Events from the year 2019 in the United Kingdom. Lack of agreement on how to proceed with withdrawing from the EU led to substantial political turmoil during this year culminating in the 2019 General election in which the pro-Brexit Conservative party gained a significant majority of seats.
Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister Theresa May (Conservative) (until 24 July) Boris Johnson (Conservative) (starting 24 July)
Events January 1 January – Regulator Ofgem introduces a new energy price cap for households in England, Scotland and Wales. 2 January – Rail fares in England and Wales rise by an average of 3.1%. Meanwhile, ScotRail announces average rail fare increases of 2.8%. 3 January – The bakery chain Greggs launches a meat free version of its sausage rolls. 4 January – The engineering arm of collapsed Monarch Airlines falls into administration, with the loss of 450 jobs. 7 January – A 10-year plan for NHS England is unveiled. As a result of Barnett consequentials, a proportionate share of extra funding will be transferred to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. 8 January – MPs back an amendment to the Finance Bill, by 303 to 296 votes, to limit the Treasury's powers in a no-deal Brexit scenario. 9 January – MPs back Dominic Grieve's amendment to the EU withdrawal agreement, by 308 to 297 votes, compelling the government to return to Parliament within three days if the deal is voted down the following week. 14 January – Conservative Party whip Gareth Johnson resigns, saying he cannot support the government in the forthcoming vote on Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement. 15 January – The House of Commons rejects Theresa May's deal on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union by 432 votes to 202. The 230 vote margin is the largest defeat for a government motion in 100 years. 16 January – Theresa May's government survives a no confidence vote by 325 to 306. 17 January The 97-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip is involved in a car crash while driving near the Queen's Sandringham estate. He is unhurt, "but very, very shocked and shaken." Japan's Hitachi announces the suspension of work on the £20bn Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant in Wales amid concerns over rising costs, putting thousands of jobs at risk. 21 January Theresa May outlines her Brexit "plan B" to the House of Commons, scrapping the £65 fee EU citizens were going to have to pay to secure a right to live in the UK after Brexit. Three separate security alerts are raised after reports of car hijackings in Derry, two days after a bomb exploded in a car outside its courthouse. 2019 Piper PA-46 Malibu crash: An aircraft carrying newly-signed Cardiff City F.C. footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson en route from Nantes, France, to Cardiff, Wales, goes missing over the English Channel. Sala's body is recovered on 7 February. 22 January The EU confirms it will enforce a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic in the event of a no-deal Brexit, despite the risk it would pose to peace. The UK café chain Patisserie Valerie collapses into administration after rescue talks with banks fail. 24 January – Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is arrested by police and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two of attempted rape. 25 January – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) closes its office at Canary Wharf, London, in preparation for its move to Amsterdam. 28 January – A letter from the British Retail Consortium, signed by major food retailers including Asda, McDonald's and Sainsbury's, warns of empty shelves and higher prices in the event of a no-deal Brexit. 29 January MPs vote on a series of seven Brexit amendments. This includes a proposal to renegotiate the Irish backstop, which is passed with a majority of 16. Labour MP for Peterborough Fiona Onasanya is sentenced to three months imprisonment having earlier been found guilty of perverting the course of justice for lying about who was driving her car when caught speeding. Her imprisonment makes her the first sitting MP to be jailed in 28 years. 30 January The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, rejects calls to reopen the Brexit deal and says the Irish backstop will not be renegotiated, despite the UK's request. A High Court judge approves a £166bn (€190bn) transfer of assets by Barclays bank to its Irish division as a result of Brexit disruption. 31 January – A report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) states that investment in the British car industry fell by 46.5% in 2018 as a result of Brexit uncertainty.
