3 January – the NHS in England cancels all non-urgent treatments from mid-January until the end of the month, as reports emerge of patients facing long waits for treatment and being stuck on trolleys in corridors, and of ambulances left queuing outside A&E.[3]
5 January – Jon Venables, one of the killers of toddler James Bulger in 1993, is charged over indecent images of children.[4]
8 January – Princess Charlotte starts attending Willcocks Nursery School, London.[5]
8 January – Prime Minister Theresa May announces a Cabinet reshuffle.[6]
9 January – The manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products with plastic microbeads is banned in England, with a ban on their sale due to come into force by July 2018.[7]
11 January – Theresa May pledges to eradicate all plastic waste throughout England by 2042.[8]
Industry body Water UK announces that all shops, cafes and businesses in England will provide free water refill points in every major city and town by 2021.[11]
Three teenage boys on their way to a sixteenth birthday party are killed when a car mounts a pavement in Hayes, West London. Police arrest a 28-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.[14] A second, 34-year-old man, who fled the scene, later hands himself in to police.[15]
30 January
Chris Parker, a homeless man who stole from victims of the Manchester Arena bomb attack, is jailed for four years and three months.[16]
31 January
Shares in government contractor Capita plunge more than 40% after the company issues a profit warning.[17]
Another water main bursts in West London, this time in Shepherd's Bush, flooding Goldhawk Road, one of the main streets in the area.[18]
February
2 February – Finsbury Park Mosque attacker Darren Osborne, who drove a van into a group of Muslims, is jailed for life, with a minimum term of 43 years.[19]
3 February – British Youtuber KSI defeats fellow British Youtuber Joe Weller in 3 rounds in a YouTube Boxing match at the Copper Box Arena. The event is considered the biggest events in YouTube History as 20 million people are believed to have watched the fight on live streams. KSI then called out American Youtuber Logan Paul and his brother named Comedyshortsgamer fought American Youtuber Jake Paul on 25 August 2018 at the Manchester Arena.
7 February
Jon Venables, one of the killers of toddler James Bulger, is jailed for possessing child abuse images for a second time.[20]
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, backs a ruling by the High Court that victims of the serial sex offender John Worboys can challenge in court the parole board's decision to release him from prison.[21]
8 February – NHS hospitals in England record their worst ever A&E performance, with only 77.1% of patients treated within four hours in January, far short of the 95% target.[22]
9 February – Trinity Mirror purchases Northern & Shell, chaired by Richard Desmond, for £126.7 million.[23]
28 February – An earthquake of magnitude 3.2 and depth of 4 km hits Mosser, Cumbria. It was felt in Grasmere, Kendal, Cockermouth and Keswick and was the second earthquake to hit the United Kingdom within two weeks.[25]
4 March – Sergei Skripal, a former Russian agent convicted of spying for Britain, is found collapsed on a shopping centre bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire, alongside his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia Skripal. With police suspecting deliberate poisoning, similar to that of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, a major incident is declared.[27] It is later confirmed by police that a nerve agent was administered in an attempt to murder Skripal.[28]
13 March
The government's fiscal statement, which is now called the Spring Statement, is published.[29]
The government calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal on 4 March. Theresa May announces that 23 Russian diplomats will be expelled from the UK after Russia fails to respond to claims of involvement.[32]
15 March – Following the events of 4 March, Theresa May visits Salisbury after the nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal.[33]
17–19 March – Heavy snow affects much of the UK. It is dubbed the "mini beast from the east"; a sequel to the previous cold wave at the start of the month. On 17 March, amber weather warnings are issued for north-west England, Yorkshire, the Midlands, London and south-east England.[34] On 18 March, they are issued for south-west England, south-east and mid-Wales and the West Midlands.[35] Dozens of vehicles were stuck overnight on the A30 in Devon whilst two weather warnings are still in place for much of the UK after wintry showers disrupted many parts of Britain.[36]
17 March – A 21-year-old man is arrested and charged with attempted murder after driving a Suzuki Vitara into the Blake's nightclub at Gravesend, Kent, injuring thirteen people.[37]
