2008 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

Monarch – Elizabeth II
Prime Minister – Gordon Brown

Events

January

17 January – The number of people affected by norovirus stomach bug in the UK reaches an estimated 3 million.
18 January – Last working of Tower Colliery, the last deep mine in the South Wales Valleys. The official closure is on 25 January.
24 January – Peter Hain resigns as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions over irregular donations.
30 January – Television presenter and writer Jeremy Beadle, 59, dies suddenly from pneumonia in London.
31 January
* Conservative Party MP Derek Conway is suspended from the House of Commons for 10 days over payments made to his son from his parliamentary allowances.
* Four men are jailed for 15 years each for their part in the 2006 Securitas raid, the UK's biggest cash robbery.

February

18 February – Mohammed Al Fayed tells the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales that she and his son Dodi Fayed were both murdered in a conspiracy arranged by the Royal family, Tony Blair, MI5, MI6 and the British ambassador to France. He claims that Diana knew that The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Edinburgh were "trying to get rid of her".
19 February
* Shannon Matthews, 9, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, is reported missing.
* The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales hears from Dodi Fayed's former assistant Melissa Henning that Diana voiced fears shortly before her death that someone was going to make an attempt on her and Fayed's life in a conspiracy that would be made to look like an accident.
21 February – A jury at Ipswich Crown Court finds Steve Wright, 49, guilty of murdering five prostitutes during late 2006.
22 February
* Nationalisation of Northern Rock: Northern Rock bank is nationalised by the British government.
* Steve Wright is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should never be released.
* Mark Dixie, 37, is found guilty of the September 2005 murder of Surrey model Sally Anne Bowman, 18. He is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey, where the trial judge recommends that he serve at least 34 years before parole can be considered.
25 February – The animated children's television series The Mr. Men Show first airs on Five.
26 February
* Levi Bellfield, 38, is found guilty of murdering two women in London in sexually motivated attacks; the first in 2001, the second in 2004. He receives a life sentence with a recommendation that he should never be released.
* The inquest into the Death of Diana, Princess of Wales finds that MI6 did not keep files on Diana or Dodi Fayed, contradicting claims in conspiracy theories that the deaths were the result of an MI6 conspiracy.
27 February – 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake: An earthquake with an epicentre in Lincolnshire is felt across most of Britain, with several buildings suffering substantial damage.

March

7 March – The coroner at the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales announces that the Duke of Edinburgh will not be called into court to give evidence over the deaths that Mohammed Al Fayed is accusing him of ordering.
12 March – The 2008 budget is unveiled by Alistair Darling as his first in the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer.
14 March – Michael Donovan, 39, from Batley Carr, West Yorkshire, is arrested for the kidnap of 9-year-old Shannon Matthews.
28 March – London Heathrow Terminal 5 opens at Heathrow Airport to British Airways with many problems with the IT system, coupled with insufficient testing and staff training, which causes over 500 flights to be cancelled.
30 March – Farnborough air crash: A Cessna 501 Citation crashes into a row of houses in Farnborough, London, killing two pilots and three passengers.
31 March – The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales hears that there is "not a shred of evidence" that the Duke of Edinburgh or MI6 ordered her death.

April

2 April – An embryo that is a cross between a human and a cow survives a third straight day after being fertilised at Newcastle University. A director for embryonic stem cell laboratories at the Australian Stem Cell Centre says that the "99 per cent human" embryo could improve research within the field of human diseases. The Catholic Church of England and Wales says that the creation is "monstrous" and that its later destruction is unethical.
6 April – The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 comes into force.
7 April – The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales records a verdict of accidental death, caused by the heavy drinking, drug abuse and speeding of her chauffeur Henri Paul, who died in the crash along with Diana and Dodi Fayed.
8 April – Karen Matthews, the mother of kidnapped 9-year-old girl Shannon Matthews, is arrested for organising her daughter's kidnap.
25 April – Jazz legend and humorist Humphrey Lyttelton dies aged 86 in London, and floral tributes are left by the public at Mornington Crescent tube station.

