2007 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 2007 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

Events

January

1 January – Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures airs on CBBC television starring Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith.
3 January
* [2007 National Express Coaches|National Express coach accidents|National Express coach accident]: A National Express coach from London Heathrow Airport to Aberdeen, Scotland crashes on a slip road between the M4 and the M25, killing two people and injuring thirty-six others. On 4 January, in response, National Express withdraw all 12 of their Neoplan Skyliner double-decker coaches as a precaution.
*Celebrity Big Brother 5 is launched on Channel 4, with celebrities such as Jermaine Jackson, Dirk Benedict and Leo Sayer.
5 January
* The England cricket team loses the fifth Ashes test in Sydney, Australia by 10 wickets, resulting in a 5–0 series whitewash, the first time this has occurred since the 1920–1921 Ashes Tour.
*Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy: Umran Javed, a British Muslim, is found guilty at the Old Bailey, London, of inciting racial hatred at a London rally in February 2006 protesting against the publication of a cartoon in a Danish newspaper depicting Muhammad.
7 January
*Bristol International Airport closes its runway due to concerns by various airlines over the safety of landing in wet weather. This follows two days of nine airlines refusing to use the runway.
*Laura Pearce becomes the first contestant on Channel 4 television show Deal or No Deal to win the top prize of £250,000 since the start of the show on 31 October 2005. It has taken until the 351st attempt for the top prize to be won.
9 January – New rules outlawing businesses from discriminating against homosexuals are held in the House of Lords, after a failed challenge by Lord Morrow of the Democratic Unionist Party.
10–28 January – John Reid faces mounting problems continuing from those of his predecessors including further prisoner escapes especially from open prisons and also absconding of those under Control Orders
10 January – Two military helicopters collide in mid-air near Market Drayton, Shropshire, killing one person and injuring three others.
11 January – In an unexpected move, the Bank of England raises interest rates to 5.25%, an increase of 0.25%. This is the third rise in five months, after a year of stability.
16 January – At the 64th Golden Globe Awards, Helen Mirren wins an award for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in The Queen and Sacha Baron Cohen for his role in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Other British winners are Hugh Laurie in House and Jeremy Irons in Elizabeth I.
17 January
*It is announced that methamphetamine – otherwise known as crystal meth – will be reclassified to a Class A drug, to avert widespread use of the drug.
*Protests are held in India and the UK against the British series of Celebrity Big Brother after Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara are alleged to be racially abusive to Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
18 January – The UK is hit by torrential rain and gale-force winds, part of European storm Kyrill, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people and causing havoc to public transport and electricity supplies.
20 January – The British-registered container ship MSC Napoli, abandoned in storm Kyrill, is deliberately grounded to prevent it sinking, leading to concern about environmental damage to Branscombe beach in Devon.
26 January – News International phone hacking scandal: The News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman is jailed for four months having pleaded guilty to phone message interception charges.
27 January – The final edition of Grandstand, the flagship BBC sports programme, is aired after nearly 50 years on television screens.

February

1 February
*Defence Secretary Des Browne announces that the UK forces in Southern Afghanistan will be boosted by 800.
*Passenger duty for flights from the UK double.
*Downing Street officials reveal that Tony Blair has been interviewed as a witness by police on 26 January in connection with the Cash-for-honours allegations.
3 February – The presence of the H5N1 virus in the avian flu outbreak at the Holton turkey plant in Suffolk is confirmed.
11 February
*The British Academy Film Awards are held; winners include Helen Mirren for Best Actress.
*The England cricket team defeat Australia to win their first overseas One-Day International trophy since 1997.
23 February – Grayrigg rail crash: A Virgin Trains Pendolino train derails in Cumbria, killing one person and injuring dozens more.

