2025 in the United Kingdom

2025 in the United Kingdom

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England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales

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Events from the year 2025 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

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

Events

January

• 1 January
  • 2025 United Kingdom floods: More than 100 flood warnings are issued after heavy rain affects parts of the UK. A major incident is declared in Greater Manchester after some homes are left without running water and people are rescued from cars in floodwater.
  • The cap on bus fares in England rises by 50% from £2 to £3 per journey.
  • The standard rate of VAT is added to private school fees.
  • The Energy Price Cap rises by an average of £21 per year, increasing the average annual gas and electricity bill to £1,738.
  • Home Office figures show 36,816 people crossed the English Channel in small boats throughout 2024, an increase from 2023, but fewer than 2022.
  • Bradford begins its year as UK City of Culture.
• 2 January
  • A man who was among four people injured when they were hit by a car in central London on Christmas Day dies in hospital.
  • The UK government announces that people smugglers will face social media blackouts, travel bans and telephone restrictions.
  • The biggest dinosaur fossil trackway ever found in the UK is reported at a quarry in Oxfordshire, consisting of 200 huge footprints made 166 million years ago in the mid-Jurassic period.
• 3 January
  • Temperatures are reported to have plunged to as low as −8 °C (17.6 °F) overnight, with amber cold weather alerts in place for the whole of England. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for most of England, Wales, and Scotland between Saturday 4 January and Monday 6 January.
  • NHS chiefs in England warn of a major rise in flu cases.
  • The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms that a British woman, named as Greta Marie Otteson, has been found dead in a villa in Vietnam along with her fiancé, South African Els Arno Quinton.
  • At the age of 17, Luke Littler becomes the youngest World Darts Champion after defeating Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in the final.
• 4 January – The Foreign and Commonwealth Office reports the death of a Briton, 31-year-old Edward Pettifer, in the recent New Orleans truck attack.
• 5 January – Heavy snow causes travel disruption across the UK, as weather warnings remain in place. Temperatures are reported to have fallen to as low as −11 °C overnight in Loch Glascarnoch, Scotland.
• 6 January
  • The government scraps a plan to phase out gas boilers in UK homes by 2035.
  • 2025 United Kingdom floods:
    • Dozens of people are rescued amid disruption from snow, ice, and flooding around much of the country. An overnight low of −13.3 °C (8 °F) is recorded, again in Loch Glascarnoch.
    • A major incident is declared in Leicestershire and Rutland, where 59 people are rescued from flood water.
  • The Prime Minister responds to X owner Elon Musk and others he accuses of "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs. Starmer tells reporters that these online debates have now "crossed a line", resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.
• 7 January
  • A search-and-rescue operation is launched in northern Italy's Dolomite Mountains for two British hikers, named as Aziz Ziriat and Samuel Harris, who have been missing since 1 January.
  • Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's in the UK, tells MPs the company has dismissed 29 employees because of sexual harassment over the past twelve months.
• 8 January
  • UK government borrowing rises to its highest level since the 2008 financial crisis.
  • A UK inquest into the death of singer Liam Payne opens, and hears that he died as a result of "polytrauma".
  • The UK government freezes the UK assets of the extreme-right wing group Blood and Honour, making it the first extremist group to be subject to UK financial sanctions.
  • Italy's mountain rescue service confirms the discovery of a body, which it believes to be that of Sam Harris, one of two missing British hikers.
• 9 January
  • The pound dips to a 14-month low, amid concerns over government borrowing.
  • As low temperatures continue to affect the UK, a fresh weather warning is issued for ice covering Northern Ireland, Wales and parts of England.
• 10 January
  • The UK records its coldest temperatures of the winter so far, with an overnight low of −14.5 °C (5.9 °F) in Altnaharra, northern Scotland.
  • Royal Mail launches a set of special stamps to celebrate award-winning sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.
  • The Homeland Security Group, a directorate of the Home Office, are reported to be monitoring social media posts by Elon Musk and others as a possible national security risk, assessing their reach and who is interacting with them.
  • UK gas network operator National Gas announces that the UK has enough gas to meet winter demand after Centrica (owners of British Gas) warned about "concerningly low" storage levels.
  • Pop star Chappell Roan wins BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2025.
  • The opening ceremony for the start of Bradford's tenure as UK City of Culture takes place in the city's City Park.
• 11 January – Temperatures continue to fall, becoming the coldest since 2010, with an overnight low of −18.9 °C in Roybridge, Scotland.
• 13 January
  • The Royal Mint announces a new £2 coin to commemorate Nineteen Eighty-Four author George Orwell on the 75th anniversary of his death.
  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces the AI Opportunities Action Plan, a strategy for using artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK to boost growth and deliver public services more efficiently. He tells reporters that AI "will drive incredible change" and pledges to make the UK a world leader in the technology.
  • Pound sterling falls to its lowest value against the US dollar since November 2023, with £1 worth $1.21.
  • Following the 2024 case of Excel Parking v Hudson in which a woman was taken to court for £2,000 worth of parking fines that were accrued because she could not find a phone signal to pay parking charges through an app within an allotted time, the private parking industry announces plans to update its rules to prevent motorists being fined if they do not pay to park within five minutes.
  • Two women from climate protest group Just Stop Oil are arrested after spray-painting over the grave of Charles Darwin inside Westminster Abbey.
  • Former boxing world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury announces his retirement from the sport, the second time he has done so.
• 14 January
  • Amazon announces the purchase of nearly 150 electric heavy goods vehicles to decarbonise its operations, the largest ever order of electric trucks in the UK.
  • The UK bans cattle, pigs, and sheep imports from Germany after a case of foot-and-mouth disease is confirmed in the country.
  • Tulip Siddiq resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, over a scandal linked to the ousted government of Bangladesh. She becomes the second minister to resign from the Starmer ministry since the general election of July 2024.
  • The Princess of Wales visits staff and patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated following her cancer diagnosis, and reveals that she is now in remission from the illness.
  • Games Workshop is reported to be planning a fourth factory, amid booming sales of its wargame franchise, now with a total valuation of £4.2 billion.
• 15 January
  • UK inflation is reported to have fallen from 2.6% in November to 2.5% in December.
  • UK COVID-19 Inquiry: Kate Scott from the group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK tells the inquiry that the families of those adversely affected by COVID-19 vaccines had to support each other during the pandemic because there was no other help.
• 16 January
  • Office for National Statistics figures show the UK economy grew by 0.1% in November, a smaller than expected increase fuelled by hospitality and construction.
  • Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces an inquiry into grooming gangs.
  • The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif are to seek an appeal against their conviction for her murder.
  • A record £410 million in government funding for fusion power is announced. This will include a prototype power plant in Nottinghamshire, targeted for completion by 2040, and repurposing a machine at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire.
• 17 January
