2024 in the United Kingdom

2024 in the United Kingdom

Other years

2022 | 2023 | 2024 (2024) | 2025 | 2026

Countries of the United Kingdom

England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales

Popular culture

Football: England | Scotland | Wales 2024 British Grand Prix 2024 British motorcycle Grand Prix 2024 London ePrix 2024 English cricket season 2024 in British television 2024 in British music 2024 in British radio 2024 in United Kingdom politics and government United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Events from the year 2024 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Charles III
• Prime Minister – Rishi Sunak (Conservative)

Events

January

• 1 January
  • Figures show the annual number of migrants crossing the English Channel fell during 2023, doing so for the first time since records began. The provisional annual total for 2023 is 29,437, a 36% decrease from the 2022 total of 45,774.
  • Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps says that British forces are ready to act against Houthi rebels targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea.
  • VAT on period pants is abolished, potentially making the products cheaper to buy.
  • A 5% increase in the price cap on domestic energy comes into force for England, Scotland and Wales.
  • Kimberlee Singler, a 35-year-old mother accused of the murder of two of her children in Colorado, United States, appears before Westminster Magistrates Court for extradition proceedings following her arrest in London on 30 December 2023.
  • HMRC announces a crackdown on tax evasion by those who make extra cash from "side hustle" websites like Airbnb, Amazon, eBay and Etsy.
• 2 January
  • Storm Henk:
    • The Met Office issues a severe weather warning as Storm Henk hits parts of the UK, bringing winds of up to 80 mph (128 km/h), along with the risk of flooding.
    • A man in his 50s dies on the A433 near Kemble, Gloucestershire after a tree falls on his car during high winds.
    • At the London Eye, strong winds blow open a pod hatch while a family of 11 is 400 ft in the air.
    • Footage emerges of a mother and her three-year-old daughter being rescued from a submerged car in Birmingham.
    • An 87-year-old woman dies on the B4526 near Crays Pond, Oxfordshire after the car she is driving hits a fallen tree.
  • Research published by the RAC indicates that the target set by the UK government for installing rapid or ultra-rapid chargers near motorways was missed during 2023.
  • Provisional data released by the Met Office indicates 2023 was the second warmest year on record in the UK behind 2022, with Wales and Northern Ireland experiencing their warmest year on record during 2023.
  • 16-year-old Luke Littler beats Rob Cross to reach the World Darts Championship final, making him the youngest person to reach the final; overtaking Kirk Shepherd who was 21 years and 88 days old when he reached the 2008 final.
• 3 January
  • Luke Littler becomes the youngest finalist of the PDC World Darts Championship as he faces Luke Humphries in the 2024 final at the age of 16 years and 348 days. Humphries wins the final.
  • Halifax, the UK's largest money lender, cuts its mortgage rates by almost 1%, with other banks and lenders following.
• 4 January
  • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says his "working assumption" is that the general election will take place in the second half of this year.
  • Sainsbury's announces that they will offer pay rises from March as supermarkets continue their battle to retain workers. The increase means that all their workers will be paid the voluntary Real Living Wage, which is higher than the compulsory National Living Wage.
  • A man is arrested after firing shots at a cinema, newsagent, and a house in Croxteth, Liverpool.
• 5 January
  • The Metropolitan Police says it is not investigating allegations against Prince Andrew after unsealed court papers in the United States contained groping allegations against him.
  • Critics brand comments by Sir Howard Davies, chair of NatWest, as "astounding" and "out of touch with reality" after he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was "not that difficult" for someone to buy a house.
  • Chris Skidmore, MP for Kingswood, announces his intention to stand down from Parliament "as soon as possible" in protest at the UK government's decision to issue more oil and gas licences. His decision will trigger another by-election.
  • Lawyers representing potential victims of the British Post Office scandal say they have been contacted by a further 50 people following the broadcast of the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
• 6 January
  • The Metropolitan Police confirms it has launched an investigation into the Post Office for potential fraud over the Horizon IT scandal.
  • The rate of National Insurance is reduced from 12% to 10%, reducing NI contributions for an estimated 27 million employees earning between £12,571 and £50,270.
• 7 January
  • Sir Keir Starmer admits he worries about the toll of a general election year on his two teenage children as he and his wife try to keep them out of the public eye.
  • Sunak describes the Post Office scandal as "an appalling miscarriage of justice" and says the government is looking at ways to clear the names of those convicted because of faulty IT software.
• 8 January
  • Mondelez International announces plans to celebrate the bicentenary 200th Anniversary of Cadbury.
  • Chinese authorities claim to have detained an individual who they say has been working for the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6.
  • Ofgem grants permission for energy companies to resume the forced installation of prepayment meters a year after the practice was suspended and after drawing up new rules that prohibits them being installed under certain conditions, such as households where the occupant is over 75, where there are children under two, and for those with certain health conditions.
  • At an event held in Parliament Square, the actor Idris Elba calls on the UK government to introduce an immediate ban on the sale of zombie knives and machetes to reduce the number of young people losing their lives because of the weapons.
  • London and the south-east see a mix of snow, sleet, and rain as the country braces for a week-long cold spell.
  • British Post Office scandal:
    • More than a million people have signed a petition calling for former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal.
    • Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, who was Director of Public Prosecutions during the scandal, faces questions over why he failed to intervene in the prosecution of innocent sub-postmasters at the time.
• 9 January
  • Economists say that funding the student loans system in England is expected to cost the government an extra £10 billion a year.
  • British Post Office scandal:
    • Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk tells Parliament the UK government is giving "serious consideration" to introducing legislation to quash the convictions of the 700 or so sub post masters who were prosecuted as a result of the Horizon IT scandal.
    • Former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells announces that she will hand back her CBE after more than a million people signed a petition calling for her to do so.
    • Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who was Post Office minister during the scandal, comes under pressure to return his knighthood.
• 10 January
  • British Post Office scandal:
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces that emergency legislation will be brought through Parliament to "swiftly exonerate and compensate victims" of the Post Office scandal in England and Wales.
    • First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf confirms those in Scotland convicted because of the scandal will also be cleared, and that he will work with the UK government to bring this about.
