May
    • Inflation is reported to have fallen from 10.1% in March to 8.7% in April. Food price growth remains close to record highs, at 19.1%.[375]
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirms that Home Secretary Suella Braverman's handling of a speeding offence did not breach ministerial rules and that she will not face an investigation.[376]
  • 25 May
    • Net migration into the UK during 2022 is reported to have reached a record high of 606,000, with immigration estimated at 1.2m and emigration at 557,000. Around 114,000 people came from Ukraine and 52,000 from Hong Kong.[377]
    • Three activists from climate change protest group Just Stop Oil are arrested for criminal damage after disrupting the Chelsea Flower Show.[378]
    • Armed officers arrest a man after he crashes a car into the gates of Downing Street. The incident is not terrorism related.[379]
  • 26 May
    • British Cycling announces that transgender women are to be banned from the female category of its competitions, following a nine-month review and consultation.[380] This follows the March ban by UK Athletics.[381]
    • Phillip Schofield announces he is leaving ITV, following his recent departure from This Morning amid controversy over the relationship he had with a "much younger" male colleague.[382][383]
    • Passengers arriving into the UK face delays at several airports after passport e-gates stop working. The problem, attributed to technical problems, is resolved by the following evening.[384]
  • 27 May – Post Office Limited issues an apology over the use of racist terms to describe postmasters wrongly investigated as part of the Horizon IT scandal.[385]
  • 28 May
    • The Home Office announces it is launching an ad campaign on social media in Albania to deter migrants from coming to the UK; the campaign begins the following day.[386][387]
    • BBC News reports that Andrei Kelin, Russia's ambassador to the UK, has warned that the west's supply of weapons to Ukraine risks escalating the war to levels not seen so far.[388]
  • 29 May
    • Mars bars, one of the top-selling chocolate bars in the UK, are given a new look with recyclable paper wrappers, in a bid to cut down on the growing problem of plastic waste.[389]
    • The Met Police's plan to stop attending emergency mental health incidents is described as "potentially alarming" by a former inspector of constabulary, with charity Mind also expressing concerns.[390]
  • 30 May
    • Figures published by the British Retail Consortium show that supermarket prices rose in May, largely because of the price of coffee, chocolate and non-food goods.[391]
    • The UK government announces plans to close a loophole in the law that allows shopkeepers to give free vape samples to those under the age of majority.[392]
  • 31 May

June

[edit]
  • 1 June
  • 2 June – A visibly emotional Phillip Schofield gives an interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan, in which he apologises and says his "career is over" following the affair with a young male colleague.[398]
  • 3 June
    • Train strikes staged by the ASLEF union cause disruption to the 2023 FA Cup final and a Beyoncé Knowles concert.[399]
    • In the FA Cup Final, the first in the 152-year history of the competition to feature a Manchester derby, Manchester City defeat rivals Manchester United 2–1 to win their seventh FA Cup trophy.[400]
    • A man is arrested at the FA Cup final after being pictured wearing a Manchester United shirt with the number 97 and the slogan "not enough", believed to be a reference to the Hillsborough disaster.[401] The 33-year-old male is subsequently charged with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.[402]
    • A protestor is detained by police after attempting to disrupt the 2023 Epsom Derby by trespassing on the track.[403]
  • 6 June
  • 7 June
  • 8 June
  • 9 June
  • 10 June
  • 11 June
  • 12 June
    • Following a period of hot weather, thunderstorms and torrential rain bring flash flooding to parts of the UK.[424]
    • A mother-of-three is sentenced to 28 months in prison for inducing an abortion at home during 2020 with medication while she was 32–34 weeks pregnant. The medication was obtained following a remote consultation at which the woman misled doctors over the advancement of her pregnancy.[425]
  • 13 June
    • 2023 Nottingham attacks: A major incident is declared in Nottingham, with much of the city centre cordoned off, following a vehicle-ramming and knife attack. A 31-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of multiple murders, following the deaths of three people including two university students, while three others are hospitalised.[426][427]
    • The first day of a public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic begins in central London. The inquiry's lead lawyer says "very little thought" was given about the impact of a national lockdown and that Brexit planning may have occupied too much of the government's time and resources, while a counsel for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice accuses the authorities of being "complacent".[428][429]
    • A heatwave is declared in several parts of the UK as temperatures reach 30 °C, and after exceeding 25 °C for three consecutive days; the UK's heat-health alert is also extended.[430]
  • 14 June
  • 15 June
    • Partygate: A 13-month investigation by the House of Commons' Privileges Committee concludes that ex-Prime Minister Johnson deliberately misled the Commons over gatherings during pandemic restrictions at 10 Downing Street and Chequers. The report proposes that he would be suspended for 90 days if still an MP. It states that he deliberately misled the House and the committee, impugned the committee and was "complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the Committee".[434][435]
    • The Parole Board announces that double child killer and rapist Colin Pitchfork has been granted parole and will be released from prison. Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire where the girls were killed, writes to the Justice Secretary to seek "an immediate and urgent review" of the decision.[436]
  • 16 June
  • 17 June
  • 18 June – Partygate: The Mirror publishes video footage of a party held in December 2020 at Conservative Party Headquarters. Housing Secretary Michael Gove describes the incident as "indefensible".[443]
  • 19 June – Partygate: MPs back, by 354 votes to seven, a report finding Boris Johnson deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown parties at Downing Street.[444]
  • 20 June
  • 21 June – UK inflation figures for May 2023 show it remained higher than expected, at 8.7%.[447]
  • 22 June
    • The Bank of England raises the official bank rate from 4.5% to 5%, the 13th consecutive rise, and a greater increase than economists had expected.[448]
    • The RMT announces three fresh days of strike action for 20, 22 and 29 July.[449]
  • 23 June
    • Banks and building societies are summoned for a meeting with Jeremy Hunt as pressure grows on them to help people struggling with rising mortgage costs.[450] A series of measures are agreed, offering more flexibility.[451]
    • Junior doctors in England announce a new five-day walkout from 13 to 18 July – the longest strike yet – over pay.[452]
    • Following a trial at Northampton Crown Court, Louis De Zoysa is convicted of the 2020 murder of police sergeant Matt Ratana.[453]
  • 24 June – The UK government holds an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the Wagner Group rebellion in Russia. Sunak urges both sides to "be responsible and to protect civilians".[454]
  • 25 June
  • 26 June
  • 27 June
    • Boots announces plans to close 300 of its outlets over the next years, saying it will close stores in close proximity to other branches.[463]
    • A report compiled by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) says racism, sexism, classism and elitism are "widespread" in English and Welsh cricket.[464]
  • 28 June
  • 29 June
    • The plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda is ruled unlawful. In a three-judge decision, the court of appeal overturns a high court decision that previously ruled that Rwanda could be considered a safe third country to send refugees.[467]
    • Smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires is detected in the UK, having drifted thousands of kilometres over the Atlantic.[468]
  • 30 June
    • Sunak unveils an NHS workforce plan that aims to address shortages in the health service by increasing the number of training places for nurses and doctors, as well as retaining them in the NHS workforce.[469]
    • The Independent Press Standards Organisation rules that a December 2022 column in The Sun newspaper written by Jeremy Clarkson about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex being paraded naked through the streets was sexist, but rejects complaints that it was either discriminatory on the grounds of race, inaccurate, or sought to harass the duchess. Both The Sun and Clarkson had apologised for the piece in December 2022.[470]