  • The International Monetary Fund upgrades its growth forecast for the UK, but warns of the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's economic plans.
  • Keir Starmer pays a visit to Auschwitz concentration camp, and says he is determined to fight the "poison" of antisemitism.
  • A BBC investigation finds that the deaths of at least 56 babies, and two mothers, over a five-year period at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust may have been preventable.
• 18 January
  • The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirms outbreaks of bird flu have been found in poultry at two farms in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and that the birds will be humanely culled.
  • A plan is announced for digital driving licences to be introduced across the UK later in the year, accessible via a new government smartphone app, which could also be used as a form of ID when buying alcohol, voting, or boarding domestic flights.
  • Protests against Donald Trump: Women's March protests are held in Manchester, Liverpool, Plymouth, and other cities in the UK.
  • Gaza war protests: Nearly 80 pro-Palestine protesters in Whitehall are arrested for breaching protest conditions, with some allegedly breaking through police lines.
  • Buckingham Palace releases a new portrait of Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh to coincide with her 60th birthday; the picture is taken by fashion photographer Christina Ebenezer.
• 20 January
  • The trial begins of Axel Rudakubana, 18, who pleaded guilty to murdering three girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, which triggered riots around the UK in July and August 2024.
  • Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces that an inquiry will be held into the Southport attack.
  • The Solicitor General refers the sentence of Urfan Sharif, convicted of the murder of his daughter, Sara, to the Court of Appeal for being "unduly leniant".
• 21 January
  • The husband of Pauline Quirke, star of TV sitcom Birds of a Feather, announces that the actress was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and has retired from all professional and commercial duties.
  • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning ahead of Storm Éowyn, which is expected to bring gusts of up to 90 mph (145 km/h) across large parts of the UK on Friday and Saturday.
  • In a speech from Downing Street following the announcement of a public inquiry into the Southport attack, the Prime Minister warns that the UK faces a "new and dangerous threat" from extreme violence.
• 22 January
  • Princess Beatrice gives birth to her second child, a daughter named Athena, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.
  • UK government borrowing unexpectedly increased to £17.8bn in December, an increase of £10.1bn from December 2023, and its highest level for four years.
  • The owner of The Sun newspaper offers a "full and unequivocal apology" to Prince Harry for "serious intrusion" into his private life, and agrees to pay him "substantial damages".
  • The warning level for Storm Éowyn is increased from yellow to amber, meaning an increased likelihood of severely or extremely bad weather.
  • Defence secretary John Healey tells MPs that the Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian spy ship after it entered British waters earlier in the week.
• 23 January
  • A survey carried out by the British Retail Consortium indicates public expectation for the UK economy for the next three months has fallen to a "new low".
  • Red warnings are issued for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland ahead of Storm Éowyn's expected arrival the following day.
  • The UK Emergency Alert System is used to warn several million people of a possible threat to life from the storm.
  • Sainsbury's supermarket announces it will cut 3,000 jobs as it shuts down its remaining cafés and closes its patisserie and pizza counters.
  • A large-scale outage of AI tool ChatGPT is reported.
  • Axel Rudakubana is sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to a minimum term of 52 years in prison for the mass stabbing in Southport. His sentence is the second-longest minimum term in British legal history, after that of Hashem Abedi.
• 24 January
  • The Attorney General confirms that the 52-year minimum prison sentence given to Axel Rudakubana will be reviewed as unduly lenient.
  • A record increase in the number of UK businesses in critical financial distress is reported.
  • Storm Éowyn, described as a "once in a generation" weather event, hits the UK and Ireland. Over a million people are left without power across both countries, including 275,000 in the UK, with gusts of up to 100 mph (161 km/h) recorded in Scotland.
  • The Ministry of Defence signs a £9bn contract with Rolls Royce for the supply of nuclear submarine reactors.
• 25 January
  • The Met Office confirms that Storm Éowyn was "probably the strongest storm" to hit the UK in at least 10 years, with wind gusts in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h), and a million properties without power at its peak.
  • WH Smith announces that it is in talks to sell its high street outlets.
  • The British Museum is partially closed after an alleged IT attack by a former employee.
  • Buckingham Palace releases a new portrait of King Charles III dressed in a tartan kilt at Balmoral Castle to mark Burns Day.
• 26 January
  • A yellow weather warning for high winds and heavy rain is in place for parts of the UK as Storm Herminia makes landfall.
  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds his first transatlantic call with US President Donald Trump, during which Trump praises Starmer for doing "a good job thus far" and Starmer praises Trump's "role in securing the landmark ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza".
• 27 January
  • Storm Herminia: A major incident is declared in Somerset after heavy rain brings flooding to the area.
  • The Royal Navy announces it is changing the name of a new submarine from HMS Agincourt to HMS Achilles.
  • Two members of the environmentalist protest group Just Stop Oil are arrested after disrupting a performance of The Tempest at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane by climbing on stage.
• 28 January
  • The driver involved in the Wimbledon school crash of July 2023 is arrested for a second time, as police reopen an investigation into the incident, which killed two eight-year-old girls and injured 14 other people.
  • Dr Andrew Green, the British Medical Association's ethics chief, tells MPs that doctors must be able to opt-out of offering assisted dying.
  • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) releases a newly updated forecast of the UK population, projecting that it will grow by 7.3% to reach 72.5 million by 2032.
  • Home Office minister Dan Jarvis confirms the UK government has no plans to expand the definition of extremism to include violent environmentalism and misogynism after a think tank suggested the definition could be broadened.
• 29 January
  • Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirms that the government backs a third runway for Heathrow Airport, during a major speech on economic growth, saying the project is "badly needed" and could create 100,000 jobs. Critics including the Green Party and London Mayor Sadiq Khan point to the increased carbon emissions it would produce.
  • BBC News reports that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is subject to UK sanctions, could owe the Inland Revenue as much as £1bn in taxes as a result of a mishandled attempt to avoid paying tax on hedge fund investments.
  • A High Court clears retailer Lidl to open its first in-store pub, to be situated in Dundonald, County Down, after rejecting a legal challenge to the plans from another trader.
• 30 January
  • The Right Reverend Dr John Perumbalath resigns as Bishop of Liverpool following allegations of sexual misconduct.
  • The Home Office announces that a new crime of endangering lives at sea, carrying a term of five years in prison, will be introduced as part of legislation to deal with people smuggling.
• 31 January
  • The UK government reverses visa changes introduced in February 2024 that stopped Ukrainians from bringing their children to the UK, meaning they can now do so.
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca abandons a planned £450m investment in a vaccine production facility on Merseyside, blaming a lack of UK government support for its decision.
  • The bodies of two women are found in the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, during the search for two missing 32-year-old sisters, Henrietta and Eliza Huszti, last seen on 7 January.
  • An IT problem prevents Barclays Bank customers from making essential online transactions.

