2016 in the United Kingdom

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Prime Minister
• *David Cameron
• *Theresa May

  Events

January

• 4 January – As strong winds and heavy rain continue to batter parts of Scotland, more than 30 flood warnings are issued by SEPA.
• 6 January – Labour MPs Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty resign from the shadow cabinet over the sacking of the shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden, after party leader Jeremy Corbyn reshuffles his shadow cabinet and makes controversial changes within his team.

• 11 January
• *In the aftermath of Jeremy Corbyn's reshuffle of the Labour Party, Shadow Attorney General Catherine McKinnell resigns, citing party infighting, family reasons and the desire to speak in Parliament beyond her legal portfolio.
• *Arlene Foster becomes the first woman to lead the Democratic Unionist Party and becomes Northern Ireland's first female First Minister.
• 12 January – Junior doctors in England providing non-emergency care strike for 24 hours in a dispute with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt over pay and working hours.
• 14 January
• *The gang of "brazen burglars" involved in the £14m Hatton Garden jewellery heist, dubbed the "largest burglary in English legal history", face jail after the final three are convicted of involvement.
• *The Metropolitan Police announce that an extra 600 armed officers are to be trained and patrols more than doubled to help counter the threat of a terrorist attack in London.
• 15 January – Tim Peake conducts the first spacewalk by an "official" British astronaut, stepping outside an ISS airlock.
• 20 January – Unemployment rates fall to 5.1%, their lowest level in almost a decade, but figures show that wage growth has slowed.
• 21 January
• *An inquiry finds that the murder of British ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 in London was "probably" approved by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
• *Figures show that murders and killings in England and Wales have increased to their highest level for five years, largely due to an abnormally high number of deaths in June when 75 people were killed.
• 28 January – After three weeks of appeals, Camelot receive a "valid claim" for the record breaking £33m Lotto jackpot prize drawn on 9 January.
• 29 January – The last Land Rover Defender rolls off the production line at Solihull, ending 68 years of production.

  February

• 1 February – Scientists are given the go-ahead by regulators to genetically modify human embryos which are to be destroyed in seven days.
• 3 February – The High Court gives permission for Lord Lucan to be declared dead, and for a death certificate to be issued 42 years after his disappearance.
• 8 February – Storm Imogen hits the United Kingdom, causing thousands of power outages and structural damage across the country, along with disruption for many commuters.
• 10 February – Junior doctors walk out in their second recent strike over Saturday working arrangements, causing disruption to medical services.
• 12 February – After many years as print newspapers, it is announced that the UK newspapers The Independent and the Independent on Sunday will cease to print and become online-only at the end of March. Its stablemate, the i, will be sold to Johnston Press.
• 16 February – BBC Three becomes the first UK television network to become online only, having broadcast for its final night after 13 years as a television channel.
• 18 February – R v Jogee, which reverses previous case law on criminal joint enterprise, is decided in the Supreme Court.
• 20 February – David Cameron announces that the UK will hold a referendum on its membership of the European Union on 23 June.
• 21 February – Mayor of London Boris Johnson announces he is to campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
• 22 February – The pound hits its lowest level against the dollar, falling down as much as 2.4%, in almost seven years amid concerns about a possible exit from the European Union.