Micro Focus shares fell 55% to 849p after they warn of a sharp fall in revenue and its chief executive, Chris Hsu resigned.[41]
Channel 4 airs a documentary about Cambridge Analytica, the data analysis company that worked on the Leave.EU campaign in favour of Brexit, and for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Undercover reporters, talking to executives from the firm, discover the use of bribes, honey traps, fake news campaigns and operations with ex-spies to swing election campaigns around the world.[42] An emergency court order is requested to raid the Cambridge Analytica offices.[43]
20 March
The board of Cambridge Analytica suspends CEO Alexander Nix with immediate effect, pending a full and independent investigation.[44]
21 March – Following eight years of austerity, a pay rise is agreed for 1.3 million NHS staff, with minimum increases of at least 6.5% over three years and some employees receiving as much as 29%.[45]
23 March
Ahmed Hassan, perpetrator of the Parsons Green bombing, is sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 34 years.[46]
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn sacks Owen Smith from the Shadow Cabinet for calling for a second EU referendum, in contrast with official party policy and was replaced by Tony Lloyd. Smith was an ardent supporter of Britain continuing membership of the EU.[47]
28 March – The UK Government announces that consumers in England will soon pay a deposit when they buy drinks bottles and cans in a bid to boost recycling and cut waste, but consumers will get the money back if they return the container.[48]
The National Living Wage for people over 25 increased from £7.50 to £7.83 an hour. Workers between 21 and 24 received an hourly pay rise from £7.05 to £7.38, wages rose from £5.60 to £5.90 for 18–20 year olds, from £4.05 to £4.20 for 16–17 year olds and from £3.50 to £3.70 for apprentices aged under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship.[51]
4 April – A 78-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of murder after a suspected burglar, armed with a screwdriver, forced the man into his kitchen where a struggle ensued and the burglar was stabbed to death.[52]
13 April – The London Stock Exchange announces that it has appointed David Schwimmer as Chief Executive who will take up the post on 1 August to replace Xavier Rolet who quit the role last November.[54]
16 April – TV presenter Ant McPartlin appeared at court charged with drink driving.[55]
Alfie Evans, a toddler at the centre of a legal case into whether he should be granted medical treatment to prolong his life, dies in Liverpool aged 23 months.[63]
Sainsbury's and Asda are reported to be at an advanced stage of talks to merge the two supermarkets.[64]
An outbreak of oak processionary, a species of toxic caterpillar, is reported across Greater London and surrounding areas.[65]
Elections to many local councils and mayoralties are held in England, including all 32 London boroughs. There are losses for the Conservatives (−33) and gains for Labour (+77), the Lib Dems (+75) and Green Party (+8). Meanwhile, UKIP are nearly wiped out, losing 123 councillors and retaining just three. Other parties see a net loss of four councillors.[69]
Ten people are injured by an explosion at a Jewish festival in London.[71]
5 May – The Temperate House at Kew Gardens in London reopens, following a five-year, £41,000,000 revamp.[72]
7 May
The UK experiences its hottest early May bank holiday (since its introduction in 1978) with a temperature of 28.7 °C (83.66 °F) recorded at RAF Northholt in West London.[73]
The UK government announces that fixed odds betting terminals will be reduced to £2 under new rules, but bookmakers warns that the cut could lead to thousands of outlets closing.[78]
British retailer Mothercare confirms the closure of 50 stores as part of their rescue plan, putting 800 jobs at risk.[79]
6 June – A major fire damages the five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge, a week after "the most extensive restoration in its 115-year history" was completed. Plumes of black smoke are visible across London.[90]
7 June – Department store chain House of Fraser announces the closure of 31 stores affecting 6,000 jobs, which includes its flagship store in Oxford Street, London. It will remain open until early 2019.[91]
8 June
BuzzFeed publishes a leaked recording of Boris Johnson at a private dinner of Conservative Party activists, during which he praises U.S. President Donald Trump, warns that Brexit is heading for "meltdown" and says "I don't want anybody to panic during the meltdown. No panic. Pro bono publico, no bloody panic. It's going to be all right in the end."[92]