July

[edit]
  • 1 July
    • The Foreign Office issues a travel warning for Britons going to France, as major riots grip the country.[471]
    • The price cap on energy bills is reduced, with an average yearly domestic gas and electricity bill falling by £426 to £2,074.[472]
  • 2 July
  • 3 July
    • Train drivers belonging to the ASLEF union at 16 train operators begin a six-day overtime ban, threatening disruption to services.[476]
    • The Met Office confirms that the UK has experienced its hottest June on record, with June 2023's average temperature of 15.8 °C beating previous records from 1940 and 1976 by 0.9 °C.[477]
  • 4 July
    • The average interest rate on a five-year fixed mortgage deal exceeds 6%.[478]
    • Partygate scandal: The Metropolitan Police announces it is reopening its investigation into a lockdown party held at Conservative Party Headquarters in December 2020, as well as an event held at Westminster on 8 December 2020.[479]
  • 5 July
  • 6 July
  • 7 July
    • Consumer finance expert Martin Lewis speaks to BBC Radio 4 about the growing use of deepfake AI technology, warning that more regulation is needed to prevent online scams.[489]
    • Data published by Halifax Bank indicates that UK house prices have fallen at the fastest rate since 2011, with a 2.6% fall in the last year.[490]
    • A man in his 20s, known publicly only as LXB, becomes the first alleged neo-Nazi in the UK to be placed under special government powers for monitoring and controlling suspected terrorists.[491]
    • Following his trial and conviction at Nottingham Crown Court, Jamie Barrow is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 44 years for the murders of a mother and her two children, who died after he set their flat on fire.[492]
    • Empire Cinemas collapses into administration, with the immediate closure of six of its outlets and the remainder at risk of closure.[493]
    • A story printed in The Sun alleges that an unnamed BBC presenter paid a 17-year-old for sexually explicit photos. In response the BBC says it is investigating and that the presenter is not scheduled to be on air in the coming days.[494]
  • 8 July
    • Rishi Sunak reaffirms the UK's opposition to the use of cluster munitions, as the United States announces it will send the widely banned weapons to Ukraine, where the invasion has reached its 500th day.[495][496]
    • Thunderstorms affect parts of the UK as a brief hot spell comes to an end.[497]
  • 9 July – The Sun prints fresh allegations about an unnamed BBC presenter, alleging that he stripped down to his underpants during a video call to the teenager.[498] Several male public figures associated with the BBC speak out to say they are not the individual concerned.[499] Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer holds an urgent meeting with BBC Director General Tim Davie at which he tells her the BBC is investigating the matter "swiftly and sensitively".[500] The BBC subsequently confirms it has suspended the presenter and referred the matter to the police.[501]
  • 10 July
    • A lawyer representing the young person who was allegedly paid by a BBC presenter for indecent photographs casts doubt on the story. In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer says that his client contacted The Sun on 7 July to tell the newspaper there was "no truth in it". The paper is said to have subsequently printed the "inappropriate article" containing allegations made by the client's mother.[502]
    • EasyJet announces the cancellation of 1,700 flights to and from Gatwick Airport during July, August and September, citing constraints on airspace in Europe and ongoing traffic control difficulties.[503]
  • 11 July
    • A second young person comes forward to make allegations about the BBC presenter at the centre of a scandal, claiming that they were contacted by him on a dating app and sent abusive and threatening messages. The person, in their early 20s, also says they felt under pressure to meet up, although they did not do so.[504]
    • The average deal on a two-year fixed mortgage reaches 6.66%, the highest level since the financial crisis of 2008.[505]
  • 12 July
    • Huw Edwards is identified by his wife as the BBC presenter being investigated for allegedly paying a 17-year-old for sexually explicit photos. His wife also says that Edwards is receiving in-patient hospital care after an episode of depression following the publication of the allegations.[506] Following an investigation into the allegations, the Metropolitan Police releases a statement to say detectives have determined no criminal offence has been committed.[507]
    • The Bank of England says that rising interest rates mean that mortgages for at least one million borrowers will rise by an average of £500 a month by the end of 2023.[508]
    • The 2.6 GW Hornsea Project 4 is approved by the government, becoming the second-largest UK wind farm to receive planning consent, following Hornsea Project Three.[509]
  • 13 July
    • The longest doctor's strike in NHS history begins, as junior doctors begin a five-day walkout over pay.[510]
    • The government offers more than a million public sector workers in England and Wales a pay rise worth an average of 6%. The offer sees police and prison officers in England and Wales offered 7%, with teachers in England offered 6.5%, and junior doctors in England offered 6%.[511]
    • A report published by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament says the UK failed to develop an effective strategy for dealing with threats to its national security by China, which has allowed Chinese intelligence to aggressively target the UK.[512]
  • 14 July
  • 15 July – The Local Government Association calls for disposable vapes to be banned in England and Wales by 2024, citing their environmental impact and their appeal to children.[518]
  • 17 July
    • A report from the National Audit Office concludes that the UK government is likely to miss its 2019 target to build 40 new NHS hospitals by 2030.[519]
    • As train drivers begin a six-day overtime ban, their union, ASLEF, announces a further six day overtime ban from 31 July.[520]
  • 18 July
    • A BBC investigation into working conditions at McDonald's has collected together a number of allegations of sexual assault, harassment, bullying and racism.[521]
    • A woman sentenced to 28 months imprisonment for illegally obtaining abortion pills in 2020 has her sentence reduced to a 14-month suspended sentence by the Court of Appeal, and will be released from prison.[522]
    • The Home Office confirms the release of the first passports issued in King Charles III's name.[523]
  • 19 July
  • 20 July
    • Senior doctors begin a two-day walkout, their first strike in a decade, amid an ongoing dispute over pay.[527]
    • The Competition and Markets Authority tells supermarkets they must make their food pricing clearer in order to help shoppers make informed decisions about the best deals.[528]
    • A University of Oxford study suggests that if heavy meat eaters were to cut some of it out of their diet it would be like removing eight million cars from the road.[529]
    • The first phase of the COVID-19 Inquiry comes to an end, with an interim report expected to be published in 2024.[530]
  • 21 July
  • 22–23 July – The most successful weekend for UK cinema-going since 2019 is reported, with Oppenheimer and Barbie taking £30m in their box office openings.[533]
  • 23 July – The Cabinet Office announces the launch of the Humanitarian Medal for emergency workers and humanitarian relief teams, such as charities, service personnel and health workers.[534]
  • 24 July
  • 26 July
    • Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is cleared of all charges at London's Southwark Crown Court. His trial had included nine charges, with seven counts of sexual assault against four men.[537]
    • The consultation process for the proposed closure of hundreds of ticket offices at train stations in England is extended until 1 September.[538]
    • Dame Alison Rose admits to being the source of an inaccurate BBC news report about Nigel Farage's Coutts bank account after discussing the matter with BBC business editor Simon Jack, something she describes as a "serious error of judgement".[539] She subsequently resigns from her post early the next day.[540]
  • 27 July
    • The Met Office publishes its State of the UK Climate 2022 report. It concludes that the 40 °C heatwave was "extraordinary", but would be considered an average year by 2060 and a cool year by 2100, if current emission trends continue.[541][542]
    • 26-year-old Louis De Zoysa is sentenced to a whole life order for the murder of police officer Matt Ratana in 2020.[543]
    • Peter Flavel resigns as chief executive of Coutts Bank over controversy surrounding the closure of Nigel Farage's account.[544]
  • 28 July – The High Court concludes that Sadiq Khan's plan to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) around London is lawful and can proceed.[545][546]
  • 30 July
  • 31 July
    • Sunak announces that over 100 new licenses will be granted for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, a decision heavily criticised by environmental groups and opposition MPs as incompatible with the UK's climate change commitments. Sunak insists the plan is "entirely consistent" with reaching net zero, and says that a quarter of UK energy needs will come from oil and gas even after 2050.[549][550]
    • New rules come into force from the Financial Conduct Authority requiring banks to prove they are offering their customers fair value, such as passing on interest rate rises to savers.[551]
    • The final date on which non-barcoded stamps can be used when posting mail.[552]