May

1 May
* The 2008 London mayoral election is held. The Conservative candidate, Boris Johnson, defeats the incumbent Labour mayor Ken Livingstone.
* The 2008 London Assembly election also takes place, with Brent and Harrow being the only constituency to change hands. Meanwhile, the British National Party gain a seat, their first outside local councils.
* Local elections are held in England and Wales. The governing Labour Party fall to third place in the popular vote on 24%, behind the Conservatives on 44% and the Liberal Democrats on 25%.
11 May – Manchester United secure their tenth Premier League title in 16 years with a 2–0 win at Wigan Athletic on the final day of the league season. Ryan Giggs, who scored one of United's goals, becomes the first player to win 10 English league titles.
15 May – Halifax Town A.F.C., a former Football League side, are expelled from the Conference National with multimillion-pound debts.
17 May – The FA Cup Final takes place at Wembley Stadium between Portsmouth and Cardiff City with Portsmouth winning 1–0.
20 May – Joey Barton, a player for Newcastle United Football Club, is sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted of assault and affray.
21 May – The first all-English European Cup final sees Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties after a 1–1 draw in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
22 May – Construction work begins on the Olympic Stadium being built for the 2012 games in London.

June

4 June – Gretna F.C., just relegated from the Scottish Premier League, goes out of business with debts of £4 million.
12 June – Halifax Town, who were in the Blue Square Premier League until their recent expulsion due to financial problems, go out of business after 97 years. They were members of the Football League for most of their history until 2002.
13 June – Shadow Home Secretary David Davis resigns as an MP over the government's plans to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days. He will re-contest his seat in a by-election.

July

July – Further bad news for the economy shows that it contracted by 0.1% in the second quarter of this year – ending 16 years of unbroken economic growth.
11 July – 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election: Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis retains his seat with a 71.6% vote share. A record 26 candidates contest the by-election.
18 July – The surge in Conservative support continues as the latest MORI poll puts them 20 points ahead of Labour on 47%. With an election due within the next two years and possibly next year, David Cameron is well on course to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. With an economic crisis beginning and fears of a recession and mass unemployment rising, it is widely expected that his popularity will continue to grow.
22 July – The London Motor Show is held, a highlight being Vauxhall's launch of its new Insignia that will replace the Vectra. The Insignia is due on sale later in the year.

August

1 August – Barry George is acquitted of the murder of Jill Dando.
3 August – British motorcyclist Craig Jones is involved in a serious accident during the 2008 Supersport World Championship at Brands Hatch, dying of his injuries the following day aged just 23.
8–24 August – Great Britain compete at the Olympics in Beijing. The team win 19 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals and finish fourth in the medal table, the best performance for the Great Britain team in a century.
17 August – A light aircraft approaching Coventry collides with a microlight, all five people on board the two aircraft are killed.
19 August – Following legal depositions at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Frank Chapman rules that Anthony Hall, charged with the 1961 murder of Jacqueline Thomas should not stand trial for the crime, and that the charge should be stayed because it was "just too long ago", and Hall would not receive a fair and balanced trial.
21 August – The Home Office announces that an investigation will be launched after a consultancy firm lost the data of 84,000 prisoners and 43,000 criminals.

September

6 September – Eight people are killed when storms hit the UK causing flash flooding in many areas.
6–17 September – Great Britain compete at the Paralympics in Beijing.
12 September – Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh is dismissed from her role as an assistant government whip after publicly announcing that she had written to Labour's General Secretary calling for a leadership contest at the forthcoming party conference.
14 September – Amid the 2008 financial crisis, rise in unemployment and threat of recession, the Labour government's popularity is reported to have fallen dramatically. In January, they had a lead of up to 10 points over the Conservatives in the opinion polls, but the latest Ipsos MORI poll puts them 16 points behind the Conservative Party, who now have a 45% approval rating.
16 September – Minister of State for Scotland David Cairns resigns after writing to Prime Minister Gordon Brown requesting a leadership debate.
24 September – Labour's Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly resigns stating the need to spend more time with her family.

