2026 in the United Kingdom

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Events from the year 2026 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Charles III
• Prime Minister – Keir Starmer (Labour)

Events

January

• 1 January
  • Scotland's "Not Proven" verdict is abolished in all new trials.
  • Figures indicate that 41,472 migrants crossed the English Channel during 2025, almost 5,000 more than 2024, and the highest annual number since 2022.
• 2 January
  • The FTSE 100 rises above 10,000 points for the first time in its history.
  • The MMRV vaccine, designed to protect children against measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), and varicella (chickenpox), is made available on the NHS throughout the UK.
  • An amber weather alert for snow, which came into force for Scotland from midday, is extended until Monday 5 January, while there are yellow warnings for snow and ice for parts of England and Wales.
  • BBC News analysis indicates that a record amount of electricity was produced through renewable energy during 2025, with wind being the most prolific.
• 3 January
  • Luke Littler wins the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship, his second consecutive PDC World Darts Championship victory, after defeating Gian van Veen 7-1.
  • The Ministry of Defence announces that RAF Typhoon jets took part in a joint airstrike with France on a suspected underground arms cache in Syria that was previously used by ISIS.
• 4 January – The Met Office issues fresh warnings for snow and ice across the UK on Monday 5 January as people return to work and school following the Christmas break. An amber weather alert for fresh snow is also issued for northern Scotland.
• 5 January
  • New powers come into force allowing mobile phones belonging to migrants to be seized without their arrest.
  • A ban on junk food advertising comes into effect, as part of a drive to tackle childhood obesity. This affects TV adverts shown before 9pm and online adverts at any time.
• 6 January
  • The UK experiences its coldest night of the winter so far, with temperatures reaching as low as −12.5 °C (9.5 °F) in Marham, Norfolk. Snow and ice warnings continue to affect much of the country, closing more than 1,000 schools and causing widespread travel disruption.
  • The Met Office issues a fresh yellow warning for ice and snow for much of the UK ahead of the arrival of Storm Goretti. Snow is forecast for the UK for the 6 and 7 January, and for England and Wales for the 8 and 9 January.
  • Technology Secretary Liz Kendall demands that social media company X deals with deepfake nudes generated by its Grok AI model, and says that Ofcom is now "looking into this as a matter of urgency."
  • Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announces that the UK and France have signed a declaration of intent to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if a peace agreement is signed with Russia.
• 7 January
  • The Ministry of Defence confirms that British armed forces supported the US seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic.
  • The UK government proposes that learner drivers wait six months between taking their theory test and their practical test as part of plans to improve road safety.
• 8 January
  • A red "danger to life" wind warning is issued by the Met Office for south-west England as Storm Goretti heads towards the UK, with gusts expected to surpass 100 mph in some areas.
  • Tougher rules for people applying to come to the UK on skilled worker or scale-up visas begin.
  • The UK government announces it will make changes to plans to increase business rates for pubs.
  • A review finds that two serial rapists were among 131 Metropolitan Police officers and staff who committed crimes or misconduct after they were not properly vetted.
• 9 January
  • Storm Goretti brings heavy snow, ice and high winds to the UK, with further cold weather forecast. A yellow weather warning for ice is in force for much of the UK for Saturday 10 January, and a yellow warning for northern England and Scotland for Sunday 11 January.
  • Defence Secretary John Healey tells reporters that British bases, personnel or equipment will not be used to support US military action against Greenland, following recent remarks by Donald Trump about the need to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
• 10 January
  • Non-league football team Macclesfield F.C. defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 in the FA Cup third round, technically the biggest upset in the competition's history, with 177 league places separating both teams.
  • Two people are arrested following protests outside the Iranian embassy in London during which a demonstrator climbs on to a balcony of the building.
  • Weather warnings for snow, rain and wind are in place for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England until Monday 12 January, before milder weather is forecast to end the cold snap.
• 11 January
  • Four people are killed and five others injured in a head-on car crash on Wigan Road, Bolton, Greater Manchester.
  • BBC News reports that the UK government has paid "substantial" compensation to Abu Zubaydah, who was tortured by the CIA and remains imprisoned without trial at Guantanamo Bay after almost 20 years.
  • BBC News reports that the UK government has identified a legal basis by which ships belonging to "shadow fleets" can be boarded and detained if they enter UK territorial waters.
  • The UK government releases a pothole map showing which local authorities have been fixed with a new traffic light rating system.
• 12 January
  • A major incident is declared as tens of thousands of people across Kent and Sussex remain without water, have low pressure or intermittent supplies, caused by recent cold weather and a subsequent breakout of leaks and bursts.
  • Ofcom launches an investigation into X amid concerns that its Grok AI tool is being used to create sexualised images.
  • Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announces that the UK government will enforce legislation in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (passed in June 2025) making it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images, and make it illegal for companies to supply the tools to create such images.
  • A shortfall in UK defence spending prompts Sir Richard Knighton, the Head of the Armed Forces, to warn that the UK is "not as ready as we need to be for the kind of full-scale conflict we might face".
  • Former Conservative Party Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform UK.
• 13 January
  • Wing Commander Sasha Nash is appointed to lead the Red Arrows, succeeding Wing Commander Adam Collins, and becoming the first woman to take on the role.
  • The UK government drops plans to require people to sign up to their digital ID card scheme in order to prove their eligibility to work in the UK.
  • The UK government outlines its plans for investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail.
• 14 January
  • Following his conviction on 5 September, actor John Alford is sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting two girls aged 14 and 15.
  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she has lost confidence in West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford after Israeli football supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from a match against Aston Villa after police overstated the threat posed to Israeli fans. Mahmood says that she will reinstate legislative powers allowing chief constables to be dismissed by the Home Secretary.
  • Ofwat is to review the operating licence for South East Water following disruption to water supplies in Sussex and Kent.
  • Fast food outlet TGI Fridays closes 16 of its UK restaurants with the loss of 456 jobs.
• 15 January
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates the UK economy grew by 0.3% in November, faster than had been forecast, largely as a result of good performance in the automotive and service sectors.
  • Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick is sacked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for "plotting to defect". He is later unveiled as Reform UK's latest Member of Parliament.
  • Downing Street announces it no longer has confidence in West Midlands Police chief constable Craig Guildford.
  • Ofwat launches its investigation into South East Water.
  • The Princess of Wales hosts the England women's national rugby union team at Windsor Castle to celebrate their 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup victory.
• 16 January
  • Hutchison and others v County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust, an employment tribunal case between a group of eight female nurses and the NHS Trust, rules that the NHS trust had harassed and discriminated against eight nurses by requiring them to share a changing room with a transgender women and by not taking the nurses concerns seriously.
  • Following his conviction on 12 December, Robert Rhodes is sentenced to at least 29 years and six months in prison for murdering his wife, after new evidence disclosed by their child led to a second trial.