  • Baroness Heather Hallett, chair of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, confirms the inquiry will postpone the start of hearing evidence about the development of a vaccine as more time is needed to prepare for a separate investigation into the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS. Consequently, the vaccine evidence, which was due to begin being heard in Summer 2024 may not begin until after the next general election.
  • HS2 Ltd releases a revised forecast for building the London to Birmingham leg of the High Speed 2 rail link, which is now estimated to total £65bn.
• 11 January
  • Former England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, announces he has terminal cancer and that he has roughly a year to live.
  • The BBC's Panorama programme finds that fast-fashion firm Boohoo have labelled 'Made in UK' on potentially thousands of clothes that were actually made in South Asia.
  • BBC News research indicates that most NHS targets have been missed for the past seven years.
  • Rishi Sunak authorises joint UK–US air strikes against Houthi rebels following attacks against cargo shipping targets in the Red Sea.
  • A fire starts on the 200 hybrid electric bus during the morning rush hour in Wimbledon.
  • Scutigera coleoptrata, a venomous centipede, is discovered in the United Kingdom for the first time. Dr Richard Jones, an academic at the University of Leicester, spotted the bug in his downstairs bathroom in Upton, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire.
• 12 January
  • 2024 missile strikes in Yemen:
    • The UK and US launch air strikes against Houthi rebel sites in Yemen.
    • The Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru call for a recall of parliament to enable a vote on RAF involvement in the air strikes, since Parliament had already risen for the weekend when Sunak authorised the UK's participation.
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK economy grew by 0.3% in November 2023, having retracted by the same amount the previous month, meaning the UK avoided going into recession, although the risk of doing so remains.
  • The government defends spending £27,000 replenishing its wine cellar during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Sunak announces a further £2.5bn in military aid for Ukraine during 2024.
  • British Post Office scandal:
    • The BBC reports that Post Office managers threatened and lied to the broadcaster in an attempt to conceal key evidence ahead of the broadcast of the 2015 Panorama documentary that brought the Horizon IT scandal to public attention.
    • Financial experts estimate the Post Office may have underpaid £100m in tax because of how it declared compensation payments to victims of the Horizon IT scandal.
• 13 January
  • Thousands of people join a pro-Palestinian march in London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
  • A fleet of electric buses are withdrawn in South London after a fire starts on the 200 hybrid electric bus on 11 January.
  • A new biography of King Charles III by Daily Mail royal correspondent Robert Hardman says that a memo written by Queen Elizabeth II's private secretary, Sir Edward Young, reports that the Queen's final moments in September 2022 were "very peaceful".
  • Five cross-Channel migrants, the first seen in 2024, arrive in a Border Force boat in Kent after being picked up while crossing from France.
• 14 January
  • Five people die when a small boat overturned in French waters as around 70 people try to board it in an attempt to migrate across the English Channel to the UK.
  • Thousands of people attend a pro-Israel rally in London to mark 100 days since the 7 October attack and call for the release of all hostages from Gaza.
  • Six people are arrested over a plot by the protest group Palestine Action to disrupt the London Stock Exchange.
  • Ronnie O'Sullivan wins the 2024 Masters after beating Ali Carter, making him both the youngest and oldest winner in the tournament's history. He won his first title in the 1995 Masters when he was 19 years old. 29 years later, he wins his eighth at the age of 48.
• 15 January
  • The portrait of King Charles III for use on public buildings, such as courts and government offices is unveiled.
  • Another week of strike action is announced by the ASLEF train drivers union, to run from Tuesday 30 January until Monday 5 February.
  • The Home Office announces that it will proscribe the radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation, accused of praising the Hamas attacks.
  • A review into investigations conducted by Greater Manchester Police between 2004 and 2019 finds that girls were "left at the mercy" of paedophile grooming gangs for several years because of failings by senior police and council bosses.
  • Alison Phillips confirms she will stand down as editor of the Daily Mirror at the end of January, having been in the role since 2018.
• 16 January
  • Schools are closed and commuters face disruption following snowfall across parts of the UK.
  • Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith resign their positions as Deputy Chairmen of the Conservative Party, after saying they would back rebel amendments on the Rwanda bill. Jane Stevenson also resigns as a Parliamentary Private Secretary so she can vote for the amendment.
  • British brothers Stewart and Louis Ahearne are sentenced to three and a half years in prison by a court in Switzerland for their part in a 2019 robbery of Ming dynasty art from a museum in Geneva.
  • The Met Office issues a warning for what is expected to be the coldest January night since 2010. Temperatures fall to −14 °C in parts of Scotland, while the following night (17 January) is the coldest of the winter for many places.
  • Giving evidence to the inquiry into the Post Office scandal, Paul Patterson, the chief executive of Fujitsu Europe, says the company has a "moral obligation" to contribute to compensation for sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted as a result of its faulty IT software, and apologises for the impact the scandal had on those affected by it.
• 17 January
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics shows a slight increase in inflation for December 2023, with a rise to 4% compared to 3.9% in November.
  • Broadcaster and football executive Eniola Aluko threatens to take legal action after receiving online abuse from footballer Joey Barton.
  • Buckingham Palace confirms that King Charles III is to undergo surgery for an enlarged prostate, while Catherine, Princess of Wales is in hospital for abdominal surgery, keeping them away from public engagements for a while.
  • The current session of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly is suspended following the failure of Democratic Unionist Party to support nominations to elect Mike Nesbitt (UUP) or Patsy McGlone (SDLP) to the role of Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
  • The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill passes its third reading in the House of Commons with MPs voting 320–276 in favour of the bill.
• 18 January
  • The UK Statistics Authority rebukes the prime minister for misleading the public over the backlog of asylum applications, which he claimed in a social media post had been cleared, while several thousand still remained. The UKSA says the claim could have affected public trust in the government.
  • A newborn girl is found in a shopping bag in Newham, London. It is thought that she was less than an hour old when she was found.
  • The legal deadline to form a Northern Ireland Executive. On the same day, over 150,000 public sector workers stage a general strike across Northern Ireland.
• 19 January
  • The Met Office issues a warning for high winds and heavy rain ahead of the arrival of Storm Isha.