August

[edit]
  • 1 August
  • 2 August – COVID-19 in the UK: The UK Health Security Agency reports the spread of a new variant known as EG.5.1.[558]
  • 3 August
    • The National Risk Register publishes its latest report on future threats facing the UK. It puts the chance of another pandemic at between 5% and 25%. Other risks include extreme weather caused by worsening climate change, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) systems, terrorism such as cyberattacks on infrastructure, and the assassination of public figures.[559]
    • Greenpeace activists climb onto the roof of Rishi Sunak's North Yorkshire home, unfurling sheets of black fabric, in protest at his recent decision to expand oil and gas production in the North Sea.[560]
    • The Bank of England raises its baseline interest rate from 5% to 5.25%, the 14th consecutive increase and the highest level since April 2008. The Bank also predicts inflation to fall below 5% in the final quarter of 2023.[561]
    • Brexit: Checks on fresh food from the EU are delayed for a fifth time, amid concerns over red tape.[562]
    • Homeware retailer Wilko files a notice of intention to call in administrators after failing to secure a buyer, putting 12,000 jobs at risk.[563]
    • Butterfly Conservation reports a four-fold increase in red admiral sightings compared to the previous year, likely a result of higher temperatures in the UK.[564]
  • 4 August
    • Around 4,000 scouts from the UK attending the World Jamboree in South Korea are to be moved to hotels due to the ongoing 2023 Asia heat wave.[565]
    • A royal spokesman confirms there will be no official public events to mark the first anniversary of the death of Elizabeth II.[566]
    • The mother and stepfather of Jacob Crouch, a 10-month-old baby who died at his Derbyshire home in 2020, are found guilty of causing him severe injuries leading to death. The mother, 33-year-old Gemma Barton, is acquitted of murder, but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, as well as child cruelty, and is sentenced to 10 years in prison. Stepfather Craig Crouch is found guilty of murder and receives a minimum term of 28 years in prison.[567]
    • Storm Antoni hits the UK, the first Met Office-named storm of the year, with forecasters warning of "unseasonably" strong winds that could pose a danger to life over the weekend.[568] A top wind gust of 78 mph is recorded at Berry Head in Devon, which is considered a potential record for the time of year.[569]
    • The biggest NHS privatisation since the Blair years is announced, with eight new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) being planned in a bid to cut record-high waiting lists. A further five NHS-run CDCs are also announced.[570]
  • 5 August – The 18th century Crooked House, once known as "Britain's wonkiest pub", is gutted by a fire.[571] The pub is demolished two days later. Police subsequently confirm they are treating the fire as arson.[572]
  • 6 August
    • Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk confirms that the rule deducting living costs from compensation paid to people who have been wrongfully convicted will be scrapped.[573]
    • Greetings card retailer Clintons are to close around 20% of their outlets to cut back on expenditure.[574]
  • 7 August – The first group of asylum seekers to be housed on the Bibby Stockholm while they wait for the cases to be processed arrive on the barge following delays over safety concerns.[575]
  • 8 August
  • 9 August – A second Police Service of Northern Ireland data breach is revealed after it emerges a spreadsheet containing the names of 200 officers was stolen from a car in July 2023.[579]
  • 10 August
  • 11 August
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics shows the UK economy grew by an average 0.2% between April and June 2023. This includes a better than expected increase of 0.5% for June as a result of warm weather which boosted both the construction and hospitality industries.[583]
    • Migrants are temporarily moved from the Bibby Stockholm after traces of the Legionella bacteria are found in the water supply.[584]
    • The number of migrants who have crossed the English Channel since 2018 passes 100,000.[585]
  • 12 August
  • 14 August – Health Secretary Steve Barclay confirms "no-one has been harmed" following the discovery of legionella bacteria on the Bibby Stockholm.[588]
  • 15 August
    • BBC News reports that five suspected spies for Russia were arrested in February 2023, three of whom have been charged in connection with the allegations.[589]
    • Data published by the Office for National Statistics indicates that average UK wages increased by 7.8% between April and June 2023, their highest increase since comparable figures began in 2001.[590]
  • 16 August
    • Data released by the Office for National Statistics indicates that UK rents rose by an average of 5.3% in the year to July 2023, the highest rise since comparable records began in 2016.[591]
    • UK inflation fell from 7.9% in June to 6.8% in July with the fall in energy costs helping to bring it down, but food and hospitality prices remained high and continued to have an impact.[592]
  • 17 August – A Level results are published in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with grades returning to pre-pandemic levels; 27.2% of all grades marked are rated as A* or A.[593]
  • 18 August
    • Former nurse Lucy Letby, 33, is found guilty of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder six others, at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016, following a trial which began 10 months ago. She becomes the most prolific killer of babies in the UK in modern times. She is cleared on two charges of attempted murder, while the jury fails to reach verdicts on two further charges of attempted murder.[594] The UK government orders an independent inquiry into the case.[595]
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the UK: The UK Health Security Agency supports a proposal for the commercial sale of COVID-19 vaccines to the public, for those wishing to top up their immunity, after the age limit on the NHS booster programme is raised from 50 to 65.[596]
    • HM Treasury announces that banks will be fined if they fail to provide people with adequate cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The policy will require cash withdrawal and deposit facilities to be available within a mile of residents and businesses in an urban setting, and three miles in rural settings.[597]
  • 20 August – 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup: Spain win 1–0 against England in the final of the tournament.[598]
  • 21 August – Following her conviction on 18 August, Lucy Letby is sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to a whole life order for the 14 charges she was convicted of. Justice James Goss states that her "cruel, calculated and cynical campaign of child murder" means she should never be released from prison.[599][600]
  • 22 August
    • Official figures show that Government borrowing in July was £4.3bn, lower than the £5bn forecast by economists.[601]
    • Former Metropolitan Police officer Adam Provan is jailed for 16 years for multiple rapes against a teenage girl and a female police officer.[602]
    • It is reported that art dealer Ittai Gradel alerted the British Museum about possible missing items in 2021 but was told "all objects were accounted for".[603]
  • 23 August – It is reported that doctors at Oxford's Churchill Hospital have carried out the UK's first womb transplant, with a 34-year-old woman receiving her sister's womb in a 17-hour operation that took place in February 2023.[604]
  • 24 August
    • Data released by the Home Office shows that 175,000 people were waiting to have their claims for asylum assessed at the end of June 2023, an increase of 44% on the same time in 2022.[605]
    • GCSE results are published in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 68.2% of all entries marked at grades 4/C and above. It is the second fall in overall results, taking them almost back to pre-pandemic levels.[606]
  • 25 August
    • Ofgem confirms the energy price cap will fall again in October, with an annual gas and electricity bill at around £1,923.[607]
    • The National Crime Agency launches a criminal investigation after linking 88 UK deaths with an online seller from Canada accused of selling them a poisonous substance so they could commit suicide.[608]
  • 26 August – Conservative MP Nadine Dorries resigns her Parliamentary seat two months after originally saying she would do so, accusing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of abandoning "the fundamental principles of Conservatism" and that "history will not judge [him] kindly".[609]
  • 28 August – Hundreds of flights to and from the UK are delayed following technical problems with the UK's air traffic control system.[610]
  • 29 August
    • Martin Rolfe, chief executive of the National Air Transport Service confirms that an initial investigation into the disruption caused to the UK's air traffic control system indicates it to be as a result of flight data received. As passengers continue to face delays in catching flights, the incident is to be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority.[611]
  • 30 August
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces plans to introduce legislation that will compel convicted criminals to attend their sentencing hearings, by force if necessary, or face more time in prison.[612]
    • Health Secretary Steve Barclay announces that the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Lucy Letby's crimes has been upgraded to a statutory hearing, meaning that witnesses can be compelled to give evidence.[613]
    • Property website Zoopla forecasts that UK house sales for 2023 are on course to be at their lowest since 2012, with an estimated one million completed by the end of the year, a fifth lower than 2022.[614]