  • Craig Guildford announces his retirement from the role of chief constable of West Midlands Police.
• 17 January
  • US President Trump announces that the UK, along with other European countries, will be hit with a 10% tariff on "all or any goods" exported to the US from 1 February, amid an ongoing dispute over the annexation of Greenland. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer describes the threat as "completely wrong".
  • Justice Secretary David Lammy blocks plans to move Jake Fahri, convicted of the murder of Jimmy Mizen in 2008, to an open prison.
• 18 January
  • The UK government withdraws an amendment to its Hillsborough Bill that would require MI5 and MI6 employees to only give evidence at the discretion of their boss.
  • South East Water apologises as 4,000 homes in Kent experience problems with their water supply.
• 19 January
  • During a speech about the Greenland crisis, Starmer says a trade war is "in no-one's interest" and that the "right approach" is "through calm discussion".
  • The Criminal Cases Review Commission confirms it is holding a review into the conviction of Michael Stone for the 1996 murders of Lin and Megan Russell following an application from his legal team.
  • The Independent Office for Police Conduct launches an investigation into West Midlands Police's decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from an away match in Birmingham in November 2025.
  • The UK government is to launch a consultation on a potential social media ban for children under the age of 16.
  • Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds announces an overhaul of the water industry, including unannounced inspections, compulsory water efficiency labels and MOT-style checks on companies.
• 20 January
  • Plans for a controversial new Chinese "mega-embassy" in London are approved by the UK government, amid ongoing debate over the security risks. Downing Street hopes that the 20,000 square metre complex, set to become the largest embassy in Europe if built, will pave the way for trade deals with China.
  • The UK government announces its £15bn Warm Homes Plan, which will make households eligible for grants to install solar panels and other green energy saving technology in order to reduce household bills.
  • The Crown Prosecution Service announces that Lucy Letby will not face any further charges over baby deaths and collapses.
• 21 January
  • Inflation rose from 3.2% in November to 3.4% in December, the ONS reports, driven by higher air fares, tobacco, and food prices.
  • The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards rules that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage breached MPs' rules 17 times by failing to register financial interests totalling £384,000 within the 28-day limit, but concludes that the breaches were "inadvertent" and do not require sanctions.
  • Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she "would never rule anything out" when asked if the UK would impose retaliatory tariffs on the US.
  • Data from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency indicates that instances of driving test cheating in England, Scotland and Wales rose by 50% during 2025, with bluetooth and imposters two common ways of cheating.
• 22 January
  • Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says that the UK is holding off joining Donald Trump's Board of Peace amid concerns about Vladimir Putin's involvement.
  • Storm Ingrid: Severe weather warnings are issued for heavy rain in large parts of the UK.
• 23 January – MPs from both sides of the House condemn remarks by US President Trump downplaying the involvement of NATO in the Afghanistan War, during which 457 British service personnel lost their lives.
• 24 January
  • Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, announces he is seeking permission to represent the Labour Party at the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
  • Storm Ingrid causes overnight damage in Devon and Cornwall, with the partial collapse of a sea wall protecting railway lines at Dawlish, and damage to Teignmouth Grand Pier.
  • NHS England announces plans for a database of cancer genes that would allow people to check their potential risk against developing certain types of cancer.
• 25 January
  • Andy Burnham is blocked by Labour's National Executive Committee from standing as a candidate in the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
  • Storm Ingrid: A clean up operation begins following damage caused by the storm in Devon and Cornwall, with a limited service on the Great Western Main Line following the collapse of a sea wall at Dawlish.
  • A group of 86 protesters demonstrating in support of a Palestine Action prisoner on hunger strike are arrested after breaching the grounds of HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
• 26 January
  • UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband signs the Hamburg Declaration, a joint effort by 10 European nations to establish 100 GW of offshore wind power in the North Sea.
  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announces plans to restructure policing in England and Wales, with the creation of a National Police Service for the most complex crimes, and a reduction in the number of local police forces by two thirds from the current 43.
  • Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman becomes the latest Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK.
  • The Met Office issues a severe weather warning for wind and rain ahead of the arrival of Storm Chandra, the third major storm to make landfall in the UK during January.
  • The World Health Organization removes the UK's measles elimination status, based on 3,600 suspected cases of the illness reported in 2024.
  • Revel Collective, owners of Revolucion de Cuba and Peach Pubs, is to go into administration, with 2,200 jobs at risk.
  • A study by the Centre for Social Justice suggests there are 700,000 UK university graduates out of work and claiming benefits.
• 27 January
  • Storm Chandra hits the UK, bringing heavy rain and strong winds. Weather warnings and flood alerts are in place for many areas, causing travel disruption and closing hundreds of schools.
  • A plan to cap ground rents at £250 a year in England and Wales is announced, along with proposals to ban the sale of new leasehold flats and give homeowners greater control over how their buildings are managed.
  • 50 Labour MPs have signed a letter objecting to the decision to block Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing in a forthcoming parliamentary by-election.
  • Carol Kirkwood announces that she will step down as BBC Weather presenter after 28 years.
  • US Coast Guards abduct the captain and first officer of a Russian-flagged oil tanker and remove them from UK territory. The US force sailed the vessel, the Marinera, into UK waters after seizing it south of Iceland on 7 January.
• 28 January
  • Starmer travels to China for talks with Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Li Qiang and Zhao Leji. The three-day trip, which includes around 60 British business and cultural leaders, is the first time a UK prime minister has visited the country since 2018.
  • Sarah Mullally is installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral.
• 29 January
  • The ONS reports that homicides in England and Wales have reached their lowest level in almost 50 years, largely due to a 23% drop in knife murders.
  • Downing Street announces that China has agreed to relax travel restrictions for UK citizens, allowing them to visit the country for up to 30 days without a visa.
  • A Great Ormond Street Hospital review into limb reconstruction surgeon Yaser Jabbar finds that more than 100 children were harmed as a result of operations performed by him.
  • The UK government rejects a compensation claim by the group Women Against State Pension Inequality for those affected by the raising of the state pension age during the 2010s.
  • The UK government announces the continuation of the Warm Home Discount for a further five years, giving around six million low-income households a £150 discount on their annual energy bills.
• 30 January
  • Asylum seeker Deng Majek is sentenced to a minimum term of 29 years in prison for stabbing to death Rhiannon Whyte, a hotel worker in Walsall.
  • Train services on the West Coast Main Line face major disruption following a large fire at a commercial property in Chalk Farm, London.
  • Seven new shops selling Labubu dolls will open in the UK following Starmer's trip to China.
• 31 January
  • The Epstein files:
    • Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appears in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice. Photographs appear to show him kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground.
    • A second woman alleges that she was sent to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor.
    • The files also reveal that Epstein sent £10,000 to Peter Mandelson's partner in 2009.