  • Tata Steel confirms it is cutting 2,800 jobs. It will close its blast furnaces at Port Talbot and replace them with an electric arc furnace, which produces less CO2 but requires fewer workers.
  • The bodies of four people are found at a house in Costessey, near Norwich. All four people are believed to have been known to each other.
  • Prince Harry withdraws his libel claim against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday, over an article concerning his security arrangements during a visit to the UK.
  • A senior civil servant at the Department for Work and Pensions tells MPs that the UK government has stopped suspending Universal Credit claims flagged up as suspicious by an artificial intelligence fraud detector.
  • The European Court of Human Rights announces that Ireland launched legal action against the United Kingdom on 17 January over the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 that gives amnesty to all those accused of killings during the Troubles.
• 20 January
  • A Royal Navy investigation is launched following a collision between the British warships HMS Chiddingfold and HMS Bangor at a port in Bahrain.
  • A speech to the Fabian Society conference by Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy is interrupted by pro-Palestinian protestors.
• 21 January
  • Weather alerts, including two amber warnings, are issued for the entire UK as Storm Isha brings winds of up to 99 mph.
  • A technical fault prevents some Tesco grocery orders from being fulfilled.
  • A spokesman for Sarah, Duchess of York confirms she has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma following the removal of a cancerous mole during treatment for breast cancer, and is undergoing further investigation. She is the third member of the royal family to undergo a medical procedure in under a week.
• 22 January
  • Two deaths are reported in the aftermath of Storm Isha, while tens of thousands of homes remain without power, and transport services face ongoing disruption. A new storm – Storm Jocelyn – is expected to hit parts of the UK tomorrow.
  • After the Royal Mail proposes that its deliveries should be made from Monday to Friday only, Downing Street states that the government would not support such a move, with the Prime Minister expressing a view that Saturday deliveries provide "flexibility and convenience".
  • Consultancy firm Cornwall Insight forecasts that energy bills will fall by 16% in April, saving the average household around £300 a year.
  • The UK and US launch fresh air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
  • The UK's Charity Commission launches an investigation into antisemitic speeches given by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to students at a UK-based Islamic charity, which included chants of "death to Israel".
• 23 January
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates government borrowing in December was at £7.8bn, a fall from £16.2bn in December 2022, and the lowest since 2019.
  • Sunak tells Parliament the UK will not hesitate to launch further air strikes against Houthi rebels if they continue to attack shipping targets in the Red Sea, but does not seek confrontation with the group.
  • Most of the UK is placed under a Met Office yellow weather warning for high winds as Storm Jocelyn arrives.
  • 2023 Nottingham attacks: Valdo Calocane admits three counts of manslaughter and three of attempted murder.
• 24 January
  • Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, warns that the UK should train a "citizen army" ready to fight a war on land in the future, highlighting Russia as a potential threat and the steps being taken by other European countries to put their populations on a "war footing".
  • Ofcom publish plans to reform Royal Mail with the options of reducing postal deliveries from six to five or three days a week, or delaying the time the service takes to fulfil its deliveries.
  • Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, announces that he and his Manchester counterpart, Andy Burnham, are to meet Mark Harper, the Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss proposals for a privately-funded alternative to the abandoned Manchester leg of HS2.
  • The UK is to lend several pieces of the Ghana crown jewels back to Ghana 150 years after looting them from the court of the Asante king.
• 25 January
  • The UK government announces fresh plans to ban the sale of zombie knives, with legislation taking effect from the autumn.
  • Lloyds Banking Group announces plans to cut around 1,600 positions from its branch staff in a reorganisation that it says is because more customers are banking online.
• 26 January
  • Buckingham Palace confirms that King Charles III has been admitted to hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate.
  • Jürgen Klopp, currently the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, announces he is departing as manager of Liverpool F.C. after the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, and taking a break from football management.
• 27 January
  • The UK government suspends funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, after the organisation sacked several officials reported to have been involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.
  • Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, asks Henry Staunton to step down as chair of Post Office Limited after 13 months in the role, as the government moves to strengthen governance at the Post Office in the wake of the long-running Horizon IT scandal.
  • John Lewis & Partners announce further cuts to the number of its staff over the coming five years, with The Guardian reporting up to 11,000 jobs could go.
  • The British Association of Dermatologists warns against the use of skincare products by children as young as eight, saying that to do so could leave them with irreversible skin damage.
• 28 January
  • The hottest UK temperature in January is provisionally recorded by the Met Office, with a peak of 19.6 °C (67.3 °F) at Kinlochewe, Scottish Highlands, more than a degree higher than the previous record in 2003.
  • The UK government announces plans to ban disposable vapes in an attempt to tackle the growing number of children taking up vaping.
• 29 January
  • The King and the Princess of Wales are both discharged from hospital.
  • Laurence Fox loses a High Court libel case with social media users he called paedophiles.
  • Reporting on cases in family courts in England and Wales is extended to a further 16 venues following a trial at three locations.
  • A University College London study of five cases of Alzheimer's disease suggests they could have been caused by a treatment in which the patients were injected with growth hormones from dead people, a treatment that was withdrawn in the mid-1980s.
• 30 January
  • Lucy Letby has her initial request for permission to appeal against seven murder convictions and six attempted murder convictions refused by the Court of Appeal.
  • HSBC is fined £57.4m by the Bank of England for "serious failings" over its measures to protect customer deposits.
  • The ONS publishes its latest forecast of UK population, suggesting that the number of people in the UK could rise from 67 to 73.7 million by 2036, driven by strong immigration.
• 31 January
  • Post-Brexit controls on food, plant and animal imports to Britain from the EU come into force.
  • 2024 Northern Ireland Executive Formation: Details of a deal between the UK government and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore devolution in Northern Ireland are published.
  • Nine people, including three police officers, are taken to hospital following an attack using what is described as a "corrosive substance" on a car in Clapham, south west London. The suspect is named as Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, a 35-year-old man from the "Newcastle area".