September

[edit]
  • 1 September
    • A crisis emerges in schools, hospitals, and other public buildings, centred around the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), a widely used but outdated material believed to be unsafe and in danger of crumbling. The announcements come just days before the beginning of the new academic year.[615][616][617]
    • Figures published by the Nationwide Building Society indicate UK house prices in August 2023 were 5.3% lower than those in August 2022, the largest fall since 2009.[618]
    • Octopus Energy announces plans to buy Shell Energy, giving Octopus an additional 1.4 million customers.[619]
  • 3 September
    • Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says the UK government will "spend what it takes" to put right the problem of defective concrete in schools,[620] and says that structural problems could be identified in more schools and other public buildings.[621]
    • Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy announces that staff at the retailer will be offered body cameras following a rise in violent incidents.[622]
    • UK government data indicates 872 migrants crossed the English Channel the previous day, the highest daily number of 2023.[623]
  • 4 September
    • Labour leader Keir Starmer performs a cabinet reshuffle, as MPs return to Westminster after the summer break. This includes Angela Rayner becoming both Shadow Levelling Up Secretary and Shadow Deputy Prime Minister.[624]
    • Simon Byrne resigns as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland with immediate effect following a number of recent controversies.[625]
    • The Met Office issues a heat health alert for much of the country, with temperatures forecast to reach as high as 32 °C later in the week.[626]
    • BBC News reports that a record number of Asian hornets sightings could have devastating consequences for the UK's bee population for many years to come.[627]
  • 5 September
    • Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, declares itself effectively bankrupt. The crisis, which prevents all but essential spending to protect core services, is linked to a £760m bill to settle equal pay claims, along with implementation of a new IT system.[628]
    • As parts of the UK experience a heat wave, the UK Health Security Agency upgrades a yellow heat health alert to an amber warning in eight of the UK's nine regions amid forecasts that temperatures will reach 32 °C.[629]
    • The UK government announces that nitrous oxide will be reclassified as a Class C drug and made illegal by the end of the year, with possession carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison.[630]
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman announces that Russia's mercenary Wagner Group is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation.[631]
  • 6 September – A manhunt is launched for remand prisoner Daniel Abed Khalife following his escape from HMP Wandsworth.[632]
  • 7 September
    • The UK rejoins the EU's Horizon scientific research programme.[633]
    • Justice Secretary Alex Chalk announces an independent inquiry into the escape of Daniel Khalife from Wandsworth Prison. The inquiry will have two areas of focus – a review of the "placement and categorisation" of all inmates at Wandsworth, and an investigation of all people in custody currently charged with terror offences.[634]
    • The UK's first EV-only manufacturing plant begins production at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.[635]
    • The UK experiences a fourth day of temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F), the highest consecutive number on record for the month of September, with hot weather expected to continue until the weekend.[636]
  • 8 September – The first anniversary of the death of Elizabeth II is marked by gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London, as well as the release of a short message from Charles III along with a previously unreleased portrait of the Queen taken in 1968.[637]
  • 9 September – Following a four-day manhunt, Daniel Khalife is arrested by the Metropolitan Police in Chiswick, London.[638]
  • 10 September
  • 11 September
    • The GMB Union confirms that the UK's 400 Wilko stores will close by early October after a bid to rescue the retailer fell through.[643]
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman says she is seeking "urgent advice" on potentially banning the American Bully XL dog breed following an attack by a dog on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham.[644]
  • 12 September
    • Pepco Group, owners of Poundland, announce they will take on the lease of 71 Wilko stores and convert them into Poundland outlets.[645]
    • Government data reveals that average wages increased by 7.8% from May to July, matching the pace of inflation for the first time since 2021.[646]
    • A joint study carried out by the University of Exeter, the University of Surrey and the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery highlights the experiences of female surgeons, many of whom say they have faced sexual harassment, sexual assault or been raped by male colleagues.[647]
    • Stonegate Group, the UK's largest pub chain, announces plans to introduce dynamic pricing during evenings and weekends at around 800 of its 4,000 outlets.[648]
  • 13 September
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK economy shrank by 0.5% during July, which is largely attributed to strike action and wet weather.[649]
    • Data published by UK Finance shows payments by cash in the UK rose during 2022 for the first time in ten years, but were still lower than those by debit and credit card.[650]
  • 15 September
  • 16 September
    • Comedian and actor Russell Brand is accused by four women of rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, following a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Brand releases a video denying "serious criminal allegations".[654]
    • Christine Middlemiss, the UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, says there will not be a cull of American bully XL dogs following Sunak's announcement that the breed is to be banned.[655]
    • Solicitors representing convicted killer nurse Lucy Letby announce that she will be applying for permission to appeal against her convictions.[citation needed]
  • 18 September
    • COVID-19 vaccination in the UK: New booster vaccines begin rolling out for people aged 65 and over in England, as a precaution against a highly mutated new COVID-19 variant called Pirola.[656]
    • A new palm oil substitute called PALM-ALT is presented by researchers at Queen Margaret University in Scotland. The plant-based ingredient is shown to be 70% better for the environment than conventional palm oil and is described as "the holy grail to replace it."[657][658]
    • Conservative MP Dehenna Davison resigns as a levelling up minister, saying "chronic migraines" have made it "impossible" to do her job.[659]
    • Russell Brand's live tour is postponed, as police investigate a further allegation of sexual assault by the celebrity, dating back to 2003.[660]
    • The UK government announces that Post Office workers who had wrongful convictions for false accounting and theft overturned will each be offered £600,000 in compensation.[661]
  • 19 September
  • 20 September
    • Data released by the Office for National Statistics show that inflation fell from 6.8% in July to 6.7% in August, something that is attributed to a fall in food prices.[664]
    • Sunak announces a major rethink of the UK government's strategy to achieve net zero carbon output in the UK by 2050, including a delay in banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.[665]
  • 21 September
    • The Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25% after inflation for August was lower than expected.[666]
    • Five Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia are to be charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage.[667]
    • Charles III addresses the French Senate during his state visit to France.[668]
    • News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch announces his retirement and plan to hand over his businesses to his son Lachlan. Murdoch additionally owned the American broadcaster Fox and formerly Sky Group.[669]
  • 22 September
    • It is reported that eight-year-old Aditi Shankar has become the first child in the UK to receive a kidney transplant that will not require her to take medication to prevent the organ being rejected, and that she is healthy and has returned to school.[670]
    • In his first statement since further allegations were made against him, Russell Brand posts a video on social media describing his week as "extraordinary and distressing".[671]
  • 23 September
    • The government's home energy efficiency taskforce is scrapped.[672]
    • Members of the anti-monarchist pressure group Republic stage what they describe as the "first-ever" protest inside Buckingham Palace.[673]
  • 24 September – Home Secretary Suella Braverman orders a review into armed policing, after 300 firearms officers hand in their weapons, following concerns over a police officer charged with murdering 24-year-old Chris Kaba.[674] Most of the officers return to their duties the following day.[675]
  • 25 September
    • A hearing at Manchester Crown Court determines that Lucy Letby will face a retrial for one of the six counts of attempted murder that the jury at her original trial was unable to reach a verdict on; a provisional trial date is set for 10 June 2024.[676]
    • The Metropolitan Police are to investigate allegations of non-recent sexual offences following recent reports about comedian Russell Brand.[677]
  • 26 September
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman tells a US think tank the 1951 Refugees Convention is no longer fit for the modern age, and that being discriminated against for being gay or female should not be enough to qualify for refugee status. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees rejects the comments.[678]
    • Dr Mike McKean, vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, says that public health messaging suggesting vaping is 95% safer than smoking is ineffective as a growing number of children are using e-cigarettes and experiencing health problems, and that messaging should have made it clearer that vaping should be for adults trying to give up smoking.[679]
    • Five Bulgarian nationals accused of being part of a Russian spy ring appear in court in central London and are remanded in custody.[680]
  • 27 September
    • A 15-year-old girl is stabbed to death outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, South London. Police subsequently arrest a male teenager over her murder.[681]
    • The Rosebank oil and gas field off Shetland, the UK's largest untapped oil field, is granted consent by regulators, amid widespread concerns over its contribution to climate change.[682]
    • GB News suspends Laurence Fox as a presenter while it investigates comments he made on the channel about Ava Evans, a female journalist.[683] Later in the day, Dan Wootton is suspended over the same incident.[684]
    • The UK's first drugs consumption room gets the go-ahead in Glasgow, allowing heroin and cocaine addicts to use the substances under supervision.[685]
    • A report by the Education Select Committee draws attention to the increased number of absences from schools in England, which has doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic; data for 2022–23 shows an average of 22.3% of school pupils were absent, compared to between 10% and 12% in the years prior to the pandemic. A combination of mental health issues and the cost of living crisis are attributed to the increase.[686]
  • 28 September
    • The 15-year-old girl murdered in Croydon, South London the previous day is named locally as Elianne Andam.[687] Police are given an extra 24 hours to question the 17-year-old suspect.[688]
    • The landmark Sycamore Gap Tree, beside Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, is illegally felled. A 16-year-old boy is subsequently arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.[689]
  • 29 September
    • A school bus carrying 58 people overturns between junction 4 and 5 of the M53 motorway, killing a 15-year-old girl and the driver. A major incident is declared by North West Ambulance Service and Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Dozens of others are treated for injuries, and several are hospitalised.[690][691][692]
    • A 17-year-old boy appears in court charged with the murder of Elianne Andam, and is remanded in youth detention to appear before the Old Bailey on 3 October.[693]
    • A second person – a man in his 60s – is arrested in correction with the cutting-down of the world-famous Sycamore Gap Tree. The 16-year-old boy arrested over the incident the previous day is released on bail.[694]
    • In an interview with The Sun, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reinforces his pro-motorist stance, saying he wants to stop "hare-brained" road calming and safety schemes – including 20 mph zones and low-traffic neighbourhoods – putting an end to what he refers to as a "war on motorists".[695]