October

October
* St Hilda's College, Oxford, ceases to be the last single-sex full college of the University of Oxford by admitting men.
* Toyota launch another Avensis at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to be built at TMUK.
2 October – Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair announces his resignation with effect from 1 December 2008, citing a lack of support from new Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
3 October – Peter Mandelson returns to the Westminster cabinet as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform as part of a reshuffle following Ruth Kelly's resignation.
6 October – Footballer Luke McCormick, a former goalkeeper for Plymouth Argyle, is sentenced to seven years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving.
8 October – The government announce a bank rescue package worth some £500 billion as a response to the 2008 financial crisis.
13 October – The House of Lords vote against a measure in the Counter-Terrorism Bill that would have enabled the government to detain suspects for up to 42 days without charge.
14 October – Key Stage 3 SATs tests are scrapped. The national curriculum tests for 13–14-year-olds were first introduced in 1991.
18 October – The Russell Brand Show prank calls row: An episode of The Russell Brand Show airs on BBC radio, featuring a series of prank telephone calls to the actor Andrew Sachs by comedians Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, leading to large numbers of complaints, chiefly after an article in The Mail on Sunday the following week.
21 October – Nathaniel Rothschild accuses Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne of soliciting to party funds a donation from Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska when they were both guests of Mr Rothschild in Corfu in August 2008. The allegations appear in a letter written by Mr Rothschild to The Times newspaper and are denied by George Osborne.
24 October – The Office for National Statistics reveal that Britain's economy shrunk by 0.5% in the quarter from July to September – the first quarterly detraction since 1992.
26 October
* A severe storm in the Lake District causes extensive flooding while 2,500 runners are taking part in a fell race, but all participants are later accounted for.
* A weak earthquake hits Hereford and Worcestershire, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale.
27 October – Employment and Support Allowance replaces new claims for Incapacity Benefit and Income Support on the basis of incapacity to work for most claimants.

November

2 November – Lewis Hamilton becomes the youngest ever Formula One World Champion in motor racing.
6 November – 2008 Glenrothes by-election: the Labour Party hold the seat.
18 November – The names and contact details of more than 12,000 members of the far-right British National Party are published online by a disgruntled activist, breaching data protection laws.
26 November – Planning Act 2008 is approved, creating an Infrastructure Planning Commission and the concept of nationally significant infrastructure projects.
25 November – Forced marriage protection orders become available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the terms of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007.
27 November – Conservative Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green is arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. He is released on bail after questioning.

December

4 December
* Karen Matthews, 32, is convicted of the kidnapping her 9-year-old daughter, Shannon, in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, on 19 February.
* Lapland New Forest, a Christmas themed park in Dorset closes after scores of complaints about the poor quality of its attractions.
13 December – Actress Kathy Staff dies aged 80 at a nursing home in Ashton-under-Lyne.
16 December – Sean Mercer, 18, is found guilty of murdering 11-year-old Rhys Jones who was shot dead in Croxteth, Liverpool, in August last year. Mercer is sentenced to life imprisonment as the trial judge recommends that he serve at least 22 years before parole can be considered.
18 December
* Woolworths announce their 807 UK stores will close by 5 January 2009, putting some 27,000 people out of work.
* Robert Napper pleads guilty to killing Rachel Nickell, who was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common on 15 July 1992.
19 December – MFI cease trading, closing all 111 of its furniture stores and leaving its 1,400 workforce redundant. The furniture retailer had been in business since 1964, and had used the MFI name since 1971.
27 December – The first wave of Woolworths store closures sees 200 stores shut their doors, with the closure to be completed in the new year unless a buyer for the company can be found in the next few days.