February

• 1 February
  • A ban on owning an American XL Bully dog comes into force in England and Wales. It is now a criminal offence to own one of the dogs unless the owner has successfully applied for the dog to be exempt.
  • The Bank of England holds interest rates at 5.25%.
  • Climate activist Greta Thunberg appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court, charged with breaching section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. Her case, and that of four co-defendants, is thrown out the following day.
  • COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom: The first private service for COVID-19 vaccination begins rolling out to pharmacies around the UK, allowing those who are under 65 to receive the latest booster.
• 2 February
  • Senior Labour MP Darren Jones confirms that the party has ditched its commitment to spend £28bn a year on green investment schemes if it wins the next general election.
  • The killers of 16-year-old transgender girl Brianna Ghey are named as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both aged 15 at the time of the murder in February 2023. They are sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to minimum terms of 22 and 20 years, respectively.
  • Water UK, the umbrella trade organisation for the UK's water companies, says that the average annual water bill is expected to increase by 6% in England and Wales from April, an average rise of £27 to £473.
• 3 February
  • 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation:
    • The Northern Ireland Assembly meets to elect a new Speaker. Edwin Poots, a former leader of the DUP, is chosen to be the Assembly's 7th Speaker.
    • The Northern Ireland Executive is restored after the DUP ends its two year boycott; Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill is appointed First Minister, becoming the first nationalist politician to hold the post, while the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly is appointed deputy.
  • A third round of joint UK–US air strikes are launched against Houthi rebels, targeting three sites in Yemen. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says the latest strikes are "not an escalation" of the conflict.
  • Esther Martin, a 68-year-old woman, is killed by dogs while visiting her grandson for the weekend in Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.
• 4 February – CCTV footage of alkali attack suspect Abdul Shakoor Ezedi in a Tesco store is shown by the police, as a reward of £20,000 is offered for information leading to his capture.
• 5 February
  • Buckingham Palace announces that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and will postpone public duties while undergoing treatment.
  • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for snow for large parts of north Wales, and northern and central England, for 8 February as unseasonably mild temperatures are replaced by colder weather.
  • A 16-year-old boy is found guilty of plotting to launch a terrorist attack at the Isle of Wight Festival following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.
  • The UK government launches a six-week consultation on plans for Martyn's Law, which would make provisions to better protect the public against potential acts of terrorism.
• 6 February – Around eight million people on means tested benefits begin to receive the final scheduled cost-of-living payment from the UK government, as Sunak tells the BBC the financial pressures on households are beginning to ease.
• 7 February
  • The government announces that Dentists will be offered a £20,000 bonus to work in the areas of England with the poorest access to NHS care.
  • Data published by Halifax Bank indicates that UK house prices increased by 2.5% in January 2024 when compared to the same month in 2023.
  • The Met Office issues two amber snow warnings for the following day covering north Wales, north-west Shropshire, the Peak District and south Pennines.
• 8 February
  • The UK government confirms that more than 100 school buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete will be rebuilt or refurbished.
  • Sir Keir Starmer insists he has no choice but to ditch Labour's £28 billion a year green investment pledge.
• 9 February
  • Weather warnings remain in place as snow and rain continue to fall across the UK.
  • Police tell reporters they believe that Abdul Shakoor Ezedi may have drowned in the River Thames, based on CCTV of the suspect at Chelsea Bridge.
  • The Duke of Sussex settles his remaining phone hacking claims against Mirror Group Newspapers, with the newspaper agreeing to pay his legal costs along with around £300,000 in compensation.
• 10 February
  • Police begin a search of the River Thames for the body of Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, the Clapham chemical attack suspect.
  • A light aircraft crashes into the garden of a property in Bodffordd, Anglesey. The male pilot, who was the only person on board, is taken to hospital by air ambulance.
  • In the first statement to be released since his cancer diagnosis, Charles III thanks the public for their messages of support.
• 11 February – British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown accuses Malaysia of seeking "political revenge" for her reporting after a court jailed her in absentia for criminal defamation of a Malaysian royal.
• 12 February
  • Azhar Ali, the Labour Party's Rochdale by-election candidate, is suspended from the party over comments about Israel and Jewish people. He will however remain on the ballot as the Labour candidate, as it is too late to replace him under electoral law.
  • Three apologises after three days of outages that left around 12,000 people without mobile signals and data.
  • Child killer Colin Pitchfork will be reconsidered for parole after successfully challenging a Parole Board decision to refuse him parole on the grounds he poses too much of a risk if released from prison.
• 13 February
  • A catastrophic loss of seabird numbers is reported by the RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology, due to the spread of H5N1 bird flu.
  • Police begin an investigation into reports of antisemitism during a performance by comedian Paul Currie at the Soho Theatre in London, which left Jewish audience members feeling "unsafe" and "threatened".
  • Labour leader Keir Starmer insists he took "decisive action" over comments made by Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali.
  • Cosmetics retailer The Body Shop enters administration, putting more than 2,200 jobs at risk.
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that the average annual increase in employee earnings (excluding bonuses) was 6.2%, using data from the final three months of 2023.
• 14 February
  • Office for National Statistics data shows that UK inflation remained at 4% in January 2024, despite a slight fall in food prices and a rise in energy prices.
  • Train drivers' union ASLEF announces that drivers at five train operators – Chiltern, c2c, East Midlands, Northern and TransPennine – have voted for a further six months of industrial action.
  • Food delivery drivers with companies including Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo stage a five-hour strike between 5pm and 10pm over pay and conditions.
• 15 February
  • The UK is confirmed to be in a recession, after the economy shrank by 0.3% between October and December, having already contracted between July and September 2023.
  • The new names of London's six Overground lines are revealed, with significant changes to the look of the famous Tube map set to take place. From September the six lines will be known as Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty.
• 16 February
  • 2024 Wellingborough by-election: Labour's Gen Kitchen takes the Conservative Peter Bone's former seat, which he had held with a majority of more than 18,000. The swing of 28.5% is the second largest swing from Conservative to Labour at a by-election since the Second World War.
  • 2024 Kingswood by-election: Labour's Damien Egan overturns an 11,220 Conservative majority to win Conservative Chris Skidmore's former seat.