February

• 1 February
  • Peter Mandelson resigns his membership of the Labour Party saying he does not want to "cause further embarrassment" after documents released as part of the Epstein files suggest Jeffrey Epstein paid him $75,000 over three separate payments during 2003 and 2004.
  • Train operator West Midlands Trains is taken into public ownership as part of DFT Operators Ltd.
• 2 February
  • The Epstein files:
    • Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch calls for a "full Cabinet Office investigation" into whether Mandelson and his husband accepted money from Epstein during his time as a minister, while Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says Mandelson should be stripped of his peerage.
    • The SNP and Reform UK report Peter Mandelson to the Metropolitan Police after emails suggest he forwarded internal government information to Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary in 2009.
  • Former Labour MP Dan Norris, 66, is arrested for a second time on suspicion of a string of sexual offences between the 2000s and 2020s.
  • During a hearing at the Old Bailey, serial killer Steve Wright pleads guilty to the September 1999 murder of Victoria Hall, as well as the attempted kidnap of another woman.
  • Data released by the Met Office confirms that January 2026 has been the wettest for a number of years for many parts of the UK.
  • Adult website Pornhub will restrict access to its content from the UK.
• 3 February
  • The Epstein files:
    • A police investigation is launched into whether Peter Mandelson committed misconduct in office over allegations he leaked government information to Jeffrey Epstein.
    • Mandelson resigns from the House of Lords following the allegations.
    • Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moves out of Royal Lodge at Windsor to relocate to the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
    • Sarah's Trust, a charity founded by Sarah Ferguson, announces its closure "for the foreseeable future" following fresh details of her friendship with Epstein.
  • Two men are killed after a light plane crashes near Manchester.
  • The UK government publishes its ten year cancer strategy for England, which aims to ensure that three quarters of cancer patients are surviving for at least five years by 2035.
• 4 February
  • MPs approve the release of government documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as the British Ambassador to the United States.
  • An 18-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder after a student from De Montfort University is stabbed to death in Leicester city centre.
  • Five Palestine Action members are cleared of aggravated burglary after breaching the premises of an Israeli defence company based in Bristol, and are released on bail ahead of a potential retrial for other charges which the jury failed to reach verdicts on.
  • A ban on asylum seekers using taxis to travel to and from medical appointments comes into force.
• 5 February
  • The Bank of England holds interest rates unchanged at 3.75%.
  • 2025 North Sea ship collision: At the Old Bailey, 59-year-old Vladimir Motin, captain of the container ship MV Solong, is sentenced to six years in prison for gross negligence manslaughter that left 38-year-old Mark Angelo Pernia missing presumed dead.
  • During a speech in East Sussex, Keir Starmer apologises to Epstein victims for appointing Peter Mandelson and "believing his lies".
  • 2021 English Channel disaster: An inquiry into the deaths of at least 30 people who drowned while attempting to cross the English Channel in 2021 is concluded. It reports a "significant, systemic failure on the part of government" and highlights three fatal errors – people smugglers overloading the boats, the slow response of a French Naval vessel, and flaws in the Coastguard's search and rescue operations – finding that several of the casualties were preventable. Inquiry chair Sir Ross Cranston points to chronic staff shortages and limited capacity of HM Coastguard in Dover.
  • The King grants Scotland a one-off extra Bank Holiday for Monday 15 June to coincide with Scotland's first FIFA World Cup match since 1998, which takes place the day before.
  • The Met Office confirms that rain has fallen on every day of 2026 so far in South West England and South Wales, with both areas receiving 50% more rainfall than usual.
• 6 February
  • Building society Halifax reports that in January, the average price of a house in the UK exceeded £300,000 for the first time.
  • More than 70 flood warnings remain in place across the UK, following prolonged and record-breaking rainfall.
  • Steven Wright, already serving a whole-life sentence for the Ipswich serial murders, is given a further 40-year prison term for the murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall in 1999.
  • The Metropolitan Police confirm that two properties linked to Peter Mandelson have been searched following allegations of misconduct in public office.
  • Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, chief executive of Global Counsel, a company co-founded by Peter Mandelson, announces his resignation following revelations about the firm's potential links with Jeffrey Epstein.
• 7 February
  • The Foreign and Commonwealth Office announces a review into a pay-off given to Peter Mandelson after he was dismissed as the UK's ambassador to the United States.
  • Brioche Pasquier issues a recall of some packets of chocolate and hazelnut-filled brioches amid concerns they may contain small pieces of plastic that could pose a choking hazard.
• 8 February
  • Morgan McSweeney resigns as Downing Street Chief of Staff over his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the United States.
  • Documents released as part of the Epstein files suggest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein during his role as trade envoy during 2010 and 2011.
  • The Met Office confirms there are 88 flood warnings and 223 flood alerts in place in England as the rainfall continues.
• 9 February
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales issue their first statement on the Epstein files, saying they are "deeply concerned" by the revelations.
  • Downing Street Director of Communications, Tim Allan, resigns amid fallout from the Epstein files release.
• 10 February – The Met Office issues further yellow warnings for heavy rain for parts of the UK on Wednesday 11 February, while the Environment Agency has 97 flood warnings and 153 flood alerts in place.
• 11 February
  • Lloyds Banking Group announces plans for the closure of a further 95 branches.
  • The manufacturers of plant-based drink Oatly lose a long-running legal dispute with Dairy UK, the body representing UK dairy farmers, over the use of the word "milk" in the product, with the Supreme Court ruling that it cannot use the description.
• 12 February
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates the UK economy grew by 0.1% in the final three months of 2025.
  • Vincent Chan is sentenced to 18 years in prison after admitting to 56 sexual offences, including the abuse of children at a nursery in north-west London. Parents tell the BBC they felt "ignored" after warning childcare bosses about Chan months before his arrest.
  • The General Synod of the Church of England formally abandons proposals for same-sex blessings amid concerns they would create legal and theological issues.
  • The UK government announces that NHS staff in England and Wales will receive a 3.3% pay increase in the next financial year.
  • Merlin Entertainment reverses its plans to exclude people with autism, ADHD and anxiety from the disability queueing policy at its theme parks following criticism from those who would be affected.
• 13 February
  • At a hearing at Preston Crown Court, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein, who plotted an ISIS-style terror attack against the Jewish community in Manchester, are sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 37 and 26 years respectively.
  • The High Court rules that the Home Office acted unlawfully by proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group, but the group remains illegal while the Home Office appeals the decision.
  • 2026 Winter Olympics: Matt Weston secures Team GB's first medal of the games after winning gold in the skeleton.
  • Yellow weather warnings are issued for northern Scotland and north east England as overnight temperatures are forecast to drop, bringing the UK a widespread frost following several weeks of wet weather.
  • Rupert Lowe, a former MP for Reform UK, launches a new political party called Restore Britain.
• 14 February
  • Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Starmer announces that the UK will deploy a fleet of warships and fighter jets to the Arctic. He adds that the UK needs "deeper links" with the EU.
  • Richard Moth is installed as the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, becoming the 12th Archbishop of Westminster.
  • Bosses at Scottish brewer Brewdog call in financial experts to look for new investment.
  • The UK experiences a largely sunny day following several weeks of rain, but snow and ice are forecast overnight, with more rain on 15 February.
• 15 February
  • 2026 Winter Olympics:
    • Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale win the snowboard cross mixed team event to secure Team GB's second gold medal of the Olympics.
    • Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker win gold in the mixed team skeleton.
  • The Met Office issues overnight warnings for snow and ice for northern England and eastern Scotland.
• 16 February
  • The UK government abandons plans to delay local elections in 30 local authorities following legal advice, and ahead of a proposed legal challenge to the delays.
  • Two teenagers who lured a man they suspected of being a paedophile to a beach on the Isle of Sheppey in August 2025, where they killed him with rocks, are convicted of manslaughter. A third teenager who took part in the killing had earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
  • Documents filed with Companies House indicate that six companies linked to Sarah Ferguson are being wound down.
  • Fresh yellow weather warnings are issued for snow and ice for Scotland and northern and eastern England, covering Monday 16 February and Tuesday 17 February.
  • 36 universities are facing a legal case from 170,000 present and former students that they did not receive the full education they paid for during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 17 February
  • The Office for National Statistics data indicates UK unemployment was at 5.2% in December 2025, its highest figure for five years, and up from the November figure of 5.1%. Unemployment among those aged 16 to 24 was at 16.1%, its highest figure for ten years.
  • The UK Health Security Agency issues a yellow health warning for most of England as temperatures drop, and ahead of the start of a yellow warning for snow and ice that is in force until Wednesday 18 February.
  • UK and Canadian nationals will be able to travel to mainland China for up to 30 days without a visa.
• 18 February
  • UK inflation fell to 3% in January, down from 3.4% in December, largely driven by lower fuel and food prices, as well as airfares.
  • The Met Office and Environment Agency issue a joint statement warning that the wet weather is forecast to continue for another month, and urging homeowners in some parts of the UK to be vigilant of potential floods.
• 19 February
  • 2026 Iran war: Starmer refuses a request from the US for permission to use UK bases for operations against Iran.
  • Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by the former prince with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with police officers carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. He is the first senior royal to be arrested in centuries.
  • Starmer appoints Dame Antonia Romeo as the new Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, the first woman to hold the post in the role's 110-year history.