March

2 March – The Attorney General for England and Wales, Lord Goldsmith, obtains an injunction from the High Court preventing the BBC from broadcasting an item about investigations into the alleged cash for honours political scandal.
4 March – Two British soldiers serving with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan are killed in Helmand Province during clashes with Taliban forces.
5 March
*Al-Qaeda threatens to kidnap or kill Prince Harry during his upcoming tour of duty in Iraq.
*A search party in Ethiopia finds the vehicles belonging to five Britons kidnapped in the country.
7 March
*2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election: The DUP and Sinn Féin make gains, while their respective more moderate counterparts, the UUP and the SDLP, suffer falls in support. The election is conducted using the single transferable vote applied to six seater constituencies, each of which corresponds to a UK parliamentary seat.
*House of Lords: A majority of MPs express support for a fully elected House of Lords in a House of Commons vote. A smaller majority support an 80% elected, 20% appointed chamber. Other options with a lower elected component are rejected. The proposals were put forward by Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, who describes the votes as "a historic step forward".
*Jonathan Evans is announced as the next Director General of MI5. Evans is currently Deputy Director-General and will take over in April following the retirement of Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller.
9 March – Results from the Northern Ireland Assembly election showed the DUP and Sinn Féin making gains, and ensuring that in order for direct rule to cease both parties must agree to co-operate in a powersharing Executive.
11 March – The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the new generation Skynet 5 military satellite system is launched successfully from Kourou in French Guiana at 22:03 GMT.
12 March
*Nigel Griffiths resigns as the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons over the proposed expansion of the Trident missile program.
*The BBC's correspondent in the Gaza Strip, Alan Johnston, who is the only foreign reporter from a major media organisation based in Gaza, is kidnapped. All the main Palestinian militant groups call for his release.
13 March
*Five British Embassy workers who were kidnapped in Ethiopia twelve days ago are set free in neighbouring Eritrea.
*A draft Climate Change Bill is published, outlining a framework for achieving a mandatory 60% cut in carbon emissions by 2050.
14 March – The government wins the support of the House of Commons to update the Trident missile system. There is a significant revolt within the Labour Party with two PPSs Stephen Pound and Chris Ruane resigning.
15 March – Sally Clark, the woman who spent four years in prison before being released in 2003 when the High Court cleared her of killing her two baby sons, dies at the age of 42. On 7 November an inquest in Essex hears that she died of "acute alcohol intoxication".
16 March – Coroner Andrew Walker finds the death of soldier Matty Hull in the 190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals friendly fire incident to have been "unlawful and criminal". The US Department of State rejects this ruling.
17 March
* Pop four piece Scooch controversially wins the right to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki, Finland. The Making Your Mind Up selection show is marred by co-host Terry Wogan announcing French songstress Cyndi Almouzni as the winner, whereas Fearne Cotton announces Scooch as winning. The final results show Scooch having received 53% compared to Cyndi's 47%.
* The rebuilt Wembley Stadium opens, more than six years after its predecessor was closed.
19 March – The children's pre-school television series In the Night Garden... premieres on BBC Two.
21 March
*Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announces the 2007 budget. Major points include a cut in the basic income tax rate from 22p to 20p, the abolition of the lower 10p income tax rate, and a 2p cut in corporation tax.
*Two British sailors die and a third is injured as a result of an accident on the nuclear submarine in the Arctic Ocean.
23 March – 2007 Iranian arrest of Royal Navy personnel: fifteen Royal Navy servicemen operating in disputed waters are seized by Iranian authorities after inspecting a ship suspected of smuggling.
26 March – Northern Ireland peace process: Members of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, led by Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, meet face-to face for the first time, and agree a timetable for implementing the St Andrews Agreement.
30 March –
* Network Rail, the replacement for Railtrack, is fined £4 million for health and safety breaches leading to the 1999 Ladbroke Grove rail crash, in which 31 people died.
* Mr. Bean's Holiday is released to theatres.

April

2 April – A smoking ban comes into effect in all enclosed public places in Wales.
4 April
*President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces that the 15 British sailors held by Iran are to be freed as a "gift" to the United Kingdom.
*2007 AS Roma–Manchester United F.C. conflict: violence erupts during a UEFA Champions League game between Manchester United and AS Roma.
5 April – Four British soldiers are killed in a bomb blast near the Iraqi city of Basra.
12 April – The anchor handling tug supply vessel Bourbon Dolphin capsizes in the North Sea. Three people die and four are missing.
15 April – Two UK military helicopters collide near the town of Taji near Baghdad, killing two soldiers.
17 April – Inflation at an annual rate of 3% falls outside government target range, causing for the first time, the Governor of the Bank of England to have to write a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as required by Monetary Policy Committee rules, explaining the reasons for this.
24 April – British anti-terrorism police arrest five people in London and one in Luton for alleged breaches of the Terrorism Act.
28 April – An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the richter scale strikes Kent, injuring one and causing damage to buildings.
30 April – A smoking ban comes into effect in all enclosed public places in Northern Ireland.