Undated

January – VirtualGym TV is established.
Replica, an online magazine is founded.
Sales of new cars in Britain defy the deteriorating economic conditions, with well over 2.5 million sales this year compared to barely 2.4 million last year. The Ford Focus enjoys its tenth successive year as Britain's best selling new car.

Publications

Iain M. Banks' novel Matter.
Sebastian Faulks' James Bond novel Devil May Care.
Jacqueline Walker's part family memoir, part novelisation, Pilgrim State.

Births

11 February – Frankel, racehorse
25 February – Louie Tully, YouTuber
7 July – Sky Brown, Olympic park skateboarder

Deaths

January

2 January – George MacDonald Fraser, author
3 January
* Natasha Collins, actress and model
* Jimmy Stewart, racing driver
4 January – Graham Percy, artist
7 January – Raffaello de Banfield, composer
9 January – John Harvey-Jones, businessman
15 January
* John D. Lawson, scientist
* Jason MacIntyre, racing cyclist
17 January
* Tony Dean, racing driver
* Carole Lynne, actress
18 January – Bertram James, World War II airman, survivor of The Great Escape
19 January – Morris Maddocks, bishop
21 January – Billy Elliott, footballer
22 January – Kevin Stoney, actor
25 January – Evelyn Barbirolli, oboist, wife of Sir John Barbirolli
26 January – Bryan Jennett, neurosurgeon
30 January
* Jeremy Beadle, television presenter, writer and producer
* Miles Kington, journalist and humorist

February

2 February – Edward Wilson, actor
4 February
* Rose Hacker, writer and activist
* Peter Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir, politician
6 February
* Oliver Foot, actor
* Tony Rolt, racing driver and soldier, last surviving participant of the world's first World Championship Grand Prix
7 February
* Andrew Bertie, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
* Tamara Desni, German-born actress
8 February – Jane Lumb, model and actress
10 February – Chris Townson, musician
12 February – Geoffrey Lewis, professor of Turkish at the University of Oxford
18 February – Jack Lyons, financier and philanthropist
19 February
* Mary Barclay, actress
* Emily Perry, actress
* David Watkin, cinematographer
21 February
* Archie Hind, novelist
* Sunny Lowry, Channel swimmer
22 February – Steve Whitaker, artist
24 February – Pearl Witherington, World War II secret agent
28 February – Mike Smith, pop singer

March

2 March – Paul Raymond, publisher and property developer
3 March – Norman Smith, singer and record producer
7 March
* Leon Greenman, anti-fascist campaigner and author, only British survivor of Auschwitz
* Francis Pym, politician
8 March – Carol Barnes, newsreader
11 March
* Alun Hoddinott, Welsh composer
* Michael J. Todd, police officer, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police
12 March – Tom Tuohy, chemist, averted potential disaster at Windscale
16 March – John Hewer, actor
18 March
* Andrew Britton, novelist
* Anthony Minghella, film director
19 March
* Sir Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction author and inventor
* Philip Jones Griffiths, photojournalist
* Paul Scofield, actor
20 March
* Eric Ashton, rugby player and coach
* Brian Wilde, actor
21 March – Denis Cosgrove, geographer
23 March – Neil Aspinall, record producer and business executive
25 March – Tony Church, actor
28 March – Michael Podro, art historian
29 March – Allan Ganley, jazz drummer
30 March
* David Leslie, racing driver
* Richard Lloyd, racing driver