February

• 1 February – The Home Office announces that four new laws will be introduced in order to tackle the threat of child sexual abuse images generated by artificial intelligence.
• 3 February
  • Nurse Sandie Peggie starts to give evidence at an employment tribunal into her claims that being forced to change in the same changing room as a doctor who was born male but self-identified as female amounted to harassment under the Equality Act.
  • First Minister John Swinney says there will be no ban on cats in Scotland after the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission suggested restricting them in some areas because of a potential "significant risk to wildlife populations".
  • Daniel Khalife is sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison after spying for Iran and escaping from HMP Wandsworth.
  • Changes to the management of people convicted of coercive or controlling behaviour come into force, putting the crime on the same level as domestic abuse. Those convicted of the offences and sentenced to twelve months or more in prison are now automatically managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements.
• 4 February
  • Increases in council tax above the usual limit of 5% are allowed to go ahead for six areas of England, including a 10% rise for Bradford.
  • A panel of international medical experts have suggested that Lucy Letby did not kill any babies after reviewing evidence against her.
  • Mumsnet says it has stopped users from sharing pictures after the parenting website was targeted with images of child sexual abuse.
• 5 February
  • Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner tells a meeting of local residents that Grenfell Tower, where a fire killed 72 people in 2017, will be dismantled to ground level.
  • Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner confirms that local elections in East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey will be delayed for a year to allow major local government reorganisations to take place.
  • 2024 Southport stabbings: A government review finds that the Prevent counter-terrorism scheme "prematurely" closed its case on Axel Rudakubana three years before he committed the attack in Southport.
• 6 February
  • The Bank of England cuts interest rates from 4.75% to 4.5%, the lowest base rate since June 2023. The Bank also cuts its growth forecast for the UK economy in 2025 from 1.5% to 0.75%.
  • A Russian diplomat is expelled from the UK in response to the 2024 expulsion of a British diplomat from Russia.
  • The UK government announces that landlords in England will be required to investigate and fix instances of damp and mould in social housing within a strict timescale from October 2025.
• 7 February
  • The UK government confirms that Grenfell Tower will be taken down, with the process taking place gradually and sensitively over the next two years, but the outward appearance of the building will not change until after the eighth anniversary of the fire in June.
  • The Home Office serves Apple Inc. with notice under the Investigatory Powers Act demanding access to encrypted data stored by Apple users in its iCloud service.
  • French police are investigating the deaths of a British couple, named as Andrew and Dawn Searle, who were found dead at their home in south west France. On 3 April it is announced that the deaths are being treated as a murder-suicide.
  • As the UK enters another period of cold weather, the UK Health Security Agency issues a yellow cold-health alert for parts of northern and eastern England, valid from 7 to 11 February.
  • The railway line between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly is closed for most of the day after a car driven by a suspected drink driver crashes onto the track.
  • The UK is among 79 signatories to a joint statement condemning US President Donald Trump's executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • Pets at Home becomes the world's first retailer to sell cultivated meat for dogs.
• 8 February – Health Minister Andrew Gwynne is sacked and suspended from the Labour Party over a string of offensive and abusive WhatsApp messages, in which he insulted constituents, fellow MPs and councillors.
• 9 February – Writing in The Sunday Times, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin says the retail sector is being "raided like a piggy bank" as it faces increased National Insurance contributions and other financial pressures.
• 10 February
  • A second Labour MP, Oliver Ryan, is suspended over offensive WhatsApp messages.
  • BBC News reports that Kim Leadbeater, the MP sponsoring the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, is to suggest replacing the High Court as the body making the final decision on assisted dying cases with a panel of experts who would oversee applications. Leadbetter confirms the plans the following day, saying it would strengthen the legislation. Opponents say it would water down the bill's safeguards.
• 11 February
  • Sir Mark Rowley, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, says that policing has been left in a "hopeless position" following a High Court ruling that an officer accused of rape could not be dismissed from the force because the process was fundamentally unfair.
  • The General Synod, the governing body of the Church of England, rejects a fully-independent safeguarding model to deal with abuse cases, but instead adopts an alternative short-term proposal.
• 12 February
  • The UK government announces changes to rules regarding refugees, making it virtually impossible for anyone entering the country illegally to be granted citizenship.
  • The Prime Minister announces a judge-led inquiry into the 2023 Nottingham attacks, which he says will begin within weeks.
  • A review into the events leading up to the murder of David Amess finds that his killer, Ali Harbi Ali, was exited from the government's Prevent anti-terror programme "too quickly" and that its handling of him was "sub-optimal".
  • BBC News reports that MI5 lied to three courts while defending its handling of a misogynistic neo-Nazi agent who attacked his girlfriend with a machete.
• 13 February
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates the UK economy grew by 0.1% between October and December 2024, largely as a result of the construction and service industries, and surprising forecasters who had expected no growth.
  • The Foreign Office confirms that two British nationals have been arrested in Iran.
  • A BBC News investigation discovers Chancellor Rachel Reeves was the subject of an expenses investigation while she was a senior manager at Halifax Bank of Scotland in the late 2000s. Her online CV is also reported to have exaggerated the length of time she was employed by the Bank of England. In response, Reeves says that no concerns were raised with her at the time of the investigation.
  • Labour MP Kevin McKenna announces in the House of Commons that he is living with HIV.
• 14 February
  • The Attorney General for England and Wales rejects calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana's sentence.
  • Drivers working for Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee who belong to the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain stage a six-hour strike for better pay and conditions.
• 15 February
  • Two Britons held in Iran are named as Craig and Lindsay Foreman; they were held in January while travelling through the country as part of a motorcycle trip around the world.
  • A technical problem leaves several thousand BT customers temporarily unable to access their email accounts.
• 16 February – Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is "ready and willing" to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine to protect peace.
• 18 February
  • Office for National Statistics data shows that average wages increased by 3.4% between October and December 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023.
  • The financially troubled Thames Water secures a £3bn emergency loan after winning a case in the High Court, and preventing the company from coming under public sector ownership.
  • Iran's Judiciary confirms that British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been charged with espionage.
  • Consultancy firm Cornwall Insight forecasts that energy bills will increase by 5% from April, adding an average of £85 to the annual domestic fuel bill.
  • A 66-year-old woman is charged with manslaughter by scalding a five-year-old in a hot bath in 1978, nearly 50 years ago.
• 19 February
  • Inflation jumps from 2.5% to 3%, the highest level in 10 months.
  • A major incident is declared in Godstone, Surrey, after two sinkholes open up on a street, prompting the evacuation of local residents.
  • The UK government announces plans for tougher rules for selling knives online and stricter penalties for those who break the new rules.
  • Starmer expresses support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "democratically elected leader" after US President Donald Trump describes Zelensky as a "dictator".
  • British journalist Charlotte Peet is reported missing in Brazil, having last contacted a friend on 8 February.
  • Data published by Tell Mama indicates that instances of anti-Muslim hate are at a record high, with almost 6,000 cases recorded in 2024.
  • A team of archaeologists made up of British and Egyptian experts announce the discovery of the tomb of King Thutmose II in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis near Luxor, the first British-led team to discover a pharaoh's tomb in more than a century.
• 20 February
  • Sir Nick Carter, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, suggests that European nations may need to offer reliable security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia if the US will not.
  • Data from NHS England indicates a record number of hospital cases of norovirus, with 1,160 people a day in hospital with the bug, double the amount for the same time last winter.
  • The Foreign Office confirms that a British tourist has been killed while hiking in the Himalayas with a friend.
  • Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, seen as a key ally of Donald Trump, says that Ukrainian President Zelensky is not a dictator after initially suggesting that Trump's words should be taken seriously.
  • Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson announce they are stepping down from control of the James Bond franchise, with creative control going to Amazon MGM Studios.
  • An inquest into the death of Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, who was found hanged in her barracks at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021, rules her death was caused, in part, by the British Army's handling of her complaint against a senior officer, who had sexually assaulted her.
• 21 February
  • Records show a surplus in public finances of £15.4bn in January, the highest level for the month since records began more than three decades ago, but lower than the £20.5bn forecast by experts.
  • A pilot scheme involving five police forces – West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside – will see domestic violence specialists embedded in the forces' 999 emergency control rooms.
  • London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink sign an agreement that will help them to commit to expanding rail connectivity between the UK and Europe, with routes to France, Switzerland and Germany.
  • Apple takes the unprecedented step of removing Advanced Data Protection from UK customers after the UK government demanded access to user data.
• 22 February
  • In a call with Zelensky, Starmer assures the Ukraine President he will emphasise the importance of Ukraine's sovereignty during his forthcoming meeting with Trump.
  • Ofgem warns gas and electricity suppliers they will be fined if they continue to send out "back bills" to customers.
  • BMW confirms it is delaying the reintroduction of electric vehicle production at its Oxford Mini plant because of multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry.
• 23 February – A British couple in their 70s, named as Peter and Barbie Reynolds, have been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, The Sunday Times reports, having been arrested for an unspecified reason on 1 February.
• 24 February
  • The UK and India restart trade negotiations a year after pausing them ahead of general elections in both countries.
  • Labour MP Mike Amesbury is sentenced to 10 weeks in prison after he admitted punching a man in his Cheshire constituency the previous year. A recall petition is now expected to be triggered.
• 25 February
  • In the Commons, Starmer commits to boosting the UK's defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, funded by cuts to international aid. He also announces a further planned increase to 3% during the next parliament.
  • Ofgem announces a 6.4% increase in the Energy Price Cap from April, meaning a typical household's gas and electricity will increase by £111 a year, or £9.25 a month, to £1,849.
  • The Church of England announces that disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against 10 members of its clergy, including former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, following a review of evidence in the report into the case of John Smyth.
• 26 February
  • The Seventh Carbon Budget is published by the Climate Change Committee, covering the period from 2038 to 2042. Among other measures, it recommends that four in five cars should be electric and half of all homes should have heat pumps installed within 15 years.
  • The UK government says that seven organisations criticised in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire will face investigation and could be banned from bidding for public contracts.
• 27 February
  • Bumblebees are reported to have fallen to their lowest numbers on record, declining by almost a quarter in 2024 compared to the 2010–2023 average.
  • Labour MP Mike Amesbury's prison sentence is suspended following an appeal.
  • UK asylum claims hit their highest level since 1979, increasing by 18% year-on-year to reach over 108,000.
  • Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announces that she is "minded to approve" a second runway at Gatwick Airport. Some MPs, local authorities and residents are strongly opposed.
  • Starmer meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House for talks on Ukraine and defence.
  • A review into the UK porn industry conducted by Baroness Gabby Bertin recommends giving Ofcom powers to police porn sites deemed to contain "harmful" material.
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates that 987,000 16 to 24-year-olds were not in work, education or training at the end of 2024, the highest number since 2013.
  • The BBC launches an internal review after pulling the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone from iPlayer due to the revelation that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, was the son of a Hamas official.
• 28 February
  • International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds resigns over the prime minister's cuts to the foreign aid budget, saying the UK's reputation will be deeply harmed.
  • Technical issues affect apps operated by Lloyds Bank, TSB, Halifax Bank and Bank of Scotland.
  • The BBC issues an apology for the Gaza documentary, admitting "serious flaws" and confirming that it would not be broadcast again. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calls for a comprehensive review of the incident and demands that the BBC ensure full transparency in its findings.