19 February: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested.

• 20 February
  • The UK government reports a surplus of £30.4bn in January, the highest monthly figure since records began.
  • The UK government confirms it is considering introducing legislation to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession.
  • The UK is to develop air defence weapons alongside France, Germany, Italy and Poland.
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury suspends Bishop of Lincoln the Right Reverend Stephen Conway from ministry while a safeguarding investigation is carried out. Conway is also arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.
  • Global Counsel, the company co-founded by Peter Mandelson, goes into administration.
  • A judge in the British Indian Ocean Territory issues a seven-day injunction temporarily blocking the deportation of four Chagossian men who had travelled to the Chagos Archipelago to protest the government’s proposed transfer of sovereignty to Mauritius.
• 23 February
  • Lord Mandelson is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following an investigation over allegations he shared market-sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein while a government minister.
  • The UK government announces an overhaul of provisions for children with special educational needs and disabilities in England, with education, health and care plans restricted to children with the most complex special educational needs from 2035.
• 24 February
  • Parliament backs a motion proposed by the Liberal Democrats to release documents relating to the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a trade envoy.
  • Mandelson says he was arrested following "baseless" information passed to the police that he was about to permanently leave the UK for the British Virgin Islands.
• 25 February
  • Ofgem announces a 7% reduction in the energy price cap from 1 April.
  • Deividas Skebas, who is being treated for schizophrenia, is given a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years for the murder of Lilia Valutyte, a nine-year-old girl he stabbed to death in Boston, Lincolnshire. The Secretary of State will decide whether he serves his sentence in prison or is sent to Rampton Hospital, a high security psychiatric hospital in Nottinghamshire.
  • Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirms he passed on information to the police suggesting Peter Mandelson was a flight risk prior to Mandelson's arrest. The Metropolitan Police subsequently apologises for "inadvertently revealing information" relating to the case.
  • The UK records its highest temperature of the year so far, with 18.7°C provisionally recorded at Kew Gardens.
• 26 February
  • The UK's first geothermal power plant becomes operational in Cornwall, supplying electricity for 10,000 homes. The project will also provide the UK's first domestic supply of lithium.
  • Soham murderer Ian Huntley sustains seriously head injured after being attacked by another inmate in a workshop at HMP Frankland.
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates that 957,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in employment, education or training in the three months to December 2025.
  • The Ministry of Defence launches an investigation into whether Jeffrey Epstein used RAF bases when he travelled to the UK.
  • The UK is to let Spanish border guards check arrivals into Gibraltar under a deal with the European Union to create an open land border between Spain and Gibraltar.
  • Home Office figures indicate UK a 4% fall in asylum applications to the UK in 2025, but a 13% increase in people arriving via the English Channel.
  • The Green Party wins the Gorton and Denton by-election, their first-ever Westminster by-election win. Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, becomes the new MP for the Greater Manchester constituency, with Reform in second place and Labour pushed into third.
• 27 February
  • A member of Palestine Action is arrested after the Statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is vandalised with graffiti.
  • The Court of Appeal dismisses a case brought by a number of private schools against the UK government's decision to remove VAT exemption from fees paid to them.
• 28 February
  • 2026 Iran war:
    • British Airways cancels flights to and from Tel Aviv and Bahrain until 3 March.
    • The Foreign Office issues a warning to British nationals in various Gulf countries to seek shelter and stay indoors.
    • Prime Minister Keir Starmer chairs a COBRA meeting over the US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.
  • Labour MP Josh Simons resigns as Cabinet Office minister, following allegations that his former think tank investigated the background of journalists.
  • The 2026 Brit Awards are held at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, the first time in the ceremony's history that it has been held outside London.