April

1 April – Jim Finney, football referee
2 April – Paul Arden, author
3 April – Andrew Crozier, poet
7 April – Mark Speight, television presenter
8 April
* Tim Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley, politician and clergyman
* Graham Higman, mathematician
10 April
* Francis Coleman, orchestral conductor
* Dickson Mabon, politician
11 April
* Willoughby Goddard, actor
* Joan Jackson, muse of poet John Betjeman
12 April – Cecilia Colledge, Olympic figure skater
15 April
* Hazel Court, actress
* Brian Davison, drummer
17 April
* Richard Chopping, illustrator
* Gwyneth Dunwoody, politician
18 April – Michael de Larrabeiti, author
24 April – Tristram Cary, composer
25 April – Humphrey Lyttelton, jazz musician and broadcaster
28 April
* Diana Barnato Walker, aviator, first British woman to break the sound barrier
* Sir Derek Higgs, banker and businessman
29 April – Sir Anthony Kershaw, politician

May

1 May
* Bernard Archard, actor
* Mary Berry, musicologist and nun
10 May – John Barraclough, air marshal
13 May – Jill Adams, actress
14 May
* Frith Banbury, actor and theatre director
* Derek Goodwin, ornithologist
* John Forbes-Robertson, actor
15 May – Robert Dunlop, motorcycle racer
16 May
* David Mitton, producer and director
* Peter Rolfe Vaughan, engineer
17 May
* Jolyon Brettingham Smith, composer and radio presenter
* Wilfrid Mellers, composer and music critic
18 May – Tom Burlison, Baron Burlison, footballer and trade unionist
22 May – Paul Patrick, gay rights campaigner
23 May – Nigel Anderson, soldier, landowner and politician
24 May – Rob Knox, actor
27 May – David Butler, screenwriter
28 May
* Beryl Cook, artist
* Elinor Lyon, children's writer
30 May
* Rodney Gordon, architect
* Nat Temple, bandleader

June

1 June – Al Jones, folk singer-songwriter
4 June – Jonathan Routh, co-star of Candid Camera
5 June – Frank Blackmore, traffic engineer, inventor of the mini-roundabout
6 June – Trevor Wilkinson, sports car manufacturer, founder of TVR
10 June – David Brierly, actor
13 June
* Bruce Lester, actor
* John Malcolm, actor
* Dennis Weatherstone, businessman and banker
17 June – Henry Chadwick, theologian
19 June
* David Caminer, computer pioneer
* Bomber Wells, cricketer
21 June – Freddie Williams, businessman
26 June – Tony Melody, actor

July

1 July
* Mel Galley, guitarist
* Robert Harling, typographer
2 July – Elizabeth Spriggs, actress
3 July
* Ernie Cooksey, footballer
* Clive Hornby, actor
4 July – Charles Wheeler, journalist
7 July – Fred Yates, painter
13 July – John Raymond Hobbs, pathologist
14 July
* Bryan Cowgill, television executive
* Hugh Lloyd, actor
17 July – John Hunt, Baron Hunt of Tanworth, civil servant
19 July
* Sarah Conlon, Northern Irish campaigner on behalf of Guildford Four and Maguire Seven
* Ann Lambton, historian
* Dave Pearson, painter
21 July – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, industrialist, chief executive of British Leyland
26 July – Chas Messenger, cyclist
27 July
* Graeme Crallan, heavy metal drummer
* Russell Johnston, politician
29 July – Eric Varley, politician
30 July – Peter Coke, actor

August

1 August – Pauline Baynes, artist
3 August – Roger Dean, guitarist
4 August – Craig Jones, motorcycle racer
6 August – Simon Gray, playwright
9 August
* Peter Coe, athletics coach, father of Sebastian Coe
* Archie Elliott, Lord Elliott, judge
10 August – Terence Rigby, actor
11 August – Sir Bill Cotton, producer
12 August – Michael Baxandall, art historian
13 August – John MacDougall, politician
14 August
* Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart, politician
* Lita Roza, singer
18 August – Bob Humphrys, broadcaster, brother of John Humphrys
19 August – Leo Abse, lawyer and politician
20 August – Eric Longworth, actor
25 August – John Thoday, geneticist
29 August – Geoffrey Perkins, comedy producer, writer and performer
31 August – Ken Campbell, actor and raconteur