October

[edit]
October 2023: The UK joins the international response to the Israel–Hamas War.
  • 8 October
    • Police patrols in London are increased after videos emerge of what appears to be people celebrating a series of attacks launched by Hamas against Israel.[712]
    • Nathanel Young, a 20-year-old British man serving in the Israeli army, is killed in an attack by Hamas militants.[713]
    • The Israeli Embassy in London confirms that British-born Jake Marlowe, who was working in Israel as a security guard, is missing following the previous day's attacks.[714]
    • The final Wilko stores close in the UK.[715]
  • 9 October
    • Sunak chairs an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the escalating situation in Israel, and pledges further support for the country.[716]
    • The number of dead or missing Britons caught up in the Israel-Gaza attacks rises to more than 10; Nathanel Young and Bernard Cowan are the only two confirmed to have been killed.[717]
    • Addressing the congregation of a London synagogue, Sunak says that Britain stands with Israel, and that he will "stop at nothing" to keep Britain's Jewish community safe.[718]
    • Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, condemns the attacks and expresses concern for his in-laws, who are "trapped" in Gaza after travelling there to visit relatives.[719]
  • 10 October
    • In his speech to the Labour Party Conference, Sir Keir Starmer promises NHS reform, more police officers on streets, and 1.5 million new homes.[720] The beginning of the speech is disrupted by a heckler on stage who throws black glitter over Starmer.[721]
    • After making contact with his parents-in-law in Gaza, Humza Yousaf calls for a humanitarian corridor to be established.[722]
    • The UK and Ireland are confirmed as joint hosts of Euro 2028.[723]
    • Research carried out by Kantar indicates that September's warm weather delayed the purchase of Christmas food items such as seasonal biscuits and puddings.[724]
    • The International Monetary Fund forecasts the UK will have the highest inflation and slowest economic growth of any G7 economy during 2024, something the UK government describes as "too gloomy".[725]
    • All flights from Luton Airport are halted while emergency services deal with a large fire at Terminal Car Park 2.[726]
  • 11 October
    • An official source tells BBC News that 17 Britons, including children, are feared dead or are missing in Israel following the Hamas attacks.[727]
    • A statement issued by Buckingham Palace says that King Charles III is "appalled" and condemns the "barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel" and that the King's "thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering, particularly those who have lost loved ones, but also those actively involved as we speak".[728]
    • British Airways and Virgin Atlantic suspend all flights to and from Israel amid safety concerns, with British Airways turning back one of its flights shortly before it was scheduled to land at Tel Aviv Airport.[729][730]
  • 12 October
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK economy grew by 0.2% in August after shrinking in July.[731]
    • Bernie Ecclestone pleads guilty to fraud after failing to declare more than £400m of overseas assets.[732]
    • The SNP's Lisa Cameron defects to the Conservatives, citing a "toxic" culture in her former party.[733]
    • The Foreign Office announces that the UK will arrange flights to help get stranded British nationals out of Israel.[734]
    • The recommended safe daily dose of cannabidiol (CBD) is lowered by the Food Standards Agency, following concerns that long-term use might cause liver and other health problems.[735]
    • Downing Street announces that the UK will send surveillance aircraft and two Royal Navy ships to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel.[736]
    • The Royal Mint unveils a new set of coins bearing the portrait of Charles III which will go into circulation at the end of the year.[737]
  • 13 October
  • 14 October
    • Sir Michael Caine announces his retirement from acting at the age of 90, following the recent launch of his final film, The Great Escaper.[742]
    • Pro-Palestinian protests take place in cities across the UK, including London and Manchester, with police warning that anyone showing support for Hamas faces arrest.[743]
    • Red paint is sprayed over the BBC headquarters in central London. A pro-Palestinian group claims responsibility, citing the broadcaster's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, but the Metropolitan police denies the incident is linked to a protest group and says no arrests have been made.[744]
    • Oxford's Joint European Torus nuclear fusion laboratory conducts its final experiments after 40 years in operation.[745]
  • 15 October
    • First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf signals a change in his party's Scottish independence strategy, now saying that an SNP win in a majority of Scotland's Westminster seats would give the party a mandate to begin independence negotiations with the Westminster Government.[746]
    • One person is killed and another is wounded in a stabbing attack in Hartlepool. The attack is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing. A suspect has been detained.[747]
  • 16–22 October – Storm Babet hits the UK, bringing disruption to much of the country. Red weather warnings are issued by the Met Office, as three deaths are reported, and power shortages affect tens of thousands in Scotland. The crew of a Danish fishing trawler are rescued by the RNLI in the North Sea.[748]
  • 16 October
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirms that six British citizens were killed during the Hamas attacks on Israel, while a further ten are missing.[749]
    • Two British teenage sisters, Noya and Yahel Sharabi, are among those missing, and believed to have been kidnapped, following the 7 October attacks on Israel. Their mother, Lianne, also a British citizen, was killed in the Be'eri massacre.[750][751] The following day the girls' family tells the BBC the Yahel was also murdered.[752] On 22 October the family release a statement to say Noya was also murdered.[753]
    • Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell is sacked following a row over a drawing he created of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was deemed to be antisemitic.[754]
    • Justice Secretary Alex Chalk announces that prisons in England and Wales will be allowed to release some minor offenders on probation early in order to alleviate overcrowding.[755]
  • 17 October