March

• 1 March – Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky meet for talks at 10 Downing Street following Zelensky's visit to Washington the previous day.
• 2 March
  • Starmer convenes a summit in London with European leaders, including Zelensky, along with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, to discuss support for Ukraine. He says that Europe is facing a "once in a generation" moment for security.
  • Following the summit, Volodymyr Zelensky meets King Charles III at Sandringham.
• 3 March – Starmer announces a £1.6bn missile deal for Ukraine following the previous day's summit.
• 4 March
  • Conservative MP Graham Stuart, a former Foreign Office minister, warns that the UK should "consider the possibility that President Trump is a Russian asset."
  • Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says the UK will not be "derailed" from working to end the war in Ukraine after the US paused military aide to the country.
  • UK opposition politicians have accused US Vice President JD Vance of disrespecting British forces after he said a US stake in Ukraine's economy would be a "better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years".
  • Boots recalls 500 mg packs of paracetamol tablets over a mislabelling error that incorrectly identified them as aspirin.
  • BBC News reports on the case of Kasibba, an autistic woman who spent 45 years in a mental hospital.
  • Investment firm Aberdeen Group plc is to drop its Abrdn rebrand which was widely mocked, and be known instead as aberdeen group.
  • The UK government says it will not pay Rwanda any further money for the scrapped asylum plan.
• 5 March
  • Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, Chinese PhD student Zhenhao Zou is convicted of drugging and raping ten women, but police suspect he may have attacked as many as 50 victims, potentially making him one of the UK's most prolific sexual predators. He will be sentenced on 19 June.
  • The Royal Navy releases footage of the Russian warship Boikiy, which was tracked near British territorial waters.
  • Four former British ambassadors to the United States – Sir Peter Westmacott, Dame Karen Pierce, Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Sir David Manning – express their concern about the future of intelligence sharing with the US following the re-election of Donald Trump.
  • Starmer pays tribute to UK troops who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan after US Vice President Vance was accused of disrespecting British troops.
  • The UK's four Football Associations announce their intention to submit a joint bid to host the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup.
• 6 March – Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, tells a conference at Chatham House in London that the United States is "destroying" the established world order.
• 7 March
  • Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and city politician Derek Hatton are charged with bribery and misconduct relating to council contracts, along with 10 others.
  • All Eurostar train services from London to Paris are cancelled, following the discovery of an unexploded WW2 bomb in the French capital.
  • Three Bulgarian nationals – Vanya Gaberova, Katrin Ivanova, and Tihomir Ivanchev – are found guilty of spying for Russia, in what police describe as "one of the largest" foreign intelligence operations ever conducted in the UK.
  • Reform UK suspends MP Rupert Lowe and refers him to police, alleging he made "threats of physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf.
  • The UK Health Security Agency is checking for potential cases of Lassa fever after an individual who visited the UK from Nigeria was identified as having the disease.
  • The Court of Appeal reduces the sentences of six environmental activists who organised a blockade of the M25.
• 8 March
  • Former national security adviser Mark Sedwill tells the BBC's The Week in Westminster the potential deployment of UK troops to Ukraine could last "many years".
  • Emergency services are called to Parliament after a man climbs the Elizabeth Tower holding a Palestinian flag, and refuses to come down.
  • Technical issues once again prevent Barclays customers from being able to make online transactions using the banks' app.
• 9 March
  • A man who scaled the Elizabeth Tower with a Palestinian flag the previous day is arrested after agreeing to be brought down in a cherry picker.
  • Hundreds of community events are held around the UK to mark five years since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK, which killed over 230,000 people.