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics shows a 3.4% increase in retail sales during January 2024, largely fuelled by food shopping and the January sales.
  • Amina Noor, who took a three-year-old British girl to Kenya for female genital mutilation in 2005, is sentenced to seven years in prison following a trial at the Old Bailey. She becomes the first person to be convicted in the UK for assisting a non-UK person to carry out the practice.
  • Prince William announces plans to build 24 homes on Duchy of Cornwall land to help tackle homelessness. The prince wants to end homelessness as part a major five-year campaign launched in 2023.
• 18 February – Senior police officers condemn "sexist and homophobic" comments made online about Karen Findlay, the newly-appointed deputy chief constable of British Transport Police, following news of her promotion.
• 19 February
  • GOV.UK updates the Royal Cypher Crown, replacing Queen Elizabeth IIs St Edward's Crown with the Tudor Crown used by King Charles III.
  • Following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Senegalese national Ibrahima Bah is found guilty of the manslaughter of four migrants when the boat he was steering ran into trouble in the English Channel. Bah had agreed to steer the boat in exchange for a free crossing in December 2022.
  • Thomas Salton of Basildon, Essex becomes the first person in the UK to be convicted of possession and intent to supply nitrous oxide, and is sentenced to four months in prison.
• 20 February
  • Police announce that a body recovered from the River Thames is believed to be that of Abdul Shakoor Ezedi because of the distinctive clothing the deceased person was wearing.
  • The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announces that cough syrups containing codeine linctus will no longer be available in the UK without a prescription amid concerns they can become addictive.
  • The Body Shop announces the closure of half of its 198 UK stores, with closures set to begin immediately; the company's head office will also be reduced in size.
• 21 February
  • An Opposition day House of Commons debate calling for a ceasefire in Gaza descends into chaos after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle breaks with Parliamentary convention to allow a vote on a Labour amendment calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" over the scheduled SNP motion calling for an "immediate ceasefire". The decision leads to protests from both Conservative and SNP MPs, who walk out of the House, leaving Labour's motion to be nodded through when the other two parties do not take part in the vote. Amid calls for his resignation, Hoyle says that he allowed the House to vote on the Labour motion so MPs could express their view on "the widest range of propositions" and was trying to protect MPs' safety.
  • A test-firing of the Trident nuclear missile system from a Royal Navy submarine is reported to have failed, for the second time in a row.
  • The UK freezes the assets of six Russian prison bosses after the death of activist Alexei Navalny in a penal colony the previous week.
  • The UK quits the Energy Charter Treaty, which had allowed fossil fuel companies to sue governments over profits lost in the drive towards net zero.
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics shows a surplus in government finances of £16.7bn in January 2024, more than double the figure for January 2023.
• 22 February
  • More than 60 MPs have signed a House of Commons motion calling for the resignation of Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
  • A further 50 sanctions against Russia are announced, aimed at restricting those supplying its military with munitions such as rocket launchers, missiles and explosives.
  • Employees of a company contracted by the Home Office are suspended after a baby's birth certificate was returned to the parents with the place of birth, Israel, crossed out.
  • The UK government announces that legislation will be introduced to clear hundreds of sub-postmasters in England and Wales who were wrongly convicted as a result of the Horizon IT scandal.
• 23 February
  • Thousands of people in the Keynam area of Plymouth, Devon are evacuated as an unexploded World War II bomb is moved by military convoy for disposal at sea. The bomb was discovered in a garden three days prior. This is also the first time that the UK Emergency Alert System is used in a live situation.
  • Ofgem confirms that the average annual energy bill will fall by £238 from April to £1,690, its lowest rate for two years.
  • Shamima Begum loses her legal bid to overturn the decision to revoke her UK citizenship.
  • Ibrahima Bah is sentenced to nine years and six months in prison.
  • The Cabinet Office confirms that Paula Vennells has been formally stripped of her CBE for "bringing the honours system into disrepute".
  • A body found in the River Thames is formally identified as that of Abdul Shakoor Ezedi.
• 24 February
  • Police are called to Willy's Chocolate Experience in Glasgow after the event – which was advertised as an immersive and interactive family experience using AI generated images – turns out to be a largely empty warehouse with a few props and decorations; attendees label the event a "scam" and "farce". In the following week, photos and videos from the shambolic event go viral online, garnering international media attention.
  • Conservative MP and a former Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson has the party whip suspended over his claims that "Islamists" have "got control" of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
  • Another round of joint UK–US air strikes are carried out against Houthi rebels.
• 25 February – The Post Office has hired investigators, including some former police officers, to look at the work of its own investigation into the Horizon IT scandal.
• 27 February
  • Prince William unexpectedly pulls out of attending a memorial service for King Constantine II of Greece citing personal matters.
  • South Staffordshire Council issue an enforcement notice on the landowner of The Crooked House requiring them to rebuild the building to its former dimensions and style as a public house.
  • While giving evidence under oath, former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton tells a parliamentary hearing on the Horizon IT scandal that current Post Office chair Nick Read is under internal investigation.
• 28 February
  • The Duke of Sussex loses a High Court challenge against the UK government's decision to downgrade his security status when he stopped being a working royal.
  • A study in the British Medical Journal links ultra-processed foods to 32 negative health impacts, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death.
  • Following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Iain Packer is found guilty of the April 2005 murder of Emma Caldwell, a sex worker whose body was found in woods five weeks after she disappeared from Glasgow. Packer, who is also convicted of 32 other offences against women, including rapes and sexual assaults, is sentenced to at least 36 years in prison, the second longest prison sentence to be handed out by a Scottish court.
• 29 February
  • 2024 Rochdale by-election: In an unusually chaotic by-election, former MP George Galloway resoundingly wins for the Workers Party of Britain, marking his return to parliament. Independent candidate David Tully comes second, with the Conservative candidate Paul Ellison coming third. Both the Labour and Green Party candidates were disowned by their respective parties.
  • Angiolini Inquiry: The public inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard finds that her killer Wayne Couzens should never have been a police officer, and that opportunities to detect his offending were missed. The report contains 16 recommendations to prevent anyone "entrusted with the powers of a serving police officer" from abusing that trust again.
  • Michael Gove is placed under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, in relation to his register of financial interests.
  • Sainsbury's announces it is cutting 1,500 jobs over three years in an attempt to save £1bn.