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates average wages increased by 7.8% in the three months July 2023, and consequently outpaced inflation for the first time since October 2021.[756]
    • Wales becomes the first country in the UK to ban the use of snares and glue boards for catching rats.[757]
  • 18 October
    • Amazon announce plans to begin using drones to deliver packages in the UK by the end of 2024.[758]
    • The High Court releases its ruling over the Carla Foster case, stating that sentencing women to prison for abortion related crimes is "unlikely" to be a "just outcome".[759]
  • 19 October
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak begins a two-day visit to Israel as part of diplomatic efforts to help prevent the Israel–Hamas war escalating into a wider Middle East conflict.[760] Following a meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunak says he will stand with Israel "in solidarity".[761]
    • British-Israeli Yonatan Rapoport is named as one of the people killed during the 7 October attack on Israel.[762]
    • Migrants are returned to the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge in Portland, Dorset, amid protests at the port gates.[763]
    • Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) vote to stage a further six months of strike action.[764]
  • 20 October
  • 21 October
    • A report prepared by the Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests more support is needed to prevent children under the age of five from going on to develop mental health problems in later life.[769]
    • A pro-Palestinian protest is held in London. Although the main event passes without incident, video subsequently emerges of a man chanting "jihad" at a separate rally, but the Metropolitan Police say no offence has been committed after reviewing the film. Following a discussion on the matter with the home secretary, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley says hate crime laws "probably need redrawing".[770]
    • 2023 Rugby World Cup: England are defeated by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-final.[771]
  • 23 October
  • 24 October
    • Office for National Statistics data shows that UK unemployment remained at 4.2% in the three months up to August 2023.[778]
    • A BBC investigation finds that UK authorities failed to act on multiple official warnings about an online forum promoting suicide connected to at least 50 UK deaths.[779]
    • Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick confirms that the UK government will stop using 50 hotels to accommodate asylum seekers by January 2024.[780] Local officials subsequently warn that local authorities may be forced to pay for use of the hotels instead.[781]
    • The Financial Conduct Authority confirms that the cap on bankers' bonuses, introduced in 2014, will be lifted from 31 October as part of post-Brexit financial reforms.[782]
    • 2023 North Sea incident: Two cargo ships, the British-flagged Verity and the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, collide in the North Sea near the Heligoland islands, with several individuals missing and the suspected sinking of the Verity.[783]
  • 25 October
    • Lloyds Banking Group releases forecasts for UK house prices, predicting they will shrink by 4.7% in 2023 and 2.4% in 2024, before beginning to rise again in 2025.[784]
    • Sunak tells Parliament he supports "specific pauses" in the Israel–Hamas conflict to allow the delivery of aid and get British citizens out of the area.[785]
    • Lewis Edwards, a former officer with South Wales Police who groomed 210 underage girls using social media and blackmailed them into sending him indecent photographs, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years.[786]
    • Three members of the Just Stop Oil protest group are arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after spraying the Wellington Arch in central London with orange paint.[787]
    • A police misconduct hearing finds that two Metropolitan Police officers who stopped and searched athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos in west London committed gross misconduct, and the officers are dismissed.[788]
  • 26 October – Sunak gives a speech warning of the dangers of artificial intelligence.[789]
  • 27 October
  • 28 October – £10 million worth of cocaine is found in a Panamanian-registered container ship carrying bananas to the Netherlands at the Port of Sheerness.[795][796]
  • 30 October
    • The UK government grants 27 new oil and gas licences for projects in the North Sea that will allow potential resources to be explored and developed.[797]
    • Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, echoes Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's call for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza conflict to allow aid in to the region. His comments come after 12 of his backbenchers in the Senedd signed a petition calling for a ceasefire.[798]
    • Joshua Bowles, a former GCHQ employee from Cheltenham, who stabbed a woman from the US in a March 2023 attack at a leisure centre car park in the town, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 13 years after pleading guilty to attempted murder at an Old Bailey hearing.[799]
    • The Met Office issues a warning for heavy rain and floods for parts of the UK ahead of the arrival of Storm Ciarán.[800]
    • A ban on the sale of some single use plastic items, such as cutlery, plates and drinking straws, comes into force in Wales.[801]
  • 31 October
    • Plans to close hundreds of rail ticket offices in England are scrapped. Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper says the government "has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals" because they "failed to meet high passenger standards". This follows a public consultation into the cost-cutting proposals, which attracted 750,000 responses, in which 99% were objections.[802][803]
    • Lee Cain, the former Downing Street Director of Communications, gives evidence at the second phase of the COVID-19 public inquiry. He states: "I don't think there was any clarity of purpose, any really serious outlined plan to deal with Covid at that particular point and I think that was the core failure," and says the pandemic was the "wrong crisis" for Boris Johnson's "skill set".[804]
    • The UK government confirms that American XL Bully dogs have been added to the banned list under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and that from 1 February 2024 it will become illegal to own one in England and Wales unless the owner has successfully applied for the dog to be exempt.[805]