10 March 2025: A collision between two large ships occurs off the coast of East Yorkshire.

• 10 March
  • An oil tanker and container ship collide in the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire, triggering a fireball and clouds of thick smoke. The crew members are brought ashore, with one hospitalised, but another person remains unaccounted for.
  • Energy Secretary Ed Miliband tells the BBC that discounts for energy customers living near electricity pylons will be paid for by an average 80p rise on bills for everyone else.
• 11 March
  • Manchester United announces a plan to build the UK's largest ever football stadium, close to and replacing the Old Trafford ground, costing £2bn and with capacity for 100,000 seats.
  • 2025 North Sea ship collision:
    • Investigations continue into the previous day's ship collision. This includes a criminal case launched by Humberside Police, who arrest a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
    • One crew member of the MV Solong, one of the ships involved, remains unaccounted for and is now presumed dead.
    • Experts warn of the potentially devastating impact on the local environment, caused by leaking jet fuel with a much higher toxicity than crude oil.
  • Kyle Clifford is given a whole-life order and told he will never be released from prison after he used a crossbow to murder his ex-girlfriend, her sister and mother.
  • The Lancet reports that Lenacapavir, an annual injection to safeguard against HIV, has passed an early safety trial.
• 12 March
  • The UK is hit by 25% tariffs on aluminium and steel products imposed globally by the Trump administration.
  • Researchers have called for official health advice to recommend children completely avoid "slushy" ice drinks containing glycerol until they are at least eight years old, because it can make them very ill.
  • 2025 North Sea ship collision: The fire aboard the US tanker Stena Immaculate has been extinguished, authorities confirm.
  • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for ice affecting northern England as the UK experiences below average temperatures; snow also falls in parts of Shropshire and the Cotswolds, and briefly at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
• 13 March
  • Keir Starmer announces that NHS England is to be abolished in order to "cut bureaucracy", with its functions to be merged into the Department of Health and Social Care over the next two years.
  • The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence approves relugolix, used to treat the symptoms of endometriosis, for use by the NHS in England and Wales.
  • A British man, named as 79-year-old Edgar Charles Frederick, dies after being struck by a vehicle in the motorcade of Kenyan President William Ruto in Nairobi.
  • Cheshire Police have widened a criminal investigation into the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Lucy Letby worked, to focus on individual staff.
• 14 March
  • Office for National Statistics data indicates the UK economy retracted by 0.1% in January 2025, largely due to a decline in manufacturing.
  • The Investigatory Powers Tribunal begins hearing Apple's case against the UK government, which seeks to access private data held by Apple; the case is heard in private.
  • The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to all 1,400 McDonald's outlets in the UK, warning their owners they could face legal action if they fail to take steps to protect staff against sexual abuse.
  • The Royal Mint releases a coin featuring a portrait of John Lennon to coincide with the year he would have turned 85.
  • 2025 North Sea ship collision: Vladimir Motin, captain of the MV Solong, is charged with gross negligent manslaughter over the death of a crew member missing since the collision and presumed to be dead.
• 15 March
  • Starmer joins 29 other world leaders for a virtual summit to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
  • Vladimir Motin is remanded in custody by Hull magistrates to appear before London's Central Criminal Court on 14 April.
• 17 March
  • The family of The Vivienne say the drag star died from a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine.
  • Tesco announces a 5.2% pay increase for its store employees from 30 March, but scrap the extra pay for working on Sundays.
  • The Financial Conduct Authority provisionally bans millionaire fund manager Crispin Odey from working in financial services and fines him £1.8m for a "lack of integrity" following allegations of sexual harassment, which he denies, and an attempt to "frustrate" a disciplinary process.
• 18 March
  • Keir Starmer and Prince William pay tribute to John "Paddy" Hemingway, the last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, following his death at the age of 105. The RAF calls his passing "the end of an era and a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom during World War II".
  • A woman in her 20s is killed, and three other people are injured, after a van ploughs into pedestrians on the Strand in central London. A 26-year-old man is arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and drug driving. The Met Police say the incident is not terror-related.
  • Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall announces changes to the benefits system aimed at saving £5bn a year. The changes mostly consist of making it more difficult for people with less severe health conditions to claim disability payments.
  • A gang of four men are found guilty of stealing a gold toilet from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire in 2019.
• 19 March
  • Prosper family murders: Nicholas Prosper, 19, is sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 49 years for murdering his mother, brother, and sister in Luton the previous year.
  • UK COVID-19 Inquiry: Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock appears before the inquiry, and criticises the hearing's questioning on the Johnson government's decision to purchase personal protective equipment during the pandemic.
  • It is announced that the UK is to host the opening stage of the 2027 Tour de France for both the men's and women's races, with the men's race starting in Edinburgh.
  • Santander announces the closure of 95 of its UK branches – almost a quarter of its outlets – with the loss of 750 jobs.
  • The Royal Navy says it has shadowed four Russian vessels as they sailed through British waters in the English Channel and the North Sea.
• 20 March
  • The Bank of England holds interest rates at 4.5%.
  • The UK experiences its warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 21.3°C (70.3°F) in Northolt and Chertsey.
  • The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issues a new travel warning for British citizens going to the United States, saying "The authorities in the US set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules."
  • A parole hearing for David Norris, convicted over the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence, is to be held in public, the Parole Board announces. The Board also suggest Norris accepts he was involved in the attack on Lawrence.
• 21 March
  • Hayes substation fire:
    • Heathrow Airport is closed for much of the day, disrupting an estimated 1,357 flights which are either cancelled or rerouted to other airports, following a large fire at a nearby electricity substation that supplies the airport with power.
    • During the afternoon, Heathrow announces some flights can safely resume, and that it hopes to run a full schedule the next day, but warns people not to travel to the airport unless they are advised to do so.
    • The Metropolitan Police launches an investigation into the cause of the fire, with counter-terror officers leading the inquiry.
  • Official figures show that government borrowing was at £10.7bn in February, higher than the £6.5bn forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
  • Former nursing assistant Mohammad Farooq, who planned to bomb Leeds's St James's Hospital, and also planned to target an RAF base, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 37 years, after being convicted of preparing acts of terrorism.
• 22 March
  • Heathrow power outage: Energy Secretary Ed Miliband orders the National Energy System Operator to "urgently investigate" the power outage.
  • Facebook agrees to stop targeting adverts at Tanya Carroll, a woman from London who works in the tech policy and human rights sector, after she filed a lawsuit against them.
• 24 March – Netflix drama Adolescence becomes the first streaming show to top the UK's weekly TV ratings, with 6.45 million people watching its first episode.
• 25 March
  • The £9bn Lower Thames Crossing is granted planning approval. With an underground length of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), it will become the UK's largest road tunnel when completed in 2032, surpassing the Queensway Tunnel in Merseyside.
  • Hayes substation fire: A police investigation into the fire concludes there is no evidence that it was started suspiciously.
• 26 March – Rachel Reeves delivers the March 2025 United Kingdom spring statement.
• 27 March
  • King Charles III spends a short time in hospital, and cancels a visit to Birmingham scheduled for the following day, after experiencing temporary side effects from his ongoing treatment for cancer.
  • Six female members of the activist group Youth Demand are arrested at the Westminster Meeting House on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The arrests, the first to be carried out at a Quaker meeting house in the UK, are subsequently condemned by Quakers in Britain as "an aggressive violation".
• 28 March
  • Modella Capital agrees to buy W H Smith, and plans to rename the firm's outlets as TG Jones.
  • Former criminology student Nasen Saadi, described as having a "grievance against women", is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 39 years for the May 2024 murder of Amie Gray and attempted murder of Leanne Miles in Bournemouth.
  • The Ministry of Defence launches an investigation after documents containing sensitive military information were found in a city street in Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • Michael Stewart steps down as head of the Prevent scheme following the 2024 Southport attack.
  • Van production at Vauxhall's Luton plant comes to an end after 120 years.
• 29 March
  • A partial solar eclipse is visible from the UK.
  • Tate Britain confirms it is to return the painting Aeneas and His Family Fleeing Burning Troy, painted by Henry Gibbs in 1664, to a Jewish family from which it was stolen by the Nazis during World War II.
• 30 March – In his first interview since resigning as Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby tells the BBC that he forgives barrister and prolific sexual abuser John Smyth.
• 31 March
  • Paul Marchant resigns as chief executive of Primark following an allegation by a woman about "his behaviour towards her in a social environment".
  • The inaugural Organised Immigration Crime Summit is held in London, and attended by representatives from around 40 countries, as well as social media organisations such as X, TikTok and Meta.
  • A Downing Street spokesman says that the UK expects to be affected by US tariffs and is not ruling out retaliating.
  • Buckingham Palace confirms the King will return to public duties in the coming days, including an audience with the prime minister and investitures at Windsor Castle.
  • Birmingham City Council declares a major incident over an ongoing strike by refuse collectors which has left 17,000 tons of uncollected rubbish on the city's streets.