March

• 1 March – 2026 Iran war: Keir Starmer announces that the UK has agreed to a US request to use British military bases for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites.
• 3 March
  • 2026 Iran war:
    • The UK government is to charter a flight to evacuate British nationals from the Middle East "in the coming days."
    • The UK government announces that HMS Dragon will be deployed to the Mediterranean to help increase security around RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
    • US President Donald Trump says he is "not happy with the UK" over Starmer's refusal to allow the US to use UK air bases for its airstrikes on Iran, adding that Starmer is "no Winston Churchill".
  • Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers the spring statement to the House of Commons.
• 4 March
  • The UK government announces it is to stop issuing study visas to people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan from later in March. Skilled work visas from Afghanistan are also to stop.
  • Three people, including the husband of Labour MP Joani Reid, are arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
  • Debut novelist Claire Lynch wins the gold prize at the Nero Book Awards for A Family Matter, a book inspired by the true stories of lesbian women who lost custody of their children in the 1980s.
• 5 March
  • 2026 Iran war:
    • At a press conference in Downing Street, Starmer tells reporters that the UK will send four fighter jets to Qatar to strengthen the UK's defensive operations there. He also confirms that the UK's first flight to bring citizens home from the region has taken off.
    • The first chartered flight to rescue UK citizens trapped in the Middle East departs from Oman following delays.
    • UK energy suppliers are suspending fixed-price energy deals following a spike in oil prices due to the war.
  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announces a new scheme that could see the families of failed asylum seekers offered up to £40,000 to leave the UK.
  • Joani Reid, the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Kilbride and Strathaven, resigns the Labour Party whip following her husband's arrest.
  • The UK Covid-19 Inquiry hears its final day of evidence.
• 6 March
  • The Met Police announces that four people have been arrested on suspicion of spying on the Jewish community for Iran's intelligence service.
  • UK lenders begin raising mortgage interest rates amid concerns over the economic impact of the Iran war.
  • Sharaz Ali is given a whole life order for murdering Bryonie Gawith and her three young children in a house fire in Bradford in August 2024.
  • German media company Axel Springer agrees to buy Telegraph Media Group in a £575m deal.
  • The UK's first long‑distance robotic-assisted surgery is reported to have been performed on a patient located 1,500 miles (2,400km) away in Gibraltar.
• 7 March
  • Child murderer Ian Huntley dies following an attack by another inmate at HMP Frankland.
  • Iran war:
    • The HMS Prince of Wales, one of the UK's two aircraft carriers, is placed on advanced readiness to sail from Portsmouth.
    • First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney says he is willing to consider banning US military aircraft from using Prestwick Airport if they are taking part in airstrikes on the Middle East.
• 8 March
  • Iran War: Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump following a week in which Trump criticised Starmer on several occasions for the UK's response to the Iran war.
  • Britain's George Russell wins the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
• 9 March
  • Syrian civil war: The Crown Prosecution Services charges a former Syrian soldier from the Air Force Intelligence Directorate with three counts of murder and three counts of torture as crimes against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act for his attacks on civilians in Damascus in 2011.
  • Iran war:
    • Three more B-52 bomber aircraft arrive at RAF Fairford after Starmer agrees to allow US aircraft to take off from UK air bases for defence purposes.
    • Starmer warns of the war's potential impact on the UK economy.
    • Reeves says she will look at the "unique challenges" the war may present to households reliant on oil fuel heating, as the global oil price briefly exceeds $100/barrel.
  • Mukund Krishna is suspended from his role as CEO of the Police Federation of England and Wales after being arrested as part of a fraud investigation.
• 10 March
  • HMS Dragon departs from the UK for the eastern Mediterranean to join British defence operations in the area.
  • A prison inmate is charged with the murder of Soham killer Ian Huntley.
  • Former England footballer and pundit Eni Aluko is awarded more than £300,000 in damages and legal costs after suing Joey Barton for libel over social media posts.
  • Reform of the House of Lords: Members of the House of Lords vote to pass a bill to remove hereditary peers, which heads to King Charles III for royal assent.
• 11 March
  • Stacey Sharples is jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to 10 counts of perverting the course of justice having made false claims, including of rape, against 10 men.
  • The Bank of England announces that British wildlife and British birds will be featured on the new banknotes, with a public consultation inviting suggestions for the specific animals to be depicted.
  • The Home Office approves a request by the Met Police to ban the pro-Palestinian Al Quds Day march through London, due to take place on Sunday 15 March, in order to "prevent serious public disorder". The ban is the first of its kind since 2012.
  • The first tranche of documents relating to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as British ambassador to the U.S. is released.
  • The average interest rate on a two-year fixed mortgage deal in the UK exceeds 5%, while hundreds of mortgage products are removed amid the ongoing economic uncertainty relating to the Iran War.
  • The UK government loses its appeal over a judgement throwing out a terror charge against a member of the Irish language rap trio Kneecap.
  • Tesla Energy Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of Elon Musk's company Tesla, is granted approval to begin supplying electricity to homes and businesses across the UK.
• 12 March
  • Iran war: Defence Secretary John Healey confirms that British forces in Iraq shot down two Iranian drones overnight.
  • A technical glitch means customers of Lloyds Bank, Halifax Bank and Bank of Scotland see other customers' transactions while using their banking apps.
  • Data from the Ministry of Justice indicates the UK asylum appeals backlog was at 80,333 at the end of 2025, almost double that of the previous year.
• 13 March
  • Serenity Francis Johnston, a transgender woman who carried out sex attacks, including rape, against a number of young girls, is sentenced to nine years in prison.
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates the UK economy did not expand or retract during January.
  • Epstein files: An image of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson meeting with Jeffrey Epstein is found in documents released by the US Department of Justice.
  • Actor John Alford is found dead in prison, two months after being jailed for sexually assaulting two teenage girls. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is to begin an investigation.
• 14 March – The public are being invited to choose from a shortlist of six artists who will create a piece of artwork from the wood of the felled Sycamore Gap tree.
• 15 March
  • Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey calls on the government to start building a "fully independent British nuclear deterrent" to end the UK's reliance on the US.
  • Iran war: Energy Secretary Ed Miliband says that the UK government will intervene if energy costs soar as a result of the war.
  • The Metropolitan Police says it is investigating chants of "death to the IDF" led by Bobby Vylan, of the punk duo Bob Vylan, at an Al Quds Day protest in central London.
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: Two people have died and a further 11 are in hospital following an invasive outbreak of meningitis at the University of Kent.
• 16 March
  • Iran war: Starmer tells a Downing Street press conference that "while taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war."
  • Nathan Bennett, a nursery worker who sexually assaulted and raped children, is sentenced to 30 years in prison.