  March

• 7 March – Official tourist figures for 2015 show the British Museum remains the most popular attraction in the United Kingdom.
• 9 March
• *Four of the gang of "brazen burglars" involved in the Hatton Garden jewellery heist are sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, while a fifth is given six years.
• *Junior doctors strike for the third time over new contracts, with NHS England saying that more than 5,000 operations have been cancelled as a result.
• 16 March – Chancellor George Osborne announces the Budget for 2016 and the year ahead.
• 18 March – Iain Duncan Smith resigns as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions claiming that he came under pressure from the Treasury to "salami slice" welfare, and voicing his objection to £4bn of planned cuts to disability benefits announced in the Budget. Duncan Smith is succeeded in the post by Stephen Crabb.
• 19 March – England win the Six Nations Grand Slam — their first since 2003.
• 21 March – Brian Reader, the ringleader in the Hatton Garden jewellery heist, and the last of the gang to be sentenced, is given more than six years in jail.
• 22 March – Transgender fell-runner Lauren Jeska attempts to murder UK Athletics official Ralph Knibbs, stabbing him multiple times in Birmingham. Jeska had feared her records and ability to compete in women's events would be investigated due to the unfair advantage she had from being born male.
• 23 March – Drivers on London Underground's Piccadilly line go on strike for 24 hours over bullying allegations.
• 28 March – Storm Katie rips through parts of the United Kingdom through the Easter weekend and many parts of the country suffer damage. The storm causes disruption with many flights cancelled or diverted as a result.
• 30 March – British steel maker Tata Steel reports that it will sell off its British operations in a move to save money, leaving many thousands of jobs at risk, including those at the large Port Talbot steelworks in Wales.
• 31 March
• *Prime Minister David Cameron cuts short his spring break to return to the UK for an emergency meeting with ministers on the planned closure of the Tata Steel works.
• *This Morning agony aunt Denise Robertson dies aged 83 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer having been diagnosed in early 2016.
• *Ferrybridge Power Station in West Yorkshire closes after 50 years of electricity generation to make way for a greener future after major fire destroyed part of the plant on 31 July 2014.

  April

• 1 April – A new National Living Wage comes into force in the United Kingdom, requiring employers to pay all workers over 25 years old at least £7.20 per hour.
• 6 April – The 2016 Dog Microchipping Legislation comes into force, requiring every dog in England, Scotland and Wales to be micro-chipped if they are over eight weeks old. The law was already introduced in Northern Ireland in 2012.
• 7 April – A junior doctors' strike over pay disputes enters its second day, with over 5,000 operations and procedures being postponed.
• 10 April – English golfer Danny Willett wins the 2016 Masters Tournament, the first time a Briton has won the tournament since Nick Faldo in 1996.
• 13 April – Stoke Gifford Parish Council in Gloucestershire votes to charge the weekly Little Stoke Parkrun event for use of its park, becoming the first in the UK to do so. The move is wildly condemned.
• 14 April – In the final report following the Shoreham Airshow disaster in August 2015, the Civil Aviation Authority tightens the rules of all future airshows over safety fears.
• 15 April – The European Union membership referendum campaign gets underway in the UK as both sides prepare to persuade voters to decide whether they want to leave or remain in the EU when the referendum takes place in June.
• 16 April – Thousands of people take part in a protest against austerity cuts in central London, including the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell.
• 21 April
• * Welsh Footballer Ched Evans has his 2012 conviction for rape quashed by the Court of Appeal. Evans had been wrongly imprisoned for two and half years, a retrial was ordered to take place in October.
• * Queen Elizabeth II marks her 90th birthday.
• 26 April
• *A jury at a coroner's court in Warrington declares that the victims of the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 were unlawfully killed.
• *Junior doctors go on strike again, this time including those providing emergency care for the first time.

  May

• 2 May – Leicester City win the Premier League for the first time, having been quoted odds as long as 5000/1 before the start of the season.
• 3 May – Thousands of parents take their children out of school for a day in opposition to the introduction of SAT exams for Year 2 pupils.
• 5 May – UK local and Police and crime commissioner elections, as well as elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament are held.
• 7 May – Sadiq Khan is sworn in as mayor of London, succeeding Boris Johnson and becoming London's first Muslim mayor.
• 16 May – The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency show a prototype digital driving licence designed to be stored in a digital wallet on a smartphone.
• 18 May – The government's planned new laws are set out by the Queen in her annual speech, which include a large overhaul on prison laws and support for a spaceport and driverless cars.
• 21 May – Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2–1 after extra time in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London. It is the 12th time they have won the competition. Two days later, manager Louis van Gaal is sacked, with José Mourinho set to replace him.