May

May – The new Ford Mondeo goes on sale in the UK with a range of saloons, hatchbacks and estates.
3 May
* Disappearance of Madeleine McCann: a three-year-old Leicestershire girl, is reported missing in Algarve, Portugal.
* 2007 Scottish Parliament election: The SNP make big gains, a net gain of 20 seats to bring their total to 47, overtaking Labour as the largest party who go down 4 seats, bringing them to 46. The Conservatives win 17 seats, losing 1 in total; the Liberal Democrats win 16, also losing 1 in total; the Greens win 2 seats, losing 5 in total; and the Scottish Socialist Party lose all of their 6 seats. The SNP eventually form a minority government, with the Greens agreeing to supply the numbers to vote, and SNP leader Alex Salmond as First Minister.
* 2007 National Assembly for Wales election: Labour's hopes of obtaining a full majority in the assembly are dashed when they are dealt a net loss of 4 seats, bringing them down to 26. Plaid Cymru win 15 seats, up 3; the Conservatives win 12, up 1; and the Liberal Democrats win 6, exactly level with their last result. A coalition is eventually agreed between Labour and Plaid Cymru.
* 2007 local elections: Local elections are held in most of England and all of Scotland. The Conservatives have an overall increase of councils, councillors and vote share; while both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have an overall decrease in councils and councillors, but a slight increase in vote share. These are also the first local elections since the age of candidacy was lowered from 21 to 18, meaning this is the first time that 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds can stand as candidates in council seats.
4 May – Peter Tobin is convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh of murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk, whose body he hid at St Patrick's Church, Anderston, where he worked as a handyman, before fleeing to London.
6 May – Manchester United F.C. win their ninth Premier League title.
8 May – The power sharing executive in the Northern Ireland Assembly is formed.
9 May – The Ministry of Justice is established, reorganised from the Department for Constitutional Affairs and taking over some responsibilities from the Home Office.
10 May – Tony Blair announces he will step down as Prime Minister on 27 June, a move expected for some time. He asks Labour's National Executive Committee to seek a new party leader, triggering the 2007 Labour leadership election.
12 May – Eurovision Song Contest 2007: "Flying the Flag (For You)", the UK entry, comes joint second last in the final.
16 May
*Alex Salmond is elected First Minister of Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, the first person from the Scottish National Party to hold the post. Supported by the Scottish Green Party, his party will form a minority administration.
*The Ministry of Defence announces that Prince Harry will not be deployed in Iraq as originally planned, due to the security risks to both himself and his regiment the Blues and Royals.
18 May – Prince William officially opens the new Wembley Stadium.
19 May – Chelsea F.C. win the FA Cup with Didier Drogba's goal giving them a 1–0 victory over Manchester United in the first club game to be played at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium.
21 May – A fire damages the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.
23 May – HM Government announces a carbon emissions trading scheme, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, that will apply to hotel chains, supermarkets, banks, and other large organisations.
24 May – Jenny Bailey becomes the first transgender mayor in the United Kingdom.
28 May – The Foreign Office submits a formal request to the Russian Government for the extradition of ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi to face charges over the murder of his former colleague Alexander Litvinenko in London.
29 May – The Longbridge car factory in Birmingham reopens, two years after the bankruptcy of MG Rover. The reopened factory is a scaled down operation which will initially just produce the MG TF sports car, though there are plans by the Chinese owners Nanjing Automobile to build other cars there in the future.
30 May – A fire at the Magnox nuclear power station in Oldbury, South Gloucestershire, forces its indefinite closure. British Nuclear Group announces that the fire has not damaged the reactor and is in a "non-nuclear" area.

June

1 June – The England national football team play their first match at the new Wembley Stadium, against Brazil. David Beckham is recalled after 11 months in the international wilderness and Michael Owen returns from his injury at the 2006 World Cup. The match ends 1–1.
13 June – The Queen awards Sir Tim Berners-Lee the Order of Merit for his pioneering work on the World Wide Web. Salman Rushdie receives a knighthood, sparking protests in Iran and Pakistan.
14 June – The final MORI opinion poll of Tony Blair's 10-year reign as Prime Minister shows his Labour government 3 points ahead of the Tories on 39%.
20 June – Scarborough F.C., who were members of the Football League from 1987 to 1999, go out of business with debts of £2.5million. The North Yorkshire side has just suffered a second successive relegation which placed them in the Northern Premier League had they managed to stay afloat.
24 June – At a special Labour Party conference, Gordon Brown becomes leader of the party and Prime Minister–designate, and Harriet Harman is elected deputy leader.
25 June – Heavy flooding devastates Sheffield and Hull, causing at least three deaths.
27 June – Tony Blair officially tenders his resignation as Prime Minister to The Queen, and is succeeded by Chancellor Gordon Brown. Blair becomes an envoy to the Middle East on behalf of the "Quartet" of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia.
28 June – Gordon Brown announces his new government. Jacqui Smith becomes the first female Home Secretary.
29 June – Two car bombs are uncovered in central London but are defused before they could explode.
30 June
* A terrorist attack occurs at Glasgow Airport. There are no civilian fatalities, but the perpetrator of the attack is seriously injured.
* The third generation of the Ford Mondeo is launched.