  • The UK government announces £45 million in funding for a new supercomputer named 'Sunrise', as part of the AI Growth Zone at the Atomic Energy Authority's Culham Campus in Oxfordshire. It will be used primarily for research into nuclear fusion.
  • The UK government announces £53m of financial help with heating oil costs for low-income households in rural communities.
  • The Office for National Statistics announces changes to the goods it uses to calculate inflation, with items such as alcohol free beer, hummus and pet grooming products added to the list.
  • National Car Parks goes into administration, putting 682 jobs at risk.
• 17 March
  • Chancellor Rachel Reeves tells the BBC that the government will invest £2.5bn in quantum computing and artificial intelligence in a bid to keep the UK technology sector competitive.
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: A "targeted vaccination programme" is announced at the University of Kent, with the outbreak now described as "unprecedented".
  • MI5 apologises to a woman who was coercively controlled and attacked with a machete by one of its agents, and says it will pay her compensation.
  • MSPs vote 69–57 against legalising assisted dying in Scotland.
• 18 March
  • Radical preacher Anjem Choudary loses an attempt to appeal against a life sentence given to him for running a group banned under UK terrorism laws.
• 19 March
  • The King Charles III England Coast Path is officially inaugurated, becoming the world's longest managed coastal walking route at 2,689 miles (4,328 km).
  • Iran war: The price of gas in the UK rises sharply again, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
  • The Bank of England holds its baseline interest rate unchanged at 3.75%, but warns of a "shock to the economy" from the Iran war that will push up inflation in the near term.
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: The meningitis vaccination scheme is expanded.
  • UK Covid-19 Inquiry: The third of ten reports to be published by the inquiry concludes that patients were harmed as the NHS was on the brink of collapse during the pandemic.
  • The UK agrees a deal with Nigeria to facilitate the return of migrants with no leave to remain in the UK.
  • A 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old woman are arrested at HM Naval Base Clyde, which houses the UK's nuclear-armed submarines.
• 20 March
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: Health officials in Kent say "it's too early to say" if the outbreak has peaked and whether a national vaccination programme should be recommended. Contact tracing has now been carried out for more than 10,000 people.
  • 2026 Iran war: BBC News reports that Iran's foreign ministry has told the UK government that allowing the US to use British military bases will be considered "participation in aggression". Downing Street says it is "not getting drawn into the wider war".
• 21 March
  • Iran war: Iran launches an unsuccessful missile attack on the UK–US base at Diego Garcia.
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: The UK Health Security Agency confirms that the number of meningitis cases in Kent has increased from 29 to 34.
• 22 March – Iran war: Cabinet minister Steve Reed tells the BBC "there is no assessment to substantiate" a warning by the IDF that Iran has demonstrated its capability and intent to target London with long-range missiles.
• 23 March
  • Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish Community Ambulance service in north London are set on fire in the early hours of the morning. The Metropolitan Police describes the incident as an "antisemitic hate crime" and releases CCTV footage of three suspects.
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: The peak of the outbreak has now passed, according to the UK Health Security Agency. More than 9,300 people have received vaccines and 12,700 have been given preventative antibiotics.
  • Iran war: Starmer warns against the "false comfort" of believing there will be a "quick and early end" to the conflict.
  • The UK government announces a list of potential sites for the creation of several "new towns".
  • Moma Foods pulls some porridge pots and sachets from supermarket shelves and warns people not to eat them after "a mouse contamination event".
  • The UK government says it has asked the company building HS2 to explore running the trains at a lower speed in order to save building time and costs.
  • Changes to prison sentencing in England and Wales come into force, with a significant change being that most offenders who would have received prison terms of a year of less will now more likely be given a suspended sentence.
• 24 March
  • Girlguiding UK, the organisation that oversees girl guiding groups in the UK, says that transgender girls must leave the organisation by September.
  • The Competition and Markets Authority says that written prescription fees from vets will be capped at £21 and practices will have to publish price lists for services.
• 25 March
  • UK inflation in February remained unchanged at 3%, the ONS reports. However, the rate is expected to increase following the onset of the Iran war.
  • Former Google executive Matt Brittin is confirmed as the new Director-General of the BBC, set to replace Tim Davie.
  • Dame Sarah Mullally is installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury during a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral.
  • Two men are arrested on suspicion of damaging four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community group two days earlier.
  • Kent meningitis outbreak: BBC News reports that the NHS waited two days before raising the alarm about the outbreak.
  • The UK government is to begin trials of a ban on, or restricted use of, social media for 300 teenagers.
  • Apple is rolling out age checks for UK iPhone and iPad users when they update to IOS 26.4.
  • A ban on cryptocurrency-based political donations as well as a new £100,000 limit on foreign donors is announced by Starmer.
• 26 March
  • The OECD forecasts the UK economy will grow by 0.7% during 2026, but warns the Iran war will impact economic growth.
  • Office for National Statistics figures indicate that 13 million people in the UK were living in relative poverty in the year up to March 2025, an increase of half a million on the previous twelve months.
  • York City Council votes to strip Sarah Ferguson of her Freedom of the City of York.
  • Defence Secretary John Healey announces that British forces are now "ready to act" to board and detain ships in Russia's shadow fleet when they enter UK waters.
• 27 March
  • The price of petrol rises above 150p a litre for the first time in almost two years, according to figures from the RAC. Alongside this, Brent Crude oil is now above $110 a barrel.
  • The UK government issues guidance for screen use for children, recommending that children under the age of five should be limited to one hour of screen time a day, while under-twos should not be watching screens alone.
  • Lloyds Bank reveals that half a million customers were able to see other people's transactions because of a technical glitch.
• 28 March
  • An anti-far-right demonstration organised in central London by the Together Alliance is attended by numbers estimated to be between 50,000 and 500,000.
  • A man is arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after seven people are injured when a car is driven into pedestrians in Derby city centre.
• 30 March
  • Scott Mills is dismissed from BBC Radio 2 following allegations about his personal conduct.
  • The Financial Conduct Authority outlines proposals to redress a situation where several million drivers were mis-sold motor finance agreements, with them receiving compensation averaging around £829 per person.
  • At their annual conference in Brighton, the National Education Union votes to oppose the introduction of a new compulsory reading test for Year 8 pupils in England.
• 31 March
  • Buckingham Palace confirms that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will make a state visit to the United States to meet US President Donald Trump in late April.
  • Nationwide Building Society warns of a potentially softening housing market if the Iran war continues.
  • Starmer gives the British Medical Association 48 hours to abandon its plans for a six-day strike from 7 April, or face losing 1,000 extra NHS training places.
  • Defence Secretary John Healey confirms that extra troops and air defence systems will be deployed to the Middle East to defend Cyprus and the Gulf.
  • It is announced that billionaire hedge fund owner Chris Rokos will donate £190m to the University of Cambridge.