March

• 1 March
  • 35-year-old Marcus Osborne is given a whole life order, the most severe possible sentence available in England and Wales, for the "sadistic" murders of Steven Harnett and Katie Higton. He receives a further 10-year sentence for the rape and false imprisonment of another woman who was present at the scene, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
  • 29-year-old Joshua Jacques is sentenced to a minimum of 46 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend and three of her family members in a "sacrifice" at their home in Bermondsey, south London, in April 2022.
  • The Met Office reports that England and Wales had their warmest February on record this year, with an average of 7.5 °C recorded for England and 6.9 °C for Wales.
  • Scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science announce the discovery of a new species of sea slug off the southwest coast of England.
• 2 March
  • The 2024 BRIT Awards take place.
  • Northumberland National Park announces that the Sycamore Gap tree which was illegally felled last September is to go on public display.
• 4 March
  • The Princess of Wales is photographed for the first time since her surgery, with US celebrity news site TMZ publishing a photo of the princess riding as a passenger in a car being driven by her mother near Windsor Castle. Rumours and conspiracy theories over Catherine's whereabouts have surfaced in recent weeks as she hasn't been seen in public since late December.
  • Cadbury celebrate their 200th anniversary.
• 6 March
  • COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: Nearly 70 healthcare workers affected by long Covid sue the NHS and other employers for compensation. The total number of health workers affected by the condition in the UK is estimated at 5,000–10,000.
  • Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers the 2024 United Kingdom budget. Among the measures introduced are a 2% cut in National Insurance, the abolishing of non-dom status, a new tax on vapes, and a £3.4bn plan to modernise the NHS's IT system.
• 7 March – The Scottish Government announces an independent public inquiry into the police handling of the Emma Caldwell murder investigation.
• 8 March
  • Former Prime Minister Theresa May confirms she will step down as an MP before the next election.
  • A report into the Troubles-era British Army spy known as Stakeknife concludes that he probably cost more lives than he saved.
  • London's Homerton Fertility Centre has its licence to operate suspended over "significant concerns" after three separate errors in which embryos were lost during the freezing process.
• 9 March
  • BBC News reports that seedlings have begun to sprout from genetic material recovered at the site of the felled Sycamore Gap Tree, offering hope that the iconic tree could be restored in the future.
  • The creation of the Elizabeth Emblem is announced. It will be awarded by the monarch to the next of kin of members of the United Kingdom emergency services who are killed on duty. It will be the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross.
  • The 10th pro-Palestinian march to be staged in central London since the beginning of the Israel–Gaza conflict takes place, with tens of thousands of protestors calling for an immediate ceasefire.
  • A man is arrested after a car crashes into the gates of Buckingham Palace in the early hours of the morning.
• 10 March
  • Kensington Palace releases the first official photograph of the Princess of Wales since she underwent abdominal surgery in January. However, hours later, four international photo agencies – Associated Press, Reuters, Getty Images and AFP – withdraw the photo from their services over concerns it has been photoshopped or AI generated, after an "inconsistency in alignment of Princess Charlotte's left hand" is noted along with various other signs of digital manipulation. Kensington Palace declines to comment on the photo, as speculation intensifies over why an altered photo has been published.
  • The Mail on Sunday serialises A Very Private School, Earl Spencer's memoirs of his schooldays at Maidwell Hall during the 1970s, in which he alleges that he was sexually abused by a female member of staff while a boarder at the school. Spencer also alleges the school's headmaster during his time there took sexual pleasure in beating the boys. In response, the school says it has referred the allegations to a "local authority designated officer".
• 11 March
  • Ashfield MP Lee Anderson defects from the Conservatives to Reform UK, becoming the party's first sitting Member of Parliament. Anderson was suspended from the Conservatives on 24 February after comments made on GB News claiming Islamists had "got control" of London and its mayor Sadiq Khan.
  • In a post on X (Twitter), Catherine, Princess of Wales responds to speculation surrounding the previous day's photo and apologises for "any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused". She confirms that the photo was doctored and admits she edited it, saying "I do occasionally experiment with editing".
  • The Office for National Statistics adds air fryers and vinyl records to the basket of goods it uses to calculate the cost of inflation, with vinyl music making a return after a thirty year absence.
  • The Guardian alleges that Frank Hester, a major donor of the Conservative Party, said in 2019 that Diane Abbott "should be shot" and made him "want to hate all black women". Hester apologises for the comments, describing them as "rude" but "nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin". A spokesman for the prime minister describes the remarks as "racist and wrong".
• 12 March – Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggests a fifth of the working age population, around 9.2 million adults between the ages of 16 and 64, were not in employment between November 2023 and January 2024.
• 13 March
  • Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates the UK economy grew by 0.2% in January 2024, largely fuelled by retail sales, both in the High Street and online.
  • Sunak tells Prime Minister's Questions he will not return £10m donated to the Conservative Party by Frank Hester, because he has apologised and "his remorse should be accepted".
