Events from the year 2009 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister – Gordon Brown (Labour)
Events
January 1 January – A British soldier from 6th Battalion The Rifles, later named by the Ministry of Defence as Sergeant Christopher Reed, is killed in an explosion in Southern Afghanistan. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 138. 2 January – Celebrity Big Brother returns to Channel 4 for the first time since 2007 following the racism controversy that dominated that year's show. Participants include La Toya Jackson, Verne Troyer and Ulrika Jonsson. 5 January Cold weather consisting of snow and freezing temperatures causes widespread disruption across the UK. Travel routes are severely affected including roads and railways, in addition to Luton and Birmingham airports. The weather also leads to the closure of many schools which were due to return after the Christmas break. Waterford Wedgwood, makers of the famous Wedgwood pottery, enter administration. 6 January The cold weather affecting the UK continues to cause widespread disruption across the country. The continued freezing temperatures lead to millions of people becoming eligible for cold weather payments from the government. The closure of Woolworths is completed across the UK, having started at the end of December, spelling an end to 100 years of the retail chain. The company was placed into administration in November 2008, with its 813 stores gradually being phased out. More than 27,000 jobs have been lost as a result of the company's collapse. 7 January Marks & Spencer announce they are to close 25 of their Simply Food stores and cut 1,230 jobs, after they announce pre-Christmas like-for-like sales fell by 7.1%. England Cricket Captain, Kevin Pietersen resigns after months of rows with England manager, Peter Moores. Moores is sacked from his job by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Andrew Strauss is named as the new Captain. There is more bad news for the economy as new car sales for 2008 are reported to have fallen to a 12-year low of just over 2.1 million. 8 January – The Bank of England cuts its base interest rate to 1.5% amid the global economic downturn, the lowest it has been in the bank's 300-year history. 11 January The News of the World reports that Prince Harry has been filmed using racist language towards a Pakistani member of his army platoon. Prince Harry swiftly apologises amid widespread condemnation. A Royal Marine from 45 Commando, later named by the Ministry of Defence as Marine Travis Mackin, is killed in an explosion in Southern Afghanistan. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 139. 12 January – At the 66th Golden Globe Awards, British actress Kate Winslet wins two awards, Best Actress (Motion Picture Drama) and Best Supporting Actress (Motion Picture); while British film Slumdog Millionaire wins all four of the awards for which it was nominated. 14 January The government unveils a £20 billion loan guarantee scheme for small and medium-sized business amid the Great Recession. On the same day, Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, appoints former banker Mervyn Davies as the new Trade and Investment Minister. Two British service personnel, a soldier from 29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, later named by the Ministry of Defence as Captain Tom Sawyer, and a marine from 45 Commando, later named as Marine Danny Winter, are killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 141. 15 January – Approval is granted for the building of the controversial third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow Airport. As part of the decision, the Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, announces restrictions on aircraft using the third runway that are designed to limit noise pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, alongside proposals for a high-speed rail hub, also located at Heathrow. John McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, the constituency which includes Heathrow Airport, is suspended from Parliament after picking up the ceremonial House of Commons mace in protest at the government's approval of a third runway. 16 January – The Financial Services Authority lifts the ban on the short selling of stocks in UK financial sector companies. 17 January – A British soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles, later named as Corporal Richard Robinson, is killed by enemy fire in southern Afghanistan. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 142. 19 January Lloyds TSB completes the acquisition of the Halifax Bank of Scotland group, to form the Lloyds Banking Group.Lloyds Banking Group – Stock Market Statement – Acquisition The government announces further assistance for the banking sector, the second of the 2008 financial crisis. Measures announced include the government insuring bad debts and increasing its stake in Royal Bank of Scotland. The measures make little impact on the stock market, with banking stocks falling across the board. The Royal Bank of Scotland announces it expects to have to write down assets totalling around £20 billion, believed to be the biggest loss in British corporate history. The announcement sees RBS' share price plunge 67% on the day. 20 January – The Office for National Statistics announces that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the UK's main measure of inflation, has fallen by 1% from 4.1% to 3.1% since November 2008. Over the same time period, the Retail Price Index, an alternative measure of inflation, fell by 2.1% from 3.0% to 0.9%, the biggest fall in 28 years. 21 January – Statistics released by the Office for National Statistics show that the number of unemployed people in the UK has risen to more than 1.9 million, the highest level since late 1996. 