April

• 1 April
  • Carol Kirkwood presents her final weather forecast after 28 years at the BBC.
  • In his first statement since being dismissed by the BBC, Scott Mills confirms he was investigated by police for a sexual offence.
  • Starmer says the UK will pursue closer economic ties with the European Union in light of the Iran war.
  • The Crown Prosecution Service is reported to be providing "early investigative advice" to police forces as they inquire into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein.
  • The minimum wage increases by 50p to £12.71 per hour for over 21s.
  • The UK government withdraws the offer of creating an extra 1,000 doctor teaching places in England after the British Medical Association refused to call off its forthcoming strike.
• 2 April
  • 2026 Iran war: The UK hosts a virtual summit of 30 countries to discuss plans to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, as oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.
  • The boss of Pride in London is dismissed after being accused of making personal purchases with thousands of pounds worth of vouchers intended for volunteers.
  • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for wind and snow for the north of the UK ahead of the arrival of Storm Dave over the Easter weekend.
  • Data from Ofcom indicates that fewer UK adults are posting, commenting on, or sharing material on social media, while AI use has increased, and the majority of people worry about their screentime.
  • Data indicates there were 1,504 heat-related deaths in 2025, lower than expected despite it being the hottest year on record.
• 4 April – The Boat Race 2026: Oxford win the women's boat race for the first time since 2016, while Cambridge win their fourth men's race in a row.
• 5 April
  • In her first Easter sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally calls for an end to "violence and destruction" in the Middle East.
  • Pepsi pulls out as the main sponsor of the Wireless Festival following news that Kanye West is to headline the three-day event.
• 6 April
  • The annual increase in the state pension and a number of benefits comes in with the start of the new financial year. It includes the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap, which will see around 480,000 families with three children or more who claim Universal Credit receive an average of an extra £4,100 a year.
  • The State Pension age begins its transition from 66 to 67 under the Pensions Act 2014.
  • A new law comes into force in England banning the keeping of all primate species as pets in domestic settings.
  • Northern Ireland becomes the first part of the UK to offer parents two weeks paid leave if the woman experiences a miscarriage at any stage during her pregnancy.
  • The UK government says it is reviewing whether Kanye West should be allowed to enter the UK to appear at the Wireless Festival following criticism of previous antisemitic comments made by him, which he has attributed to his bipolar disorder.
• 7 April
  • A six-day strike by resident doctors in England begins at 7am.
  • The 2026 Wireless Festival is cancelled after the UK government blocks Kanye West's entrance into the UK.
  • The price of a first class stamp increases by 10p to £1.80, while a second class stamp increases by 4p to 91p.
• 8 April
  • BBC News reports that the Church of England is to issue an apology over its role in historical forced adoptions.
  • The UK government announces £50m of investment in the UK's defence drone sector.
  • The UK government approves plans for the Springwell Solar Farm to be built between Lincoln and Sleaford, which at 800 MW, will be the UK's largest solar farm once constructed.
  • Channel 4 pulls a celebrity edition of The Great British Bake-Off that included Scott Mills as a contestant from its schedule.
• 9 April – Defence Secretary John Healey says that three Russian submarines conducted a "covert" operation over cables and pipelines in waters north of the UK, and that a warship and aircraft were deployed to discourage the activity. There is reported to be "no evidence" of any damage to UK infrastructure as a result of the operation. Moscow's state news agency say Russia deny Healey's claims.
• 10 April
  • Lee Milne, who was convicted of the culpable homicide of his wife Kimberly after she jumped from a motorway bridge in 2023 following a campaign of domestic abuse, is sentenced to eight years in prison. The case is the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland.
  • The race horse Gold Dancer is euthanised moments after winning the Mildmay Novices' Chase on day two of the Grand National Meeting at Aintree after suffering a broken back.
  • Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir, who ran a people smuggling operation from a car wash, are each sentenced to 19 years in prison.
  • Starmer shelves the agreement to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as relations with Donald Trump deteriorate.
• 11 April
  • I Am Maximus, ridden by Paul Townend, wins the 2026 Grand National, becoming the first horse since Red Rum in 1977 to regain the Grand National title.
  • More than 500 people are arrested in central London during a protest against the ban on Palestine Action.
• 13 April
  • A public inquiry into the 2024 Southport stabbings concludes that "catastrophic" failures by the parents of the killer and various agencies meant clear chances to prevent the murders were missed.
  • 2026 Iran war: Starmer says that the UK will not be involved in enforcing the United States' naval blockade of Iran.
  • The UK government approves plans to build a new nuclear power station at Wylfa on the Isle of Anglesey.
• 15 April
  • 2026 Iran war: Speaking to CNBC's Invest in America, Chancellor Rachel Reeves describes the US's decision to end diplomatic relations with Iran and begin a war as a "mistake" and that the best option would be to "de-escalate" the conflict.
  • Following a BBC investigation that discovered rogue firms and advisers are charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend they are gay to aid their asylum claims, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says that "sham lawyers" who facilitate abuse of the asylum system "will face the full force of the law".
  • The BBC announces plans to cut between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs – almost one in ten staff – as part of plans to save £500m.
  • The owners of the AA and BSM driving schools are ordered to pay refunds to over 80,000 learner drivers after failing to disclose hidden fees in their charges for driving lessons.
• 16 April
  • Office for National Statistics figures indicate the UK economy grew by 0.5% in February, more than had been forecast, while growth for January is revised upward from 0.0% to 0.1%.
  • The Home Office launches an investigation into BBC reports of asylum seekers making false claims in order to stay in the UK.
  • COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: The fourth report to be published by the UK COVID-19 Inquiry describes the vaccination programme as an "extraordinary feat".
  • The UK government says Starmer did not know that Peter Mandelson had failed the vetting for the role of United Kingdom ambassador to the United States until a few days ago.
  • The Governing Body of the Church in Wales votes to approve a bill making the blessing of same-sex marriages permanent.
  • The Court of Appeal quashes the murder conviction of Benjamin Field, a former church warden who was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 36 years for the murder of university lecturer Peter Farquhar in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, in 2015. Field will remain in prison, however, while awaiting a retrial.
  • Iran war: The UK government draws up a worst-case scenario where food products such as chicken and pork are in shortage should the conflict continue into the summer.
• 17 April
  • Starmer says it is "staggering" he was not informed that Mandelson had failed to pass initial security vetting checks before being appointed the UK's ambassador to the United States.
  • Homelessness charity Centrepoint announces that it will cut ties with celebrity ambassador Sharon Osbourne after she expressed support for a far-right rally being organised by Tommy Robinson.
• 18 April – A lifejacket worn by a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic sells at auction for £670,000.
• 20 April
  • Addressing Parliament, Starmer tells MPs that information regarding Peter Mandelson having failed vetting for the job of UK ambassador to the United States was deliberately withheld from him by Foreign Office officials.
  • The Home Office blocks US anti-Islam influencer Valentina Gomez from entering the UK to attend a Unite the Kingdom rally following complaints from a number of groups.
  • Education minister Jacqui Smith announces that the UK government is to table an amendment to its Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require schools in England to ban smartphones.
• 21 April
  • Former senior Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins appears before a committee of MPs, where he says Downing Street took a "dismissive attitude" to vetting during Mandelson's appointment as the UK's ambassador to the Untied States.
  • Afghan migrant Tajik Mohammad, who piloted an overcrowded dinghy across the English Channel on 17 January, becomes the first person to be convicted of endangering others during a sea crossing to the UK.
  • UK unemployment unexpectedly fell to 4.9% in the three months to February, Office for National Statistics data indicates, largely as a result of fewer students looking for work while they study. The figure had been forecast to remain at 5.2%.
  • The Family Court rules that prolific sperm donor Robert Albon cannot have his name placed on the birth certificate of one of the children he fathered. Albon had applied to do this after a couple who he donated sperm to named the husband as the father on the child's birth certificate.
• 22 April
  • UK inflation rose to 3.3% in March 2026 as a result of an increase in fuel prices brought about by the Iran war.
  • The Supreme Court rejects a woman's application to undo the adoption of two sisters, who are now adults, after they resumed contact with their birth mother. The application is rejected on the grounds that doing so would go against the long held principle that adoption is "final and permanent".
  • A six-year-old girl with the rare inherited eye condition Leber's Congenital Amaurosis has her sight restored following eye gene therapy.
  • Headteachers and campaigners call for clarity on how best to implement the UK government's smartphone ban for schools in England.
• 23 April
  • The BBC announces that Sara Cox will begin hosting Radio 2's breakfast show, following the departure of Scott Mills the previous month.
  • At a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, Adam Hall, who infected five men and two boys with the HIV virus after raping them, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years.
  • The UK government confirms that medical information of 500,000 participants in the UK's Biobank programme was offered for sale on a Chinese website.
  • US President Donald Trump says that the state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to the United States could help repair relations between the UK and the US.
  • The UK and French governments agree a £662m, three-year deal to tackle migrant crossings that will see 50 riot police deployed to beaches in northern France.
• 24 April
  • The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill fails to become law after running out of parliamentary time.
  • BBC News reports that Jeffrey Epstein housed women who say they were abused in flats in London in the years after the Metropolitan Police decided not to investigate him.
• 26 April
  • Buckingham Palace says the King's state visit to the United States will go ahead as planned following the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting.
  • Kenyan Sabastian Sawe wins the 2026 London Marathon, setting a new record by completing the race in under two hours after finishing the course in one hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds. The women's race is won by Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia.
• 27 April
  • King Charles and Queen Camilla land in the United States for their four-day state visit.
  • House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle says he will allow MPs to vote on whether there should be a parliamentary investigation over Starmer's claims about the vetting of Mandelson, which is scheduled to take place the next day.
  • All 154 standalone Claire's stores in the UK and Ireland are closed with immediate effect after the company went into administration twice within a year.
  • Four people appear before Westminster Magistrates to deny criminal damage after apple crumble and custard was thrown at a glass case housing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, causing £600 worth of damage.
• 28 April
  • Charles III delivers a historic speech to the United States Congress during his visit to the US.
  • MPs vote 335–223 against holding a parliamentary investigation into whether Starmer misled parliament over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States.
  • Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's former chief of staff, tells MPs on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee he made "a serious mistake" in recommending Mandelson's appointment to the position of ambassador.
  • The Office for National Statistics forecasts that the number of deaths in the UK will outnumber the number of births each year from 2026 as a result of lower fertility rates.
  • The Ministry of Defence announces that trials of Ajax armoured vehicles will resume "cautiously" after they made soldiers operating them ill.
• 29 April
  • Two Jewish men in their 70s are stabbed in what police are treating as a terrorist incident in Golders Green, north London. A man is arrested in connection with the incident.
  • On the prorogation of Parliament, hereditary peers sit in the House of Lords for the last time.
  • The University of Sussex wins an appeal against a £585,000 fine and ruling it had infringed on freedom of speech.
• 30 April
  • The Bank of England holds its baseline interest rate at 3.75%, amid uncertainty over the Iran war.
  • Fourteen people receive medical treatment, with two hospitalised, after a "chemical smell" at Farringdon station in central London.
  • The UK's terror threat level is raised from "substantial" – meaning an attack is likely – to "severe", meaning an attack is highly likely in the next six months. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre says the increase follows yesterday's stabbings in Golders Green, but "is not solely a result of that attack".
  • Street artist Banksy confirms that a statue that has appeared in Waterloo Place, St James's, London, is his work.
  • Ross William Wild, a former member of Spandau Ballet and known professionally as Ross Davidson, is sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of eight offences, including rape and attempted rape.
  • Starmer visits the scene of yesterday's Golders Green attack and is heckled by a group of protesters holding signs and shouting "Keir Starmer, Jew Harmer".