April

• 1 April
  • A man is shot dead by police at Milton Keynes Central railway station following reports he was carrying a firearm.
  • Increases in a series of essential household bills – including gas and electric, water and council tax – prompt a warning from Citizen's Advice about the impact on households, including single parents.
  • The cost of an annual TV licence increases by £5 to £174.50.
  • A pilot scheme in Greater Manchester that allowed crime victims to attend criminals' parole hearings is to be extended to the rest of England and Wales.
• 2 April – Data from the British Social Attitudes Survey indicates satisfaction with the NHS fell sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic, from 60% in 2019 to 21% in 2024, with waiting times and staff shortages cited as concerns. The results from Wales showed that the public there were the most dissatisfied.
• 3 April
  • The FTSE 100 falls sharply in response to major, worldwide tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, including a 10% charge on UK imports. The UK government announces it is planning a list of US products it could hit with retaliatory tariffs.
  • The expansion of Luton Airport is approved. An increase in annual passenger numbers from 16.9 to 32 million by 2043 is expected.
• 4 April
  • The FTSE 100 plunges for a second consecutive day, closing 4.9% lower, its biggest one-day drop since 27 March 2020.
  • Comedian Russell Brand is charged with rape, indecent assault and sexual assault relating to four separate women between 1999 and 2005.
  • The UK experiences its warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 23°C in Otterbourne and Gosport in Hampshire.
  • A woman who killed her new-born baby in 1998, suffocated possibly when wads of tissue paper were inserted into his mouth and throat, is given a two-year suspended sentence.
• 5 April
  • Jaguar Land Rover halts shipments to the United States in response to the tariffs.
  • Nick Rockett, ridden by Patrick Mullins, wins the 2025 Grand National.
  • Labour MP Dan Norris is arrested on suspicion of rape, child sex offences, child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He is immediately suspended from the party.
• 6 April
  • Starmer, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, says "the world as we knew it has gone" following the US tariffs, and the UK government "stand[s] ready to use industrial policy to help shelter British business from the storm."
  • Supercentanarian, Ethel Caterham (born 21 August 1909) surpasses the final age of 115 years, 228 days achieved by Charlotte Hughes, becoming the oldest British person in history.
• 7 April
  • The price of a first class stamp increases by 5p to £1.70.
  • Grace Davidson becomes the first woman in the UK to give birth using a transplanted womb after giving birth to a daughter.
  • King Charles III and Queen Camilla release a set of photographs ahead of their 20th wedding anniversary showing them on a state visit to Italy.
  • The UK government announces a relaxation of electric vehicle sales targets to help the car industry following the US's introduction of trade tariffs.
  • As part of cost cutting measures, the UK government is to review every organisation paid for by public funds.
• 9 April
  • Keir Starmer confirms that the first Universal theme park in Europe will be built in Bedfordshire.
  • Starmer announces that an extra 3,000 police officers – made up of neighbourhood officers and community support officers – will be recruited by police forces over the next 12 months.
  • Seven officers are injured in a multi-vehicle collision during a police chase on the A1 near Newcastle.
  • Ofcom launches its first investigation into a pro-suicide forum after getting powers to do so under the Online Safety Act.
• 11 April
  • Office for National Statistics figures indicate the UK economy grew by 0.5% in February 2025, largely fuelled by the service sector and £500m of exports to the United States as businesses rushed to beat US trade tariffs.
  • A rapid rise in "quishing" scams involving QR codes is reported, with a 14-fold increase in cases between 2019 and 2024.
  • Rishi Sunak's Resignation Honours are published. They include peerages for Michael Gove, Alister Jack and Simon Hart, and knighthoods for Jeremy Hunt and James Cleverly.
  • It is reported that the UK government's Access to Work scheme, which allows companies to apply for grants to support disabled employees, owes businesses several hundred thousand pounds.
  • Manchester's Viadux 2 is granted planning permission. It will become the tallest UK building outside London, at a height of 246 m (807 ft) and with 76 floors.
• 12 April
  • Parliament is recalled to discuss emergency legislation to save the Scunthorpe Steelworks from closure. Emergency legislation is passed allowing the UK government to take control of the steelworks, and prevent owners Jingye from closing it.
  • Three prison officers at HM Prison Frankland are treated in hospital for burns and stab wounds following an attack by Hashem Abedi, one of the men responsible for the Manchester Arena bombing.
  • The UK records its highest temperature of the year so far, with 24°C (75.2°F) recorded in Northolt, north west London.
• 13 April – Cambridge win both the 170th Men's and the 79th Women's Boat Race.
• 14 April
  • Birmingham bin strike:
    • Military planners are called in to help tackle mounting piles of rubbish in Birmingham following a month-long strike by refuse workers.
    • Refuse workers "overwhelmingly" reject the latest pay offer from Birmingham City Council.
  • The UK government suspends kitchen use for high security prisoners housed in separation units following Hashem Abedi's attack on three prison guards at Frankland Prison.
• 15 April – The UK's longest-running women's magazine, The Lady, announces it has ceased publication after 140 years, with the April 2025 edition being its last in print. The magazine's website will continue though.
• 16 April
  • The Supreme Court rules that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that only biological and not trans women meet the definition of a woman under equality laws. The Court adds that transgender people will remain protected from discrimination or harassment under the Equality Act.
  • Far-right activist Tommy Robinson loses a Court of Appeal challenge against his prison sentence.
  • Inflation falls for the second consecutive month, from 2.8% in February to 2.6% in March.
  • The separation centre at HMP Frankland is emptied of prisoners, with Hashem Abedi being transferred to the high-security HMP Belmarsh.
• 17 April
  • Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announces that the Prison Service will conduct a review of whether protective body armour should be made available to frontline staff.
  • Following the previous day's ruling that trans women do not meet the definition of women under Equality Laws, the British Transport Police announces that trans women arrested on Britain’s railways will in future be strip-searched by male officers “in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee”.
  • The chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission warns that the NHS will be pursued if it does not follow new guidance on single-sex spaces.
  • The annual GDP of the City of London passes the £100 billion mark for the first time.
• 18 April
  • Italian police confirm that a British couple were among four people killed in a cable car crash near Naples the previous day.
  • Sweet manufacturer Mondelēz International announces it is discontinuing the dark chocolate version of its Toblerone bar in the UK.
  • A no fly zone is put in place over the Sandringham Estate after drones were spotted flying over the estate during the 2 March visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
  • The UK government announces that pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open until 1am on 8 May to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
• 19 April – Transgender rights protesters gather outside Parliament following a Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. Police subsequently launch an investigation after several statues, including those of women's votes campaigner Dame Millicent Fawcett and former South African prime minister Jan Smuts, are damaged during the protest.
• 19 April–5 May – The 2025 World Snooker Championship takes place in Sheffield.
• 20 April – DHL Express suspends deliveries to the US worth more than $800 (£603) because of new tariffs, which it says have resulted in a "significant increase" in red tape at customs.
• 21 April – Leaders from across the UK including the Prime Minister and King Charles pay tribute to Pope Francis, following his death at the age of 88.
• 22 April
  • Kensington Palace confirms that Prince William will attend Pope Francis's funeral on 26 April. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also attend.
  • Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announces a judge-led inquiry into the 2023 Nottingham attacks; the inquiry will be chaired by Deborah Taylor.
  • Marks & Spencer says it has been dealing with a cyberattack which has led to delays in some online deliveries.
  • A consultancy on redundancies at British Steel's Scunthorpe plant will not go ahead after the UK government took control of the facility.
  • The UK government announces a nationalities league table for crimes.
  • The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates criticises Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman for her comments about "bigotry, prejudice and hatred coming from the Supreme Court", following its judgement on the definition of a woman.
  • The International Monetary Fund forecasts a further three interest rate cuts for the UK during 2025.
• 24 April – Office for National Statistics data indicates a 22% increase in personal thefts in England and Wales during 2024 when compared to the previous year.
• 25 April – Marks & Spencer temporarily stops taking online orders as it continues to recover from a cyberattack earlier in the week.
• 26 April
  • Prince William and Keir Starmer are among world dignitaries to attend the funeral of Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
  • The Equalities and Human Rights Commission publishes interim guidance on how organisations should interpret the UK Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman, recommending that transgender people should be offered alternative facilities to use.
  • The Royal Navy says that ships have been deployed from Portsmouth and Plymouth in recent days to track Russian warships that entered British waters.
  • Just Stop Oil protestors march through London for what is described as their "final day of action". During the march a minivan appears to be driven deliberately at demonstrators.
• 27 April – Two members of the protest group Youth Demand are arrested after throwing powder paint over Tower Bridge during the 2025 London Marathon.
• 28 April – The UK government announces that asylum seekers convicted of sexual offences will not be allowed to stay in the UK.
• 29 April
  • Dr. Victoria McCloud, the UK's only openly transgender judge, announces plans to take the UK government to the European Court of Human Rights over the Supreme Court's ruling on biological sex.
  • A consultation process is launched to consider extending the sugar tax to more pre-packaged drinks, such as milkshakes and lattes.
  • The UK records its warmest temperature of the year so far, with 24.9°C (76.8°F) in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, and Trawscoed, west Wales.
• 30 April
  • Royal Mail shareholders approve a £3.6bn sale of its parent company to EP Group.
  • The Co-op temporarily closes part of its IT system following a cyberattack.
  • Richard Burrows, a former housemaster at a Cheshire boarding school who spent three decades on the run in Thailand, is sentenced to 46 years in prison for sexual offences involving 24 boys between 1968 and 1995.