July

1 July
*A smoking ban in England comes into effect in all enclosed public places.
*The Concert for Diana is held in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales at the new Wembley Stadium.
2 July
*Michael Mullen, 21, of Leeds, is sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of his two-year-old niece Casey Leigh Mullen, who died at her home in the city on 11 February. The trial judge recommends that Mullen should serve a minimum of 35 years before being considered for parole.
*Demolition work begins on the historic HP Sauce factory in Birmingham, which closed in May with the loss of 125 jobs and the end of more than 100 years of manufacturing when the production facility was transferred to the Netherlands.
6–8 July – The 2007 British Grand Prix is held at the Silverstone Circuit, and is won by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with home hero Lewis Hamilton finishing third behind McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso.
7 July
* The London Live Earth concert takes place at the new Wembley Stadium.
* Computer scientist Donald Michie, 83, and his wife, biologist Anne McLaren, 80, are both killed in a car accident on the M11 motorway in Essex.
12 July – The first MORI opinion poll of Gordon Brown's premiership shows the Labour government 6 points ahead of the Tories on 41%.
18 July – Stadium MK, a 22,000-seat multi purpose stadium, is opened in Milton Keynes. Its main tenants are Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
19 July
* 2007 Sedgefield by-election: Phil Wilson holds the seat for Labour.
* 2007 Ealing Southall by-election: Virendra Sharma holds the seat for Labour.
22 July – Floods cause chaos in many areas of the UK, especially the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, and leave hundreds homeless and thousands of vehicles stranded on major roads.
27 July – The Nigerian-born boxer James Oyebola is shot dead in a nightclub in London; four people are charged with his murder.

August

1 August – The University Campus Suffolk is established.
2 August – First reports emerge of the 2007 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak among cattle in Surrey.
9 August – French global bank BNP Paribas blocks withdrawals from three hedge funds heavily committed in subprime lending for mortgages, a contributing factor to the 2008 financial crisis.
22 August – Murder of Rhys Jones: 11-year-old Rhys Jones is shot dead in Croxteth, Liverpool. His death is believed to have been a random shooting carried out by a local gang.

September

1 September
* The Eurovision Dance Contest is held in London.
* The Gaming Act 1845 is repealed, meaning that, for the first time in more than 150 years, gambling debts can be enforced by the courts.
6 September – Murder victim Rhys Jones is buried following a funeral service at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
10 September – Television entertainer Michael Barrymore is told that he will not face charges in connection with the death of Stuart Lubbock, the man who was found dead in a swimming pool at his house more than six years ago.
14 September
*Northern Rock bank obtains a liquidity support facility from the Bank of England.
* Disappearance of Andrew Gosden: a Doncaster schoolboy disappears while playing truant in London, some 170 miles away.
15 September – Rally driver Colin McRae and three other people are killed when their helicopter crashes near Lanark.
26 September – The appointment of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister and the manner in which he subsequently deals with the various crises over July and August appears to have been well received with voters, as an Ipsos MORI opinion poll puts Labour at 48% with a 20-point lead over the Conservatives, sparking media reports that Brown will call an early general election within the next few weeks, which would form a term of parliament until the end of 2012.

October

6 October – Gordon Brown announces there will be no early general election in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr at Number 10, prompting the media to call him 'Bottler Brown'.
7 October – Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, based at High Wycombe, gains full university status as Buckinghamshire New University.
15 October – Sir Menzies Campbell resigns as leader of the Liberal Democrats.
20 October – South Africa defeat England at the Rugby World Cup final in Stade de France, Saint-Denis.
31 October
* Labour fall behind the Conservatives in a MORI opinion poll for the first time since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister due to the early election débâcle, as their 35% showing puts them five points off the top.
* Disappearance of Madeleine McCann: a German magazine comes under fire from the British and European media and public for a satirical article about Madeleine McCann, an English child not seen since she went missing in the Algarve, Portugal, nearly six months ago.