September

1 September – Ian Edward Fraser, World War II sailor and VC recipient
2 September
* Dame Alison Munro, civil servant and headmistress
* Julia Pirie, spy
* Denis Rooke, engineer
7 September – Peter Glossop, opera singer
9 September
* Nina Lawson, wig-maker for the Metropolitan Opera
* Bheki Mseleku, jazz musician
10 September
* David Chipp, journalist
* Vernon Handley, orchestral conductor
* Gary O'Donnell, soldier
12 September – Marjorie Thomas, opera singer
14 September – Ralph Russell, scholar
15 September – Richard Wright, pianist and songwriter
16 September – John Fancy, World War II airman
19 September
* David Jones, film director
* Dave Needham, boxer
20 September – William Fox, actor
21 September – Brian Pippard, physicist
23 September – William Woodruff, historian
25 September – Jimmy Sirrel, footballer and football manager
29 September – Jock Wilson, World War II soldier and D-Day veteran

October

3 October – George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth, journalist and politician
4 October
* Ted Briggs, World War II sailor, last survivor of the sinking of HMS Hood
* Peter Vansittart, writer
6 October – Peter Avery, scholar
7 October – Peter Copley, actor
8 October – Bob Friend, newscaster
11 October – Russ Hamilton, singer
13 October – Christopher Wicking, screenwriter
14 October
* Barrington J. Bayley, science fiction writer
* Ray Lowry, cartoonist
* Pat Moss, racing driver, daughter of Alfred Moss
20 October
* Pat Kavanagh, literary agent
* John Ringham, actor and playwright
23 October
* Derek Brewer, mediaevalist
* Kevin Finnegan, boxer
* F. W. Walbank, scholar of Greek history
25 October
* Ian McColl, footballer and football manager
* Maurice Stonefrost, civil servant
27 October
* Chris Bryant, screenwriter and actor
* Roy Stewart, actor
31 October – John Pearse, guitarist

November

3 November
* John Adams, World War II naval officer
* Brooks Mileson, businessman
4 November – Syd Lucas, World War I survivor
5 November – Sir Paul Greening, naval officer and courtier
11 November – Jack Scott, television weather forecaster
12 November
* Mitch Mitchell, drummer
* Margaret Moncrieff, cellist
14 November – Sir Bernard Feilden, conservation architect
16 November – Reg Varney, actor
17 November – James Baddiley, microbiologist
23 November – Richard Hickox, orchestral conductor
25 November
* Leonard Goodwin, pharmacologist
* Michael Lee, rock drummer
* Brian Pearce, Marxist historian and translator
* Dudley Savage, radio presenter
26 November – Andreas Liveras, businessman
28 November – Hugh Laddie, judge
29 November – Robert Wade, chess player
30 November – Naomi Datta, geneticist

December

1 December
* James Bree, actor
* John Wall, lawyer and blind rights campaigner
2 December – Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale, peer
3 December – Derek Wadsworth, jazz trombonist and composer
4 December – Richard Van Allan, opera singer
6 December – Sir Curtis Keeble, diplomat, Ambassador to the Soviet Union
7 December – John Ellis Williams, Welsh author
8 December
* Oliver Postgate, animator, puppeteer and writer
* Bob Spiers, television director
13 December – Kathy Staff, actress
15 December – Davey Graham, guitarist
16 December – Richard Coleman, actor
18 December
* Peter Malam Brothers, World War II pilot
* Jack Douglas, actor
* Hannah Frank, sculptor
19 December – Sir Bernard Crick, political theorist
20 December – Adrian Mitchell, poet and novelist
23 December – Eric Wilson, lieutenant-colonel, last British Army recipient of the Victoria Cross from the Second World War
24 December – Harold Pinter, playwright
25 December – Colin White, military historian
27 December – Patricia Kneale, actress
28 December – Sir Michael Levey, art historian