May

• 1 May
  • The record is broken for the UK's warmest start to May, with temperatures reaching 29°C in London.
  • The Football Association announces that transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England from 1st June.
  • Ethel Caterham becomes the world's oldest person, at the age of 115 years and 252 days.
  • Harrods becomes the latest UK retailer to be hit by a cyberattack.
  • Local elections are held in England.
  • Two Palestinian girls from Gaza become the first to arrive in the UK for medical treatment since the war with Israel began in October 2023.
• 2 May
  • Reform UK wins 677 of around 1,600 seats contested in the English local elections, making gains mostly at the expense of the Conservatives. Reform also wins the Runcorn and Helsby by-election and the Lincolnshire mayoral election.
  • The Liberal Democrats gain an extra 160 seats, and control of Oxfordshire County Council, Shropshire County Council and Cambridgeshire County Council.
  • United Nations judge Lydia Mugambe is sentenced to six years and four months in prison for keeping a Ugandan woman as a domestic slave while she was studying for a PhD in Law at the University of Oxford.
  • Prince Harry loses an appeal over the level of security he and his family are entitled to while in the UK, and tells the BBC he wishes to reconcile with the Royal family, but that King Charles III will not talk to him.
• 3 May – Eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, are arrested in two separate counter-terrorism police investigations, one of them concerning an investigation to "target a specific premises".
• 4 May – Uber begins allowing customers across most of the UK to pay taxi fares in cash.
• 5 May
  • A BBC investigation says that Bulgarian nationals Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova, who were convicted of spying for Russia, attended an event to debate Brexit in a committee room at the Palace of Westminster in May 2016.
  • Zhao Xintong of China wins the 2025 World Snooker Championship after defeating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final.
  • Two motorcycle riders, named as Owen Jenner of the United Kingdom and Shane Richardson of New Zealand, die following an 11-bike crash during a British Superbike event in Cheshire.
• 5 May to 8 May – VE Day 80 – A Shared Moment of Celebration: five hundred lamp lights of peace are lit across the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories, as part of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
• 6 May
  • After three years of talks, the UK and India agree a trade deal that will reduce duty on UK goods such as whisky and cars exported to India and on Indian goods such as clothing and cars imported into the UK.
  • Two men are arrested after a man, subsequently named as Gurvinder Singh Johal, is stabbed to death at a Lloyds Bank in Derby.
• 7 May
  • Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announces that the minimum age for being a train driver will be lowered from 20 to 18, in a bid to reduce staff shortages that often lead to service cancellations.
  • Phase 4 of the Hornsea Wind Farm off the coast of East Yorkshire is scrapped by Danish company Ørsted, due to recent cost increases.
• 8 May
  • The Bank of England cuts interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%.
  • The UK and US agree a trade deal that will give UK businesses relief from some of the tariffs US President Donald Trump had introduced on products such as cars, steel and aluminium since he became president in January, and remove long-standing UK tariffs on US beef.
• 9 May
  • It is announced that transgender women will no longer be able to use the women's toilets in the Scottish Parliament building.
  • Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, are found guilty of illegally cutting down the world famous Sycamore Gap tree. They will be sentenced on 15 July.
  • The Royal Horticultural Society unveils Catherine's Rose, a rose named after the Princess of Wales and intended to highlight the healing power of nature.
• 10 May – Starmer attends a summit in Kyiv with other European leaders, and describes the outcome of the meeting as a "significant moment" in the journey to securing a ceasefire with Russia.
• 12 May
  • Starmer unveils a proposal for major changes to the UK immigration system – including English tests for all visa applicants and their adult dependants, a cut in recruitment of overseas care workers, and a longer route to settled status.
  • A widespread power outage causes severe disruption on the London Underground.
  • At a hearing at the Old Bailey, six Bulgarians who were convicted of spying for the Kremlin are sentenced to a collective total of 50 years imprisonment.
  • Counter-terrorism police have launched an investigation after two properties linked to the prime minister were damaged in arson attacks.
• 13 May – The Court of Appeal quashes the conviction of Peter Sullivan, who spent 38 years in prison for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall, following the emergence of new evidence.
• 14 May
  • A further 1,400 prison spaces are to be freed up in England and Wales after the UK government announces a further raft of early releases. Three new prisons will also be built at a cost of £4.7bn.
  • Evri and DHL's UK operation announce a merger that will create a parcel delivery company that will handle over a billion packages a year.
• 15 May
  • Office for National Statistics figures have shown the UK economy grew by 0.7% in the first three months of the year, higher than expected.
  • The Metropolitan Police confirm that a 21-year-old man has been charged over fires at two properties and a car linked to the prime minister.
  • During an official visit to Albania, Starmer says that the UK is in talks with other countries with a view to establishing "overseas return hubs" for failed asylum seekers.
• 16 May
  • MPs vote to amend the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to allow healthcare staff to opt out of helping in the process of assisted dying if they wish to.
  • Some Tesco customers have reported difficulty in accessing the retailer's app and website.
  • The UK's longest direct train service, a 775 mile route linking Aberdeen and Penzance, runs for the final time after 100 years of use after operator CrossCountry decided to end the service in favour of a more efficient timetable.
• 17 May
  • A stabbing incident in Thamesmead, South East London, results in five people being hospitalised, all of whom are subsequently arrested.
  • A second arrest is made in connection with fires at properties linked to the prime minister.
• 19 May
  • The UK brokers a deal with the EU covering defence, food, fishing and passport checks.
  • A third arrest is made in connection with fires at properties linked to the prime minister.
• 20 May
  • Gaza crisis:
    • The UK, France, and Canada demand that Israel end its Gaza offensive, as reports emerge of 14,000 babies at risk of starvation within the next 48 hours, a false accusation made by UN officials, which was debunked and retracted within days.
    • The UK suspends trade talks with Israel and summons its ambassador, Tzipi Hotovely. Speaking in the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary David Lammy describes the situation in Gaza as "intolerable" and "abominable".
  • Logistics firm Peter Green Chilled, a distributor to major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Aldi, announces it has been the victim of a ransomware attack.
  • A second individual is charged and remanded over fires at properties linked to the prime minister.
• 21 May
  • The world's first gonorrhoea vaccine is launched by NHS England, with an efficacy of 30–40%.
  • West Nile virus is detected in UK mosquitoes for the first time.
  • Inflation rises from 2.6% to 3.5% for April, its highest level in over a year, and more than the 3.3% forecast. The rise is attributed to an increase in household bills in April.
  • In a U-turn, Starmer announces that the UK government will re-examine the threshold for winter fuel payments, and that he wants more pensioners to be eligible for the payment.
  • The Met Office forecasts rain for the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, bringing the prolonged spell of warm weather to an end.
  • A third man is charged in connection with fires at properties linked to the prime minister.
  • Marks & Spencer says the disruption caused by its cyberattack will last until July.
  • The UK government announces plans for a single parking app, which would replace the present situation of people needing to download several apps to pay for parking.
• 22 May
  • The UK signs a deal with Mauritius to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, and lease back the military base at Diego Garcia for an annual cost of £101m.
  • The Princess of Wales officially names the UK's newest warship, HMS Glasgow, at a ceremony on the River Clyde.
  • An independent sentencing review recommends the release of prisoners in England and Wales, including some serious offenders, after a third of their sentence if they have demonstrated good behaviour in order to ease prison overcrowding. The principles of the review are accepted by the Justice Secretary, who also announces that a voluntary chemical castration scheme for sex offenders will be extended to 20 prisons.
  • Office for National Statistics figures indicate that net migration to the UK fell by almost 50% between 2023 and 2024, mainly due to restrictions introduced by the previous Conservative government, with a net increase of 431,000.
  • Scientists at the National Oceanography Centre and Met Office have reported a 4°C increase in sea temperature around the UK and Ireland due to the recent heatwave, potentially impacting on marine life.
  • The French Navy impounds a British fishing vessel which it accuses of fishing illegally.
• 23 May
  • Ofgem announces that the Energy price cap will fall by 7% in July, with the average household energy bill dropping by £129 per year to £1,720, but still higher than it was a year ago.
  • Police in Sri Lanka have arrested a British woman after allegedly finding 101lbs of kush, a synthetic drug, in her suitcase.
  • American buyout firm RedBird Capital Partners agrees to buy The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, and The Spectator following a two year ownership vacuum.
  • IT firm Tata Consultancy Services, which provides IT services to Marks & Spencer, has launched an investigation to determine whether it was the source of the IT attack on the retailer.
• 24 May
  • A 41-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder, following the deaths of a woman and three children in a house fire in Brent, north-west London.
  • Ofcom launches an investigation into Royal Mail after delivery targets were missed for a quarter of first class mail.
• 25 May
  • Labour's renationalisation of the UK's railways begins as the train operator South Western Railway is taken into public ownership.
  • Gary Lineker presents his final Match of the Day after 26 years of hosting the BBC show.
• 26 May – A number of people are treated in hospital after a car ploughs into a large crowd at a parade in Liverpool to celebrate Liverpool F.C.'s 2024–25 Premier League title win. A man is arrested, but the incident is not being treated as terrorist-related.
• 27 May – The International Monetary Fund has increased its growth forecast for the UK economy during 2025 to 1.2% after downgrading it from 1.6% to 1.1% last month, and to 1.4% during 2026, but warns the Chancellor to stick to her tax and spending plans.
• 28 May
  • Thames Water is fined £122.7m for breaching rules over sewage spills and shareholder payouts.
  • Tens of thousands of energy customers who had prepayment meters forcibly installed may be eligible for compensation of up to £1,000, as well as having their debts written off.
  • The Crown Prosecution Service outlines 21 charges it intends to bring against social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate upon their return to the UK.
• 29 May
  • A rule that prevented heat pumps from being fitted within a metre of a neighbouring property is rescinded, in a bid to improve the rate of new installations.
  • Two new reservoirs – the UK's first since 1992 – are granted planning approval. The Fens Reservoir and Lincolnshire Reservoir are scheduled for completion in 2036 and 2040, respectively.
  • Liverpool parade incident: A suspect is charged with offences relating to grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving. He appears in court the following day, where he is remanded in custody and a provisional trial date is set for 24 November.
  • Figures published by the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders indicate 59,203 vehicles were made in the UK during April, the lowest figure in 70 years (excluding April 2020), and coinciding with the introduction of US tariffs and the Easter holidays, both of which impacted on manufacturing.
  • Lawyers representing Andrew and Tristan Tate say they will return to the UK to face criminal charges once proceedings against them have concluded in Romania.
• 30 May
  • Russell Brand, appearing at Southwark Crown Court, pleads not guilty to charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault.
  • Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin from 1983 until 2018, is awarded €100,000 in a libel case in Dublin against the BBC.
  • A prison officer has undergone emergency surgery after being stabbed during an attack at HM Prison Long Lartin in Worcestershire.
• 31 May
  • Secretary of State for Defence John Healey announces that the UK government is to spend £1.5bn on at least six new munitions and explosives factories to "better deter our adversaries".
  • Rugby league authorities say their players have been "poorly treated" by the honours system, as pressure grows for a first knighthood or damehood for the sport.
  • More than 1,100 migrants cross the English Channel in a single day, the highest number of 2025 so far.