February 1 February Hundreds of schools across Wales and southern parts of England are closed due to snow and icy conditions. Leave.EU and Eldon Insurance owned by its founder Arron Banks are fined £120,000 over data law breaches. A 37-year-old mother who mutilated her three-year-old daughter becomes the first person in the UK to be found guilty of female genital mutilation (FGM). 3 February Apetito and Bidfood, two major suppliers to care homes and hospitals, report that they are stockpiling food in case of disruption caused by Brexit. Car manufacturer Nissan confirms that it will not be moving production of its X-Trail SUV from Japan to Sunderland, citing the falling sales of diesel cars in Europe as the reason, adding that: "While we have taken this decision for business reasons, the continued uncertainty around the UK's future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future". 4 February – The wreckage of the PA-46 Malibu that was carrying footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson is found underwater and a body is seen within it. 5 February – HMV is acquired out of administration by Canadian retailer Sunrise Records, safeguarding the future of nearly 1,500 staff. 7 February The Office for National Statistics reports that knife crime in England and Wales is at its highest level since records began in 1946, with the number of fatal stabbings the previous year being the most ever reported. The Bank of England keeps interest rates on hold at 0.75%, but warns of a slowdown in economic growth during 2019, which it says could be the worst year since 2009. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) cancels all horse racing in Great Britain until at least 13 February after an outbreak of equine influenza. A body is recovered from the wreckage of the PA-46 Malibu which vanished over the English Channel on 21 January. Dorset Police later identify it as that of Emiliano Sala. 14 February – Theresa May suffers a fresh defeat in the Commons on her Brexit strategy, losing the vote by 303 to 258. 15 February – Thousands of school pupils around the UK go on strike as part of a global campaign for action on climate change. 16 February – Regional airline Flybmi ceases operations and files for administration, blaming Brexit as the main cause of its collapse. 18 February Seven MPs – Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey – announce that they have resigned from the Labour Party to form The Independent Group. Plans by Japanese carmaker Honda to close its Swindon factory by 2022 are leaked to the press, a day before the official announcement. 19 February – MP Joan Ryan resigns from the Labour Party to join The Independent Group. 20 February Three Conservative Party MPs – Heidi Allen, Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry – resign from their party to join The Independent Group. Home Secretary Sajid Javid confirms the intention to strip Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a teenager to join Islamic State in Syria in 2015, of her UK citizenship. 21 February – The youth was found guilty through a unanimous verdict for the abduction, rape and murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail on the 2 July 2018. Lord Matthews described the events as "committing some of the most wicked and evil crimes this court has ever heard of in decades of dealing with depravity." The judge also agreed to reverse the naming restriction due to the ‘unique’ nature of the case - the first in Scottish history - and the defendant is named as 16-year-old Aaron Campbell. 22 February – Dudley North MP Ian Austin resigns from the Labour Party saying the party has failed to tackle antisemitism, but says he has no plans to join the Independent Group. 23 February – Roy Hodgson becomes the oldest man to manage in the Premier League (with Crystal Palace F.C.), at the age of 71 years and 198 days. 25 February – A temperature of 20.3 °C (68.5 °F) is reported in Trawsgoed, Ceredigion, the UK's highest on record for the month of February. 26 February The Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer states that Labour will back a second EU referendum with remain on the ballot if Theresa May's deal gets through parliament. Theresa May states that MPs will be given the choice between no-deal Brexit or a Brexit delay, if they reject her plan the following month. The government publishes its assessment of the impact of a no-deal Brexit. The UK winter temperature record is broken for a second consecutive day, as the Met Office records 21.2 °C (70.2 °F) in Kew Gardens, London. Various huge wildfires are reported, the largest being at Saddleworth Moor in West Yorkshire.
March 1 March – The UK Government announces it has paid out £33,000,000 to settle a dispute with Eurotunnel over the awarding of ferry contracts, which was led by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, to cope with a no-deal Brexit. 7 March Luxury fashion retailer LK Bennett goes into administration. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries reports evidence of slowing life expectancy in the UK, which first emerged in 2010–2011 and is now "a trend as opposed to a blip". 12 March The House of Commons rejects Theresa May's deal on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union for a second time, by 391 votes to 242. Three climbers are killed and another injured in an avalanche on Ben Nevis. 13 March MPs vote by 321 votes to 278 to accept an amended government motion to reject the UK leaving the European Union without a deal. Chancellor Philip Hammond says that gas heating for new houses will be prohibited by a date which he gives as 2025, although gas hobs will still be allowed. 14 March – MPs vote by 412 to 202 in favour of requesting that the UK's withdrawal from the European Union be delayed beyond 29 March. 15 March – Thousands of school pupils around the UK go on strike as part of a global campaign for action on climate change. 18 March – The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, quoting a parliamentary rule dating back to 1604, declares that a third "meaningful vote" on the Brexit deal cannot proceed unless it contains substantial changes. Ministers warn of a "constitutional crisis", with just eleven days until the UK is due to leave the EU. 20 March – Prime Minister Theresa May writes a letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk, requesting a three-month extension to Article 50. 21 March The TUC and CBI write a letter to the Prime Minister saying the UK faces a "national emergency" due to Brexit and urging May to embrace an alternative plan. The EU agrees to delay Brexit until 22 May 2019, if MPs approve a withdrawal deal; or to 12 April if they do not. Aaron Campbell was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years for the murder of six-year-old Alesha MacPhail. Lord Matthews said Campbell's crime had caused "revulsion and disbelief" and described Campbell as a "cold, callous, calculating, remorseless and dangerous individual". 23 March – Hundreds of thousands of protesters flock to London for the second People's Vote march, asking the UK Government for a second referendum on leaving the EU and to permanently revoke Article 50. 24 March – An online e-petition calling on the government to revoke Article 50 reaches 5,000,000 signatures.