November

[edit]
1 and 2 November 2023: amid an ongoing boom in artificial intelligence, the UK hosts the world's first international summit devoted to safely managing the technology.

December

[edit]
  • 1 December
  • 2 December
    • The Met Office issues additional weather warnings, as freezing temperatures continue to affect large areas of the UK.[904]
    • The Ministry of Defence confirms that a 32-year-old British soldier, named as Major Kevin McCool, has been killed while off duty in Kenya.[905]
  • 3 December – Temperatures drop even further, to as low as −12 °C (10.4 °F) in Scotland. A major incident is declared in Cumbria after heavy snowfall, with drivers stuck in traffic, one after a 19-hour journey, without food or water.[906]
  • 4 December
    • Home Secretary James Cleverly unveils the UK government's five-point plan aimed at reducing legal migration, which includes increasing the minimum salary threshold for a visa from £26,200 to £38,700, and reducing the number of dependants social care workers can bring.[907]
    • MPs vote 246–242 in favour of an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill requiring the UK government to accelerate plans to establish a body to compensate victims of the NHS infected blood scandal, defeating the government which had not planned to include the measure in the legislation.[908]
  • 5 December
    • Junior doctors in England will stage further strike action after rejecting the latest pay offer, the British Medical Association confirms, with a three-day strike scheduled to begin on 20 December and a six-day strike scheduled to begin on 3 January 2024.[909]
    • The Scottish Prison Service issues new guidelines on transgender prisoners. Trans women who have hurt or threatened women or girls will not be sent to a female prison unless there are "exceptional" circumstances.[910]
    • Jesse Darling is announced as the winner of the 2023 Turner Prize.[911]
  • 6 December
    • Boris Johnson, who served as prime minister from 2019 to 2022, appears before the COVID-19 inquiry and is questioned by Hugo Keith, counsel to the inquiry. He apologises for the "pain and the loss and the suffering" people experienced during the pandemic. His comments are interrupted by protesters, who are ordered to leave the inquiry room.[912]
    • Robert Jenrick resigns as immigration minister after the government publishes an emergency Rwanda bill.[913]
  • 7 December
    • Figures released by Halifax Bank indicate house prices in the UK rose by 0.5% in November 2023.[914]
    • Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer confirms the TV licence fee will increase by £10.50 from £159 to £169.50 from 1 April 2024.[915]
    • Serial killer Steve Wright is arrested for the September 1999 murder of Victoria Hall.[916]
  • 8 December
  • 9 December
  • 10 December
    • Lawyers on the right of the Conservative Party describe the new Rwanda legislation as not "sufficiently watertight".[927]
    • In his first broadcast since leaving the post of Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick tells the BBC Sunak's draft Rwanda law unlikely to work since it is "weak" and will become "bogged down" in legal challenges.[928]
    • The skull of a pliosaur is discovered off the coast of Dorset. The 2 m (6 ft 7 in) fossil is said to have roamed the waters 150 million years ago. A David Attenborough documentary is scheduled to air on BBC One on New Year's Day revealing the "risky mission" of unearthing the "T-Rex of the seas".[929][930]
  • 11 December
    • The National Crime Agency (NCA) suggests that street drugs stronger than heroin are linked to the deaths of at least 54 people in the past six months, with 40 more cases awaiting further testing.[931][932]
    • The UK government is offering a £2.5bn financial package for the return of a Stormont Executive, which includes funds to settle public sector disputes and for public services.[933]
  • 12 December
  • 13 December
  • 14 December
  • 15 December
    • The High Court rules that Prince Harry was the victim of phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers and awards him £140,600 in damages. Separately, the judge rules that Piers Morgan knew about phone hacking – and was involved – while editor of the Daily Mirror.[943][944]
    • Muslim convert Edward Little, who planned to kill a Christian preacher at Speaker's Corner in London's Hyde Park, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years following a trial at the Old Bailey.[945]
    • Network Rail regional manager Michelle Handforth resigns from her post following a power outage at Ladbroke Grove earlier in the month which left hundreds of train passengers stranded for several hours.[946]
  • 16 December
    • Sunak travels to Italy to attend a right-wing rally in Rome, where he discusses his immigration policy and calls for changes to global refugee rules.[947]
    • Defence Secretary Grant Shapps confirms that the British destroyer HMS Diamond has shot down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, the first time the Royal Navy has shot down an aerial object in anger since 1991.[948]
    • Greater Manchester Police confirm that teenager Alex Batty has returned to the UK.[949]
  • 17 December
  • 18 December
  • 19 December
    • The UK government publishes new guidelines advising schools in England on how to deal with pupils who wish to change their gender, be known under a different name or wear a different uniform, urging schools to "take a very cautious approach" and to inform parents of any gender related issues.[958]
    • DNA profiling of a 2,000-year-old skeleton unearthed in Cambridgeshire provides evidence that a nomadic race of people from Southern Russia, known as Sarmatians, travelled to Britain during the Roman era.[959]
    • Independent and former Conservative MP Peter Bone loses his seat following a recall petition, triggering a by-election in Wellingborough.[960]
    • The British Museum signs a £50m deal with BP to help it fund a major renovation project.[961]
  • 20 December
    • Data from the Office for National Statistics shows UK inflation fell to 3.9% in November 2023, the lowest for more than two years, down from 4.6% the previous month. The fall, which is sharper than expected, is largely attributed to fuel and food costs declining and household goods prices 'slowing'. The Bank of England's target for inflation is 2%.[962]