June

• 1 June
  • The sale of disposable vapes is banned in the UK.
  • The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that tough choices are "unavoidable" as the UK government finalises its Spending Review, due to be announced on 11 June.
  • The Met Office projects that the UK is twice as likely to experience a hotter than average summer during 2025.
  • An intruder is arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle after entering a restricted area.
• 2 June
  • Keir Starmer, speaking in Glasgow, outlines the strategic defence review and says the UK is moving to "war-fighting readiness". He announces the building of 12 new attack submarines, and confirms that £15bn will be spent on upgrading nuclear warheads.
  • The Met Office reports that March–May 2025 was the UK's warmest spring on record, and the driest in more than 50 years. The agency predicts that the UK will experience a hotter-than-normal summer with an increased chance of heatwaves.
  • 2025 Liverpool parade incident: Merseyside police confirm that 109 people were injured during the incident.
  • The UK government announces plans to fast track the remodelling of flight paths in a plan that it believes will shorten journey times and lead to fewer delays.
  • A fourth person is arrested in connection with fires at properties linked to the prime minister.
• 3 June
  • The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warns that UK economic growth will be impacted because of US tariff barriers and high interest payments on government debt.
  • Private equity firm KKR pulls out of a planned £4bn rescue package for Thames Water, placing the utility company's future in jeopardy.
  • Portuguese and German police begin a fresh search for missing British toddler Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal in May 2007.
  • Fashion brand The North Face and jewellers Cartier become the latest victims of cyberattacks.
• 4 June
  • The Trump administration's executive order doubling steel and aluminium tariffs from 25% to 50% is temporarily suspended for the UK.
  • Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirms that more pensioners will receive winter fuel payments in the coming winter.
  • Reeves announces £15bn investment for tram, bus and train projects in the Midlands, northern England and West Country.
  • Police launch an investigation into a number of deaths of patients following heart operations at Castle Hill Hospital in Hull.
• 5 June
  • The renewed search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal ends after three days, with investigators having searched places in the area where she disappeared.
  • Professional footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who imported £600,000 of cannabis into the UK from Thailand in September 2024, is sentenced to four years in prison.
• 6 June
  • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms and torrential rain covering large areas of England and Wales for Saturday 7 June.
  • Oghenochuko Ojiri, a former art expert on the television series Bargain Hunt, is sentenced to two years and six months in prison for failing to declare art he sold to a suspected Hezbollah financier.
  • BBC News reports that the M&S hackers sent an email to the retailer's chief executive, Stuart Machin, boasting about what they had done and demanding money.
• 7 June – A Delta Air Lines flight from London to Detroit is forced to return to Heathrow Airport because of a cracked windscreen.

Predicted and scheduled events

• Passenger train operators will continue to be renationalised, with services to be managed at some future time by Great British Railways. c2c will be the next to be taken back into public ownership, on 20 July 2025. Greater Anglia will happen in autumn 2025.
• 22 June – 350th anniversary of the Royal Observatory Greenwich
• 4 July to 9 August – Oasis' reunion tour Oasis Live '25 is set to take place across the UK and Ireland with 12 shows in the UK announced (14 in total), starting on 4 July in Cardiff and ending on 9 August in the UK in Edinburgh (The tour will finish in Dublin, Ireland on 17 August).
• 22 August to 27 September – England will host the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup
• 1 October – A ban on junk food advertising on British television before 9pm is scheduled to come into force.

Births

• 22 January – Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi, daughter of Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Deaths

Main article: 2025 deaths in the United Kingdom

See also

• Politics of the United Kingdom
• 2020s in United Kingdom political history