22 January – The Disasters Emergency Committee of UK charities launches its Gaza Crisis Appeal following the recent conflict in the region. The BBC causes controversy by saying it will not be broadcasting the appeal as it would compromise its impartiality. 23 January The Office for National Statistics announces that the United Kingdom's economy is officially in recession for the first time since 1991. The economy has now suffered three successive quarters of contraction, with the final quarter of last year seeing the economy shrink by 1.8% – one of the worst quarterly detractions since records began. Karen Matthews and Michael Donavon are sentenced to eight years in prison for the kidnap of Shannon Matthews, the former's daughter, having held her captive in Donvon's flat in Dewsbury last year as part of a bid to claim £50,000 for her "safe return" after reporting her missing to the police. Jonathan Ross returns to television after serving a three-month suspension from the BBC following the row over prank telephone calls made to Andrew Sachs. 24 January – Two climbers from Northern Ireland and another from Scotland are killed in an avalanche on Buachaille Etive Mòr in the Highlands of Scotland. Five others walk away uninjured, whilst another suffers a shoulder injury. 25 January – The Sunday Times publishes allegations that four Labour members of the House of Lords are willing to accept money to table amendments to legislation. 26 January – Possession of 'extreme pornography' becomes illegal under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. 28 January The International Monetary Fund projects that the UK economy will shrink by 2.8% in the forthcoming year, the biggest drop in any advanced nation. Hundreds of workers strike at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire in protest at the hiring of foreign construction workers at the site, despite rising unemployment in the UK. Sir Paul Stephenson takes office as Metropolitan Police Commissioner. 30 January 2009 Lindsey Oil Refinery strikes: Workers at around a dozen energy sites across the UK walk out in support of the workers at the Lindsey refinery, who walked out two days ago over the hiring of foreign workers. A British soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles, later named as Corporal Daniel Nield, is killed in a firefight in Southern Afghanistan. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 143.
February 1 February – Three day state visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao begins; pro-Tibet protestors stage2 a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in London. 2 February Heavy snow falls overnight across large parts of the country, causing widespread disruption. It is the heaviest snowfall in the UK for eighteen years. Many roads are blocked in the morning rush hour, whilst train services are disrupted and many airport runways closed. Transport for London suspends all London buses, and the London Underground is also severely disrupted. Meanwhile, thousands of schools are forced to close due to the adverse weather conditions. Contractors at the Sellafield and Heysham nuclear plants walk out in the ongoing unofficial strike action over foreign workers. 3 February – Adverse weather conditions continue to cause widespread disruption to education and transport in large parts of England. 5 February Further heavy snow in parts of England and Wales cause fresh school closures and travel disruption. The Halifax reports a rise in house prices of 1.9% in January. However, it also reports that, on average, the price of a house fell by 17.2% in the 12 months since January 2008. Workers participating in unofficial strikes over the use of foreign workers agree to return to work after a compromise deal is struck by Acas. The Bank of England reduces the base rate of interest by 0.5% to 1.0%, the fifth reduction since October 2008. Undefeated boxing champion Joe Calzaghe announces his retirement from the sport after 46 fights over more than 15 years. 8 February – At the 62nd British Academy Film Awards, the 'BAFTAs', British drama Slumdog Millionaire wins seven awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Danny Boyle. British actress Kate Winslet also wins the award for Best Leading Actress for her performance in The Reader. 9 February – Chelsea F.C. manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is dismissed by the club's board after results deteriorate "at a key time in the season". It comes just hours after fellow Premier League manager, Tony Adams of Portsmouth F.C., is dismissed, again after a poor run of results. 10 February – The former chief executives of the two British banks hit hardest by the 2008 financial crisis, Fred Goodwin of Royal Bank of Scotland and Andy Hornby of HBOS, apologise "profoundly and unreservedly" for their respective banks' failure in an evidence session with the Treasury Select Committee. 11 February The Metropolitan Police announced they will not launch an investigation into the recent Cash for Influence scandal in the House of Lords. The Deputy Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, Sir James Crosby, resigns amid allegations that, whilst chief executive of HBOS, he dismissed a senior manager who raised concerns that the bank was exposed to too much risk. Four people, including two teenage air cadets, are killed in a mid-air collision between two light aircraft over the Welsh coast. The Office for National Statistics announced that UK unemployment has risen to 1.97 million, an increase of 146,000 in the last three months. 12 February – A British soldier serving in Iraq, later named as Private Ryan Wrathall, dies in what the Ministry of Defence described as a 'shooting incident'. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 179, and marks the first British death in Iraq in 2009. 13 February