Events from the year 2025 in the United Kingdom.
Incumbents Monarch – Charles III Prime Minister – Keir Starmer (Labour)
Events
Year long
Railway 200
January 1 January 2025 United Kingdom floods: More than 100 flood warnings are issued after heavy rain affects parts of the UK. A major incident is declared in Greater Manchester after some homes are left without running water and people are rescued from cars in floodwater. The cap on bus fares in England rises by 50% from £2 to £3 per journey. The standard rate of VAT is added to private school fees. The Energy Price Cap rises by an average of £21 per year, increasing the average annual gas and electricity bill to £1,738. Home Office figures show 36,816 people crossed the English Channel in small boats throughout 2024, an increase from 2023, but fewer than 2022. Bradford begins its year as UK City of Culture. 2 January A man who was among four people injured when they were hit by a car in central London on Christmas Day dies in hospital. The UK government announces that people smugglers will face social media blackouts, travel bans and telephone restrictions. The biggest dinosaur fossil trackway ever found in the UK is reported at a quarry in Oxfordshire, consisting of 200 huge footprints made 166 million years ago in the mid-Jurassic period. 3 January Temperatures are reported to have plunged to as low as −8 °C (17.6 °F) overnight, with amber cold weather alerts in place for the whole of England. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for most of England, Wales, and Scotland between Saturday 4 January and Monday 6 January. NHS chiefs in England warn of a major rise in flu cases. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms that a British woman, named as Greta Marie Otteson, has been found dead in a villa in Vietnam along with her fiancé, South African Els Arno Quinton. At the age of 17, Luke Littler becomes the youngest World Darts Champion after defeating Michael van Gerwen 7–3 in the final. 4 January – The Foreign and Commonwealth Office reports the death of a Briton, 31-year-old Edward Pettifer, in the recent New Orleans truck attack. 5 January – Heavy snow causes travel disruption across the UK, as weather warnings remain in place. Temperatures are reported to have fallen to as low as −11 °C overnight in Loch Glascarnoch, Scotland. 6 January The government scraps a plan to phase out gas boilers in UK homes by 2035. 2025 United Kingdom floods: Dozens of people are rescued amid disruption from snow, ice, and flooding around much of the country. An overnight low of −13.3 °C (8 °F) is recorded, again in Loch Glascarnoch. A major incident is declared in Leicestershire and Rutland, where 59 people are rescued from flood water. The Prime Minister responds to X owner Elon Musk and others he accuses of "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs. Starmer tells reporters that these online debates have now "crossed a line", resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips. 7 January A search-and-rescue operation is launched in northern Italy's Dolomite Mountains for two British hikers, named as Aziz Ziriat and Samuel Harris, who have been missing since 1 January. Alistair Macrow, chief executive of McDonald's in the UK, tells MPs the company has dismissed 29 employees because of sexual harassment over the past twelve months. 8 January UK government borrowing rises to its highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. A UK inquest into the death of singer Liam Payne opens, and hears that he died as a result of "polytrauma". The UK government freezes the UK assets of the extreme-right wing group Blood and Honour, making it the first extremist group to be subject to UK financial sanctions. Italy's mountain rescue service confirms the discovery of a body, which it believes to be that of Sam Harris, one of two missing British hikers. 9 January The pound dips to a 14-month low, amid concerns over government borrowing. As low temperatures continue to affect the UK, a fresh weather warning is issued for ice covering Northern Ireland, Wales and parts of England. 10 January The UK records its coldest temperatures of the winter so far, with an overnight low of −14.5 °C (5.9 °F) in Altnaharra, northern Scotland. Royal Mail launches a set of special stamps to celebrate award-winning sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. The Homeland Security Group, a directorate of the Home Office, are reported to be monitoring social media posts by Elon Musk and others as a possible national security risk, assessing their reach and who is interacting with them. UK gas network operator National Gas announces that the UK has enough gas to meet winter demand after Centrica (owners of British Gas) warned about "concerningly low" storage levels. Pop star Chappell Roan wins BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2025. The opening ceremony for the start of Bradford's tenure as UK City of Culture takes place in the city's City Park. 11 January – Temperatures continue to fall, becoming the coldest since 2010, with an overnight low of −18.9 °C in Roybridge, Scotland. 13 January The Royal Mint announces a new £2 coin to commemorate Nineteen Eighty-Four author George Orwell on the 75th anniversary of his death. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces the AI Opportunities Action Plan, a strategy for using artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK to boost growth and deliver public services more efficiently. He tells reporters that AI "will drive incredible change" and pledges to make the UK a world leader in the technology. Pound sterling falls to its lowest value against the US dollar since November 2023, with £1 worth $1.21. Following the 2024 case of Excel Parking v Hudson in which a woman was taken to court for £2,000 worth of parking fines that were accrued because she could not find a phone signal to pay parking charges through an app within an allotted time, the private parking industry announces plans to update its rules to prevent motorists being fined if they do not pay to park within five minutes. Two women from climate protest group Just Stop Oil are arrested after spray-painting over the grave of Charles Darwin inside Westminster Abbey. Former boxing world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury announces his retirement from the sport, the second time he has done so. 14 January Amazon announces the purchase of nearly 150 electric heavy goods vehicles to decarbonise its operations, the largest ever order of electric trucks in the UK. The UK bans cattle, pigs, and sheep imports from Germany after a case of foot-and-mouth disease is confirmed in the country. Tulip Siddiq resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, over a scandal linked to the ousted government of Bangladesh. She becomes the second minister to resign from the Starmer ministry since the general election of July 2024. The Princess of Wales visits staff and patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated following her cancer diagnosis, and reveals that she is now in remission from the illness. Games Workshop is reported to be planning a fourth factory, amid booming sales of its wargame franchise, now with a total valuation of £4.2 billion. 15 January UK inflation is reported to have fallen from 2.6% in November to 2.5% in December. UK COVID-19 Inquiry: Kate Scott from the group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK tells the inquiry that the families of those adversely affected by COVID-19 vaccines had to support each other during the pandemic because there was no other help. 16 January Office for National Statistics figures show the UK economy grew by 0.1% in November, a smaller than expected increase fuelled by hospitality and construction. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces an inquiry into grooming gangs. The father and stepmother of Sara Sharif are to seek an appeal against their conviction for her murder. A record £410 million in government funding for fusion power is announced. This will include a prototype power plant in Nottinghamshire, targeted for completion by 2040, and repurposing a machine at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire. 17 January The International Monetary Fund upgrades its growth forecast for the UK, but warns of the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's economic plans. Keir Starmer pays a visit to Auschwitz concentration camp, and says he is determined to fight the "poison" of antisemitism. A BBC investigation finds that the deaths of at least 56 babies, and two mothers, over a five-year period at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust may have been preventable. 18 January The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirms outbreaks of bird flu have been found in poultry at two farms in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and that the birds will be humanely culled. A plan is announced for digital driving licences to be introduced across the UK later in the year, accessible via a new government smartphone app, which could also be used as a form of ID when buying alcohol, voting, or boarding domestic flights. Protests against Donald Trump: Women's March protests are held in Manchester, Liverpool, Plymouth, and other cities in the UK. Gaza war protests: Nearly 80 pro-Palestine protesters in Whitehall are arrested for breaching protest conditions, with some allegedly breaking through police lines. Buckingham Palace releases a new portrait of Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh to coincide with her 60th birthday; the picture is taken by fashion photographer Christina Ebenezer. 20 January The trial begins of Axel Rudakubana, 18, who pleaded guilty to murdering three girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, which triggered riots around the UK in July and August 2024. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces that an inquiry will be held into the Southport attack. The Solicitor General refers the sentence of Urfan Sharif, convicted of the murder of his daughter, Sara, to the Court of Appeal for being "unduly leniant". 21 January The husband of Pauline Quirke, star of TV sitcom Birds of a Feather, announces that the actress was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and has retired from all professional and commercial duties. The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning ahead of Storm Éowyn, which is expected to bring gusts of up to 90 mph (145 km/h) across large parts of the UK on Friday and Saturday. In a speech from Downing Street following the announcement of a public inquiry into the Southport attack, the Prime Minister warns that the UK faces a "new and dangerous threat" from extreme violence. 22 January Princess Beatrice gives birth to her second child, a daughter named Athena, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. UK government borrowing unexpectedly increased to £17.8bn in December, an increase of £10.1bn from December 2023, and its highest level for four years. The owner of The Sun newspaper offers a "full and unequivocal apology" to Prince Harry for "serious intrusion" into his private life, and agrees to pay him "substantial damages". The warning level for Storm Éowyn is increased from yellow to amber, meaning an increased likelihood of severely or extremely bad weather. Defence secretary John Healey tells MPs that the Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian spy ship after it entered British waters earlier in the week. 23 January A survey carried out by the British Retail Consortium indicates public expectation for the UK economy for the next three months has fallen to a "new low". Red warnings are issued for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland ahead of Storm Éowyn's expected arrival the following day. The UK Emergency Alert System is used to warn several million people of a possible threat to life from the storm. Sainsbury's supermarket announces it will cut 3,000 jobs as it shuts down its remaining cafés and closes its patisserie and pizza counters.