November

1 November – London's Metropolitan Police Service is found guilty of endangering the public following the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian who officers mistook for a suicide bomber.
2 November – Four firefighters are killed in the Atherstone fire disaster.
4 November – Nigel Hastilow, the Tory candidate selected to stand in Halesowen and Rowley Regis at the next general election, resigns after coming under heavy criticism for comments in the Express and Star newspaper in which he said that Enoch Powell was "right" about his fears over immigration.
8–9 November – Cyclone Tilo / North Sea flood of 2007: Flood warnings are issued for the east coast of the UK as the waves are expected to overwhelm sea defences and cause extensive flooding. The storm surge however turns out to be less extreme than forecast.
13 November – Waterloo International closes after 13 years in service. The last Eurostar trains are the 18:09 to Paris Gare du Nord & the 18:12 to Brussels-South railway station.
14 November
* High Speed 1 from London St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel is opened to passengers allowing Eurostar trains to travel at in the UK.
* The UK digital television switchover begins with complete turning off of the analogue signal to the Whitehaven area.
16 November – Police searching a former home in Margate, Kent, of convicted murderer Peter Tobin find a body, believed to be that of Dinah McNicol, aged 18, who disappeared in 1991. It follows the discovery earlier this week of the remains of Vicky Hamilton, aged 15, who also disappeared in 1991, in a sandpit at the same property.
19 November – Ebbsfleet International is opened on High Speed 1, this is later than St Pancras International because the ticketing and security equipment have been transferred from Waterloo International.
20 November – Child benefit data scandal: HM Revenue and Customs admits that it has misplaced two computer discs which contained the records of child benefit claimants data, including bank details and National Insurance numbers, leaving up to 7.25 million households susceptible to identity theft.
21 November – The England national football team fail to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008 after being defeated 2–3 at Wembley Stadium by Croatia in their qualifying group. Manager Steve McClaren is sacked as a result.
26 November – Donorgate: Labour Party official Peter Watt resigns over loans received by the party from David Abrahams.
29 November – Following a cold case review by West Midlands Police, a 70-year-old man serving a life sentence for another murder is remanded in custody charged with the 1961 murder of Jacqueline Thomas, a Birmingham teenager.

December

13 December – Gordon Brown turns up late to the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, prompting criticism from the media. The Sun reports that Brown's late arrival was intended to 'snub' other EU leaders, contradicting Number 10's line of a diary conflict; Brown had attended a pre-arranged House of Commons liaison committee that morning.
14 December – Fabio Capello, the former 61-year-old Italian coach of Spanish side Real Madrid, is appointed by the Football Association to take charge of the England team from January 2008. Capello will be the second foreign manager to take charge of the England team, after Sven-Göran Eriksson.
18 December – Nick Clegg wins the 2007 Liberal Democrats leadership election.
19 December – The Confederation of British Industry reveals disappointing retail sales for the first two weeks of the month, sparking fears that the UK is on the verge of its first recession since the early 1990s.
29 December – Phil O'Donnell, the 35-year-old Motherwell footballer, dies from a heart attack in a Scottish Premier League fixture. O'Donnell was capped for Scotland once in 1993, and was also part of the Celtic side that won the Scottish league title in the 1997–98 season.

Undated

the UK's first zero-carbon house, The Lighthouse, is built by architects Sheppard Robson at Watford.
The UK RumFest is initially launched.

Publications

Iain Banks' novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale.
Ian McEwan's novella On Chesil Beach.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Making Money.
J. K. Rowling's last Harry Potter novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Births

21 January – Luke Littler, darts player
5 March – Roman Griffin Davis, actor
12 March – Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden, elder child of the Earl and Countess of Ulster
17 December – James, son of Prince Edward and Sophie

Deaths

January

3 January – Sir Cecil Walker, Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast
4 January
* Sir Lewis Hodges, air marshal and pilot
* Grenfell (Gren) Jones, newspaper cartoonist
7 January – Magnus Magnusson, journalist and broadcaster, cancer.
8 January
* Arthur Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, politician and European Commissioner
* David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party
10 January – Harry Horse, cartoonist ; suicide
11 January
* Tudor Gates, screenwriter and trade unionist
* Bryan Pearce, painter
12 January – Stephen Gilbert, painter
14 January – Peter Prendergast, Welsh painter
15 January
* Barbara Kelly, Canadian-born actress
* Colin Thurston, record producer
17 January – Ralph Henstock, mathematician
20 January – Sir David Mostyn, Army general
21 January – Myrtle Devenish, Welsh actress
22 January – Victoria Hopper, Canadian-born actress
23 January – Wally Ridley, record producer and songwriter
27 January – Paul Channon, Baron Kelvedon, politician, President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Transport
28 January
* Malcolm Bowie, academic, Master of Christ's College, Cambridge
* Cyril Demarne, World War II firefighter
* Johnny Williams, boxer
30 January – Griffith Jones, actor