  • Metro Bank announces it will cease seven day trading from 29 March, with 1,000 jobs also being lost by the company.
  • The UK government announces a scheme to offer failed asylum seekers £3,000 if they agree to move to Rwanda voluntarily.
• 14 March
  • Russia is reported to have jammed the GPS signal of an RAF plane carrying Defence Secretary Grant Shapps back to the UK from Poland the previous day for around 30 minutes as the plane flew near the border of the Russian territory of Kaliningrad.
  • Speaking in the House of Commons, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove outlines the UK government's new definition of extremism, and names five groups that would be assessed against the new criteria. They are the British National Socialist Movement, Patriotic Alternative, the Muslim Association of Britain, CAGE and Muslim Engagement and Development. The new definition is criticised by civil liberties and community groups, while most of the groups named by Gove threaten legal action if they are added to the list.
  • A Royal Air Force plane carrying UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and several journalists experiences GPS signal jamming whilst flying near Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Mobile phone signals were also jammed during the flight.
  • Speaking to ITV News West Country, Sunak rules out 2 May as the date of the next general election.
  • The news website Tortoise Media reports that the Conservatives have received a further £5m in donations from Frank Hester that are yet to be declared.
• 16 March
  • Vaughan Gething is elected to lead Welsh Labour, and will become First Minister of Wales. He will be Wales's first black leader, and the first black person to lead a country in Europe.
  • Sainsbury's apologises to its online customers after a technical error meant that orders could not be fulfilled.
• 18 March – At Manchester Crown Court, Jacob Graham is sentenced to 13 years in prison together with a further five year extended period on licence for creating a "freedom encyclopaedia" containing details on how to build weapons for the purposes of terrorism.
• 19 March
  • At Southend Crown Court, 39-year-old Nicholas Hawkes, the first person in England and Wales to be convicted of cyberflashing, is sentenced to 66 weeks in prison. This new offence follows passage of the Online Safety Act, which came into effect on 31 January.
  • HMRC announces that its self-assessment helpline will be closed for six months of the year, with the line scheduled to close from 8 April to 30 September. Customers seeking help during that period will be forced to use an online chatbot.
  • The British Board of Film Classification updates its guidelines, meaning films containing scenes of sex or nudity are more likely to receive a 15 rather than a 12A rating going forward.
• 20 March
  • Inflation falls from 4% to 3.4%, its lowest rate since September 2021.
  • HMRC reverses the plan for its self-assessment helpline, announced the previous day, following criticism from the public and MPs.
  • The Senedd approves Vaughan Gething as the next First Minister of Wales.
  • The London Clinic, where the Princess of Wales underwent abdominal surgery, announces that "any breach" of patient confidentiality will be investigated after reports a member of staff tried to access her private records.
• 21 March
  • The Bank of England leaves interest rates unchanged at 5.25%, for the fifth time in a row.
  • A report published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman recommends women born in the 1950s who were affected by the 2010 changes to the state pension age should receive compensation of between £1,000 and £2,900.
• 22 March
  • Following media speculation about her health, it is revealed that the Princess of Wales has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment.
  • Wetherspoons reports an eightfold increase in pre-tax profits during the first six months of the 2023–24 financial year.
• 23 March – A report compiled by the Resolution Foundation indicates a rise in the number of people leaving work due to long-term health conditions, with the number of people inactive due to long-term health conditions rising from 2.1 million in 2019 to 2.8 million in October 2023, the longest sustained rise since 1994–1998 when records began. The UK is also the only country in the G7 not to return to pre-pandemic employment levels.
• 24 March – Avanti West Coast is to increase the fee for an overtime shift for its drivers by 380% following a deal with train drivers' union ASLEF.
• 26 March
  • Pizza retailer Papa John's announces the closure of 43 of its 450 UK outlets.
  • The High Court of Justice grants WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a stay of extradition to the United States, and demands that the US not consider the death penalty against Assange if he is sent to the US to face espionage charges.
• 27 March – Provisional figures from the Home Office indicate that 4,644 migrants have crossed the English Channel in boats during the first three months of 2024.
• 28 March – BBC News publishes details of a 2016 draft report that implies the Post Office knew its defence case in the Horizon IT scandal was false, and that it had not made full disclosure to defendants.
• 29 March
  • Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigns as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. Gavin Robinson is appointed interim leader until a new leader can be elected.
  • Pouria Zeraati, an anti-Iranian regime journalist working for Iran International, is stabbed by a group of people in London. He is taken to hospital, where he is in stable condition.
• 30 March
  • First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill says she is determined the Stormont Assembly and Executive will continue to function following the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson as DUP leader.
  • Cambridge beat Oxford to win both the 2024 men's and women's Boat Races, giving Cambridge their first consecutive men's victory and their seventh consecutive women's victory.
• 31 March
  • Charles III makes his first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer when he attends the Easter Sunday service at Windsor.
  • The UK government says it will work alongside the Northern Ireland Executive to maintain stability at Stormont.

