Events from the year 2008 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister – Gordon Brown (Labour)
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.