February

4 February – Paul Burwell, percussionist
6 February
* Dick Allen, film editor
* Gareth Roberts, physicist
* Harry Webster, automotive engineer
9 February – Ian Richardson, actor
11 February – Derek Gardner, painter
12 February – Joseph McKeown, photojournalist ; killed in fall
13 February
* Sir Charles Harington, Army general
* Sir Richard Gordon Wakeford, RAF air marshal
14 February
* Gareth Morris, flautist and music teacher
* John Penn, architect
* Steven Pimlott, theatre director
15 February – Stephen Gardiner, architect
16 February – Sheridan Morley, theatre critic
20 February
* Sir John Akehurst, Army general
* Sir Edward Gordon "Tap" Jones, RAF air marshal
* Kenneth Steer, archaeologist
* Derek Waring, actor
22 February
* Edgar Evans, operatic tenor
* Ian Wallace, rock drummer
24 February
* Bryan Balkwill, orchestral conductor
* Alex Henshaw, test pilot
26 February – Lena Jeger, Baroness Jeger, Labour politician
28 February
* Julian Budden, opera scholar
* Charles Forte, Baron Forte, hotelier
* Alexander King, chemist
* John Smith, banker, politician and founder of the Landmark Trust

March

3 March – Zdeňka Pokorná, exiled dissident
4 March
* Richard Joseph, video game composer
* Ian Wooldridge, sports journalist
7 March
* Neil North, actor
* Carla Thorneycroft, Lady Thorneycroft, philanthropist
8 March – John Inman, actor
13 March
* Terry Major-Ball, banker and author, brother of former Prime Minister John Major
* John McHardy Sinclair, linguist
14 March
* Tommy Cavanagh, former footballer and football manager
* Gareth Hunt, actor
15 March – William Watson, art historian and sinologist
16 March
* Sally Clark, lawyer and victim of a miscarriage of justice
* Sir Arthur Marshall, aviation pioneer and businessman
17 March – Freddie Francis, cinematographer and film director
18 March – Bob Woolmer, cricketer and cricket coach ; died suddenly in Jamaica
24 March – Maurice Flitcroft, golfer
26 March – Cha Burns, Scottish guitarist
28 March – Sir Thomas Hetherington, barrister
29 March – Howard Goorney, actor
30 March
*Fay Coyle, former footballer
*Michael Dibdin, crime writer
*Dave Martin, screenwriter, lung cancer.
31 March – Phil Cordell, musician

April

1 April – Josef Hirsch Dunner, rabbi
2 April
* Janet Bloomfield, campaigner, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
* George Sewell, actor
3 April
* Marion Eames, novelist
* Sir Walter Luttrell, Army colonel and public servant
* Robin Montgomerie-Charrington, motor racing driver
4 April – Terry Hall, ventriloquist
6 April
* Colin Graham, opera, theatre and television director
* Jill McGown, mystery novel writer
* Jeff Uren, racing driver
7 April – Neville Duke, World War II air ace
9 April
* Bob Coats, economic historian
* Michael Fox, judge, Lord Justice of Appeal
* Philip Mayne, Army officer, last surviving British officer of World War I
12 April – Len Hill, Welsh cricketer
16 April – Robert Jones, Conservative politician
19 April – Anthony Brooks, World War II soldier and spy
22 April – Sir Raymond Hoffenberg, endocrinologist
25 April
* Edward Astley, 22nd Baron Hastings, peer
* Alan Ball, former footballer and football manager
* Les Jackson, cricketer
* Arthur Milton, cricketer and footballer, last person to play in both England's cricket and football teams
26 April – Lindsey Hughes, historian of Russia
27 April – Al Hunter Ashton, actor and scriptwriter
29 April – Sir George Pinker, obstetrician and gynaecologist

May

1 May – Winifred Pennington, limnologist
5 May – John Zamet, periodontist
6 May
* Lesley Blanch, writer and fashion editor
* Bernard Weatherill, Baron Weatherill, politician, Speaker of the House of Commons
7 May – Isabella Blow, fashion journalist ; suicide
10 May – Sir Oliver Millar, art historian, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures and Director of the Royal Collection
14 May – Sir Colin St John Wilson, architect, designer of the British Library
15 May – Angus McBride, illustrator
16 May – Dame Mary Douglas, social anthropologist
19 May – Derek Cooper, Army officer and campaigner for refugees
20 May – Sir George MacFarlane, engineer
24 May – David Renton, Baron Renton, politician and life peer
26 May
* Sir James Baird, Army lieutenant-general
* Phyllis Sellick, pianist
* Aubrey Singer, television executive
27 May – Edward Behr, journalist and author
28 May – John Macquarrie, theologian and Anglican priest
29 May – Michael John Seaton, astronomer