April

• 1 April
  • The cost of an average annual energy bill falls by £238 to £1,690 under the latest Ofgem price cap, its lowest for two years.
  • The cost of a TV licence increases by £10.50 from £159 to £169.50.
  • The National Living Wage rises from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour, and is extended to workers over 21.
• 2 April
  • Royal Mail stamp increases - 1st class standard stamp goes up by 10p to £1.35 and 2nd class standard increases by 10p to 85p. Other postage has increased to.
  • Three Britons, named as John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby, are identified as being among seven people working for the food charity World Central Kitchen, who were killed during air strikes in Gaza the previous day.
  • Data compiled by the British Retail Consortium indicates falling prices of sugar, jam and chocolate helped to reduce food inflation to its lowest level for two years in March.
• 3 April
  • The Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and former UK national security adviser Lord Ricketts call for an immediate suspension of the sale of arms to Israel following the World Central Kitchen air strikes.
  • The UK government reveals that companies wishing to import food items from the European Union will be required to pay a fee of up to £145 due to Brexit from 30 April.
• 4 April
  • Three former Supreme Court justices and more than 600 legal experts call for the UK government to end weapons sales to Israel, saying the UK risks breaking international law over a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza.
  • Foreign Secretary David Cameron rules out sending western troops to Ukraine since it would provide Russia with a "target".
  • At Leeds Crown Court, Piran Ditta Khan, who planned the 2005 robbery during which PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead, is convicted of her murder. He is the last of the seven-member gang involved in the robbery to stand trial.
  • The deadline for installing new scanners at airports is extended, meaning airline passengers at major airports will continue to face limits on the amount of liquid they can carry in hand luggage.
  • The Met Office issues a yellow severe weather warning for wintry showers and high winds ahead of the arrival of Storm Kathleen, expected to reach the UK on 6 April.
• 5 April – John Tinniswood, a great-grandfather from Merseyside, officially becomes the world's oldest living man at the age of 111 years and 283 days.

Predicted and scheduled events

• 21 April – The 2024 London Marathon is scheduled to take place.
• 2 May – The 2024 local elections are scheduled to take place, along with the 2024 London Assembly election, the 2024 London mayoral election, various other mayoral elections in England and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales.
• 5 June – New Series G II banknotes featuring King Charles III will enter circulation.
• 17 December – If the next general election has not already taken place, the Parliament elected in 2019 must be dissolved, with the next general election taking place no later than 28 January 2025.

Deaths

Main articles: Deaths in 2024 and 2024 deaths in the United Kingdom

Further information: Category:2024 deaths

See also

• Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Politics in the United Kingdom
• 2020s in United Kingdom political history
• 2024 in United Kingdom politics and government
• 2024 in British music
• 2024 in British television
• 2024 in British radio
• List of British films of 2024