On the one-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the tower was illuminated green with twelve other buildings across West London and Downing Street at 00:54 BST whilst a virgil took place at a nearby church, where the names of the dead were announced at 01:30 BST and a minute's silence took place at midday.[94]
19 June
It becomes illegal in England and Scotland to sell rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products that contain microbeads.[95]
The government announces a review into the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.[96]
23 June – Around 100,000 anti-Brexit campaigners march through central London demanding a final vote on any UK exit deal. The organisers, People's Vote, say that Brexit is "not a done deal" and people must "make their voices heard", whilst James McGrory from pressure group Open Britain says there should be "a choice between leaving with the deal that the government negotiates, or staying in the European Union".[97]
24 June
The East Coast Main Line comes back under government control, following the failure of the franchise.[98]
England record their biggest ever victory at a World Cup game, winning 6–1 against Panama, with captain Harry Kane scoring a hat-trick to take the team through to the final sixteen.[99]
25 June – The UK experiences the hottest weather of the year so far, with temperatures reaching up to 29.4 °C (84.9 °F) in London. The highest temperature is recorded in St James's Park. The same location had experienced the year's previous record temperature of 29.1 °C (84.3 °F) in April.[100]
29 JuneProfessor Philip Alston, a special rapporteur on human rights and extreme poverty, says the UN will investigate the impacts of Tory austerity in Britain, the organisation's first such probe into an advanced European country since 2011.[102]
30 June
Four young men aged between 18 and 21 are killed when their car collides with a taxi on the A6120 outer ring road, Leeds. Two girls aged 16 and 17, also in the car, are injured, along with the driver of the taxi, a 42-year-old man from Bradford.[103]
Thousands of people march through London to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS and to protest against government cuts to the health service.[104]
July
1 July – In an interview with Sky News, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn says: "I think at this stage we should say that medical use of cannabis is good. Cannabis oil use is clearly beneficial to people and that should be decriminalised and made readily available as quickly as possible."[105]
Counter terror police investigate after a man and woman are exposed to the Novichok nerve agent near Salisbury, four months after a similar incident in the area.[106]
8 July
Police launch an international murder investigation after Dawn Sturgess dies in Salisbury Hospital after being exposed to a "high dose" of novichok nerve agent in Wiltshire on 30 June.[107]
Dutch electronics firm Philips warns that it may shift production out of Britain in the event of a "hard" Brexit, with CEO Frans van Houten stating: "I am deeply concerned about the competitiveness of our operations in the UK, especially our manufacturing operations."[110]
9 July
Dominic Raab is appointed as Brexit secretary after David Davis' resignation.[111]
Prince Louis, the third child of Prince William and Catherine (then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge), is baptised in a private ceremony at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace.[115]
10 July
The Royal Air Force (RAF) marks its 100th anniversary with a flyby of 100 aircraft over London and South East England. The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, also presents a new Queen's Colour to the Royal Air Force at a ceremony on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.[116]
Two vice chairs of the Conservative Party, Maria Caulfield and Ben Bradley, resign in protest at Theresa May's Chequers Brexit compromise plan.[117]
US President Donald Trump arrives in the UK. The four-day visit includes talks with Theresa May, tea with the Queen, and mass protests featuring a six-metre-tall (20 ft) "Trump baby" blimp flown over Westminster.[120]
August
15 August – Rapper Stormzy announces the launch of the Stormzy Scholarship, a scholarship, which will fund two black British students through their studies at Cambridge University. Two students will be funded from the 2018–19 academic year and two from the 2019–20 academic year.[121]
25 August – British Youtuber KSI will face American Youtuber Logan Paul at the Manchester Arena. The fight is expected to be the biggest Event in YouTube History.
9 December – The NHS in England announces a ban on the sale of fax machines starting in January 2019, as part of a government plan to phase them out entirely by March 2020.[124]
19 December – Labour MP for PeterboroughFiona Onasanya is found guilty of perverting the course of justice for lying about who was driving her car when caught speeding.[125]