June

1 June – Sir John Gilmour, 3rd Baronet, politician
4 June
* Lady Jeanne Campbell, journalist
* Wallace McIntosh, World War II airman
7 June – Michael Hamburger, poet and translator
9 June –
* Harry Ewing, Baron Ewing of Kirkford, politician
* Leonard E. H. Williams, World War II Spitfire pilot and businessman
11 June – Jonathan Henry, police officer ; murdered on duty
12 June – Wally Herbert, polar explorer
13 June
* Sir David Hatch, radio broadcaster and actor
* John Stanton Ward, artist
14 June – Peter Ucko, archaeologist
18 June – Bernard Manning, comedian
19 June
* Tommy Eytle, actor and calypso musician
* Piara Khabra, Labour politician
22 June
* Gillian Baverstock, novelist and daughter of Enid Blyton
* Jack Ormston, motorcycle speedway rider
24 June
* Derek Dougan, footballer
* Maurice Wood, Anglican prelate, Bishop of Norwich
25 June – Brenda Rawnsley, arts campaigner
26 June – Dame Thea King, clarinettist
27 June
* Kari Blackburn, journalist ; suicide
* Hugh Johns, sports commentator
28 June – Maurice Wohl, philanthropist

July

2 July – John Pinches, rower and soldier
3 July – Dave Simmons, English footballer
5 July – George Melly, jazz singer
7 July
* Ion Calvocoressi, Army officer and stockbroker
* Anne McLaren, geneticist and developmental biologist ; car accident
* Donald Michie, researcher in artificial intelligence ; car accident
* Jack Odell, inventor and co-founder of Matchbox Toys
9 July
* Penny Thomson, film producer
* Peter Tuddenham, voice actor
10 July – Edward Lowbury, bacteriologist
11 July – Timothy Sprigge, philosopher
12 July
* Allen Clarke, educationalist
* Nigel Dempster, journalist
13 July – Frank Maher, stuntman
14 July
* Eva Crackles, botanist
* Bernard Pagel, astrophysicist
* John Warrender, 2nd Baron Bruntisfield, peer and politician
15 July – Kelly Johnson, guitarist
16 July
* Angus Allan, comic strip writer
* Alan Shepherd, motorcycle racer
18 July – Charles Wylie, Army lieutenant-colonel and organizer of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition
20 July
* Ollie Bridewell, motorcycle racer ; accident while practising
* Ivor Emmanuel, actor
21 July – Don Arden, music manager
22 July – John Harrison Burnett, academic, vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
24 July
* Geoffrey Nuttall, ecclesiastical historian
* Charles Whiting, military historian
* William Young, World War I veteran
25 July – Raymond Bristow, Anglican priest
27 July – James Oyebola, boxer ; murdered
29 July
* Ian Anstruther, baronet, diplomat and writer
* Phil Drabble, author and television presenter
* Mike Reid, comedian and actor
31 July
* Norman Cohn, historian
* R. D. Wingfield, novelist and radio dramatist

August

3 August – John Gardner, writer of thrillers
5 August
* Paul Rutherford, trombonist
* Peter Graham Scott, film producer
9 August – Timothy Garden, Baron Garden, RAF pilot and politician
10 August – Tony Wilson, broadcaster, nightclub manager, and record label owner
13 August – Tim Royes, music director and editor ; car accident
14 August – John Biffen, Baron Biffen, politician
15 August – Richard Bradshaw, orchestral conductor, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company
16 August
* William Edwards, Labour politician
* Clive Exton, television and film writer
* Roland Mathias, poet and literary critic
17 August
* Bill Deedes, journalist, editor of The Daily Telegraph and politician
* Alison Plowden, historian
18 August
* Stephen Bicknell, organ builder and writer about pipe organs
* Magdalen Nabb, author
21 August – Siobhan Dowd, writer and activist
24 August – Adam Watson, diplomat and academic
25 August
* Richard Cook, jazz writer
* Ray Jones, footballer ; car accident
30 August
* Michael Jackson, beer writer
* John Wedgwood, physician
31 August – James Brian Tait, World War II pilot

September

1 September – Abraham Goldberg, doctor
3 September
* Lord Michael Pratt, author
* Jane Tomlinson, athlete and cancer activist
4 September – John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch, peer and politician
6 September
* Eva Crane, beekeeper
* Jack Hawkes, botanist
* Ronald Magill, actor
8 September – Nicholas Bethell, 4th Baron Bethell, peer, historian of Eastern and Central Europe and human rights campaigner
9 September
* Ian Campbell, Labour politician
* Sir Tasker Watkins, major-general, jurist and businessman, Lord Justice of Appeal and President of the WRU
10 September
* James Leasor, author
* Anita Roddick, environmentalist, political campaigner, businesswoman
11 September – Ian Porterfield, footballer and football manager
13 September – Bill Griffiths, poet
15 September
* Colin McRae, rally driver ; helicopter accident
* Sir Jeremy Moore, major-general, commander of the land forces in the Falklands War
17 September – Stephen Medcalf, academic
19 September – Mike Osborne, jazz musician
20 September – Sir Edward Tomkins, diplomat
21 September – Ian Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, peer, baronet and politician
22 September – Richard Hornby, politician and businessman
26 September – Angela Lambert, journalist and writer
30 September – Joe Mitty, entrepreneur and co-founder of Oxfam