    • Tánaiste Micheál Martin announces Irish government plans to "initiate an inter-State case against the United Kingdom under the European Convention on Human Rights" over provisions in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 which offers immunity from prosecution for certain Troubles-era related offences.[963]
    • Junior doctors in England begin another three-day strike over their long-running pay dispute.[964]
    • A number of ballet dancers are reported to have come forward to make claims about incidents of "body shaming" at UK ballet schools following a BBC investigation into the subject earlier in the year.[965]
    • COVID-19 in the UK: JN.1 is reported as a new variant of interest, following a recent, rapid rise in COVID-19 cases.[966]
    • A teenage boy and girl who shared an obsession with violence and torture are convicted of the murder of Brianna Ghey.[967]
    • Lawrence Bierton is sentenced to a whole life order for the murder of his neighbour, 73-year-old Pauline Quinn, who he battered to death with a coffee table while out on parole following his conviction for two previous murders in 1996.[968]
    • The Scottish Government confirms it will abandon its legal challenge against the UK government's veto of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.[969]
    • Eight-year-old girl, Bodhana Sivanandan from Harrow, London is crowned best female player at the European blitz chess championships in Zagreb, Croatia.[970][971]
    • The three men convicted of attempted murder for shooting two children on 14 December are jailed for 23 years.[972][973]
  • 21 December
    • Figures show that UK government borrowing fell in November to £14.3bn, which was above forecasts of £13bn.[974]
    • Mrs Justice Yip, who presided over the trial of the two teenagers who killed Brianna Ghey, confirms she will lift the anonymity order protecting their identities when they are sentenced in February 2024.[975]
    • Following a three-week trial at the Old Bailey, Joshua Jacques is found guilty of the April 2022 murder of his girlfriend, Samantha Drummonds, and three members of her family in Bermondsey, south London.[976]
    • Eurostar is forced to cancel a number of services following a last-minute strike by staff at the Channel Tunnel operator, Getlink. Eurostar urges its customers not to travel as a result of the strike.[977]
    • A woman is arrested on suspicion of murder after a four-year-old boy dies from knife injuries in Hackney, east London.[978]
    • A yellow weather warning is in place as the UK is hit by high winds as a result of Storm Pia.[979]
  • 22 December
    • Revised figures show that UK GDP contracted by 0.1% between July and October 2023, having previously shown zero growth for the period, and presenting the risk of a recession.[980]
    • Greater Manchester Police announce they have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged child abduction of teenager Alex Batty.[981]
    • Following his conviction at Birmingham Crown Court in September, student Mohamad Al Bared, of Coventry, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years for building a drone that was intended for use in a chemical weapons attack on behalf of Islamic State.[982]
    • A "stop" traffic sign with three 3D military drones painted on by Banksy is unveiled. The artwork has an anti-war theme believed to be relating to the Israel-Hamas war. However, it is stolen one hour after its unveiling in Peckham, London.[983][984]
  • 23 December
    • The Metropolitan Police launches an investigation after a street sign in Peckham, London featuring the work of Banksy is stolen.[985] A man is arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage during the first day of investigation.[986]
    • An increase in environmental activists being referred to the Prevent terrorism programme is reported, following the recent rise in disruptive climate protests.[987]
  • 24 December
  • 25 December
    • The Met Office provisionally confirms the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day on record, at 12.4 °C (54.3 °F). However, a white Christmas is recorded in the Scottish Highlands, with snow falling in Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore.[995]
    • Police are investigating a fire at the constituency office of Mike Freer, the MP for North Finchley and Golders Green, which broke out on Christmas Eve.[996]
    • The Food Standards Agency has issued recall notices for five brands of cheese amid concerns they could contain the E.coli bug.[997]
    • King Charles III delivers his second Christmas message in which he emphasises the "universal" values shared between different religions at a time of "increasingly tragic conflict around the world".[998]
  • 26 December
    • Analysts predict that property prices will fall in 2024 but that the cost of rents will rise.[999]
    • A major study published by the Jama Network indicates that a deficiency in Vitamin D, depression and diabetes are major contributing factors to early onset dementia.[1000]
    • A yellow weather warning is issued for heavy rain and high winds ahead of the arrival of Storm Gerrit, expected to cause disruption the following day.[1001]
  • 27 December
    • The UK government announces that pint-sized bottles of still and sparkling wine will appear on the shelves of British supermarkets.[1002]
    • Storm Gerrit: A major incident is declared after a tornado rips through parts of Greater Manchester, knocking down trees and causing significant damage to properties. No injuries are reported.[1003]
  • 28 December
  • 29 December
  • 30 December
  • 31 December
    • American XL bully dogs are added to the list of banned species under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England and Wales, requiring them to be on a lead and muzzled in public. It is also illegal to breed, sell or abandon the dogs.[1015]
    • Eurostar resumes services to and from London St Pancras following the previous day's disruption.[1016]
    • Two people killed in an avalanche at the French ski resort of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains on 28 December are named as British mother and son Kate and Archie Vokes.[1017]

Deaths

[edit]
Main articles: Deaths in 2023 and 2023 deaths in the United Kingdom
Further information: Category:2023 deaths

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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