May

• 1 May
  • Golders Green attack:
    • A man appears in court charged with three counts of attempted murder – two relating to the Golders Green incident and another relating to an incident in south London.
    • Green Party leader Zack Polanski apologises for sharing a social media post that criticised police for their handling of the arrest of the Golders Green suspect.
  • Organisers of the 2026 London Marathon confirm it has raised £87.5m, surpassing the £87.3m raised in 2025.
  • Graham Lineham's conviction for damaging a transgender activist's mobile phone is overturned at appeal.
  • The provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changing all assured shorthold tenancies to assured periodic tenancies and abolishing section 21 notices come into effect.
• 2 May
  • Four people are taken to hospital with gunshot wounds after a drive-by shooting in Brixton, south London, in the early hours of the morning. One of the four victims, a 25-year-old man, subsequently dies from his injuries, triggering a murder investigation.
  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells the BBC that he is concerned about the "cumulative" effect of pro-Palestinian marches on the Jewish community, and that in some cases they may need to be stopped.
  • Iran war: New rules are announced that will allow airlines to cancel flights without losing take-off slots if they are facing fuel shortages over the summer.
• 3 May
  • Two people are killed, and a further three injured, following an explosion at a house in Bristol, which police have described as "suspicious".
  • Police confirm that two woman have died while trying to cross the English Channel in a small boat.
  • Sir Alex Ferguson is taken to hospital as a precautionary measure after falling ill at Old Trafford shortly before a match between Manchester United and Liverpool.
• 4 May
  • Two people are arrested on suspicion of arson after a memorial wall in Golders Green was damaged on 27 April.
  • Buckingham Palace announces that Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are expecting their third child.
• 5 May
  • Long-term UK borrowing reaches a 28-year high, amid the ongoing Iran war which has affected the UK more than any other G7 nation, and leadership threats to the prime minister in the lead up to local and subnational elections.
  • A report by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner finds that the cost-of-living crisis combined with new technologies have led to record levels of modern slavery in the UK, with a reported 23,000 potential victims, a 22% increase on the previous year.
  • Four members of Palestine Action who broke into the Bristol premises of Israeli defence company Elbit Systems in August 2024 are found guilty of criminal damage.
  • Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson announces that hate crime prosecutions will be fast-tracked following a number of antisemitic incidents.
  • The two people who were killed in the Bristol house explosion are named as Jo Shaw and her ex-partner Ryan Kelly. Police say Kelly forced his way into the house with an explosive device, and are treating Shaw's death as homicide.
  • The owners of adult website Pornhub announce that UK Apple users with the most up-to-date version of IOS will be allowed access to the website again.
• 6 May
  • The UK Health Security Agency confirms that two Britons are self-isolating at home after being exposed to the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak.
  • The final day of campaigning for the UK local elections, and Wales and Scotland parliament elections.
  • Modella Capital announces that 150 of the 480 former WHSmith High Street stores they own will be closed.
  • Catherine, Princess of Wales announces an official overseas trip to Italy.
  • London's Metropolitan Police forms a Community Protection Unit following recent attacks against members of the Jewish community.
  • The UK has recorded its coldest May overnight temperature on record, after a low of -6.1°C in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands, while Shetland experiences heavy snowfall.
• 7 May
  • 2026 United Kingdom local elections.
  • 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
  • 2026 Senedd election in Wales, the first for an enlarged 96-seat parliament and the first by party-list proportional representation.
  • Following a trial at the Old Bailey, a UK immigration officer is among two people to be found guilty of working for Chinese intelligence as part of a "shadow policing operation".
  • A man is arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and possessing an offensive weapon close to the Norfolk home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
  • A police investigation is launched after a car was driven at three Jewish children in north-west London.
  • Following earlier trials, the UK's first drone deliveries for everyday shopping begin, with online retail giant Amazon offering a limited service in Darlington, County Durham.
• 8 May
  • The results of the previous day's elections are announced:
    • In the 2026 United Kingdom local elections, Reform UK makes major gains in England, gaining almost 1,450 council seats and control of 13 councils, while Labour loses more than 1,400 seats and more than 30 councils.
    • In the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, the Scottish National Party remains the largest party in the Scottish Parliament, winning 58 of the 129 seats. Scottish Labour and Reform UK tie for second place with 17 seats each.
    • In the 2026 Senedd election, Plaid Cymru becomes the largest party in the Senedd, winning 43 of the 96 seats. Reform UK finishes second with 34 seats, while Welsh Labour falls to third place with nine seats, ending its status as the largest party in Wales.
  • Celebrations are held across the country to mark the 100th birthday of broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough. A live centenary event takes place at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, with tributes paid by King Charles, Prince William, and many celebrities. The Natural History Museum announces the naming of a newly discovered species of parasitic wasp, Attenboroughnculus tau, in his honour.
• 9 May – In the wake of Labour's heavy election losses, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appoints party veterans Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman as advisers, following meetings in No 10.

Predicted and scheduled events

• 13 May – The 2026 State Opening of Parliament will take place.
• 3 June – The trial of Russell Brand is scheduled to begin.
• 12 June to 5 July – England will host the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup in cricket.
• 27 June to 1 July – A new music festival, the Blenheim Palace Festival, is scheduled to be held in Oxfordshire.
• 23 to 26 July – The WOMAD Festival returns after a year's hiatus with the festival now based at Neston Park Estate near Corsham, Wiltshire.
• 23 July to 2 August – The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow.
• 7 to 31 August – The annual Edinburgh Fringe festival takes place in the Scottish Capital.
• 10 to 16 August – The 2026 European Athletics Championships will be held at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
• 12 to 16 August – The 2026 Boomtown Festival is scheduled to take place in Hampshire. Acts include Kneecap, Madness, Scissor Sisters, Faithless, The Vengaboys and Groove Armada.
• 21 August – The first annual national day "to honour and remember" the victims of terrorism in the UK is scheduled to take place.
• Summer – Wales will host the 2026 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in football.
• Topshop is scheduled to return to the high street, with branches opening in 32 John Lewis & Partners stores. The Topman brand is also scheduled to return in six stores.

Publications

• 10 September – Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson.

Deaths

Main article: 2026 deaths in the United Kingdom

See also

• Politics of the United Kingdom
• 2020s in United Kingdom political history
• 2026 deaths in the United Kingdom
• 2026 United Kingdom electoral calendar