October

1 October
* Bruce Hay, Scottish rugby union player
* Ronnie Hazlehurst, composer
* Ned Sherrin, broadcaster and theatre producer
2 October – Christopher Derrick, writer
3 October – Sir Richard Trant, Army general in the Falklands War
6 October
* Rodney Diak, actor
* Terence Wilmot Hutchison, economist
7 October – Sir Alan Campbell, diplomat
8 October – Nicky James, singer-songwriter
9 October – Dudley Ryder, 7th Earl of Harrowby, peer and banker
11 October – John H. Edwards, geneticist
12 October – Noel Coleman, actor
14 October – George Neil Jenkins, scientist
16 October
* Deborah Kerr, actress
* Barbara West, 2nd to last living survivor of the Titanic sinking
18 October
* Alan Coren, columnist
* Mark Tavener, novelist and humorist
20 October – Paul Raven, rock bassist
21 October
* Paul Fox, guitarist
* Peter Moffatt, television director
23 October
* David George Kendall, mathematician
* Ursula Vaughan Williams, writer and wife of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams
24 October – Peter Harding, rock climber
25 October – Richard Rougier, judge
27 October – Leslie Orgel, chemist
28 October – Graham Chadwick, bishop and anti-apartheid campaigner
29 October – David Morris, actor
30 October – Dina Rabinovitch, journalist

November

2 November
* Lord Michael Fitzalan-Howard, soldier and courtier, Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps
* Reay Tannahill, author
6 November – Hilda Braid, actress
7 November – Sir Arthur Hezlet, Royal Navy Vice-Admiral and historian
8 November
* David G. P. Taylor, businessman and public official
* Chad Varah, Anglican priest, founder of the Samaritans
9 November – Trish Williamson, television presenter ; car accident
10 November – Sir John Wilfred Stanier, Army field marshal
13 November
* John Doherty, English footballer and manager
* Sir John Loveridge, Conservative politician
16 November – Arthur Watts, lawyer
17 November – Vernon Scannell, poet
18 November
* Peter Cadogan, writer and political activist
* Joe Shaw, English footballer
19 November
* Peter Haining, author
* John Straffen, convicted serial killer
20 November – Nigel Bridge, Baron Bridge of Harwich, judge
22 November
* Verity Lambert, television producer
* Reg Park, bodybuilder and actor
23 November – William Tallon, courtier to the royal family
25 November
* Lola Almudevar, journalist ; car accident in Bolivia
* Arthur Dimmock, author and historian
26 November
* Marit Allen, film costume designer
* Susan Williams-Ellis, pottery designer
27 November – Philip Allen, Baron Allen of Abbeydale, civil servant
28 November – Tony Holland, television producer and writer
30 November – J. L. Ackrill, philosopher

December

1 December
* Tony Fall, rally driver
* Anton Rodgers, actor
2 December
* David Maybury-Lewis, anthropologist
* Les Shannon, footballer and football manager
4 December – Stanley McArdle, Navy rear-admiral
5 December
* Christine Finn, actress
* Tony Tenser, film producer
6 December
* John Hill, politician
* John Pilkington Hudson, horticulturalist and bomb disposal expert
* Shelley Rohde, journalist and author
8 December – Donald Burton, actor
9 December – Edward Dutkiewicz, artist
15 December – Gerard Fairtlough, author
20 December
* Arabella Churchill, founder of Children's World charity, granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill
* John Gibbs, Anglican prelate, Bishop of Coventry
* Geoffrey Martin, historian, Keeper of Public Records
22 December – Andrew Glyn, economist
24 December – Sir Nicholas Pumfrey, judge
25 December
* Pat Kirkwood, actress
* Hugh Massingberd, journalist and genealogist
26 December – Andrew Grima, jewellery designer
27 December – Howard Colvin, architectural historian
29 December
* Kevin Greening, radio presenter
* Joan Ingpen, opera talent manager
* Phil O'Donnell, footballer ; died while playing
30 December – Doreen Norton, nursing pioneer