Events from the year 1997 in the United Kingdom. This year is noted for a landslide general election victory for the Labour Party under Tony Blair; the handover of Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to China, with Hong Kong become an administrative region of China; and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister John Major (Conservative) (until 2 May) Tony Blair (Labour) (starting 2 May)
Events
January 6 January – Allegations of a Conservative MP's extramarital affair appear in the News of the World newspaper a week after Conservative Prime Minister John Major put "the family" at the heart of his campaign. Jerry Hayes – married with two children – denies the allegations. 7 January – 2.5 million people take part in a phone-in vote as part of an ITV debate on the British monarchy. A 2-1 majority vote in favour of retaining the institution. 9 January – British yachtsman Tony Bullimore is rescued in the Southern Ocean five days after his boat capsized in freezing waters. 15 January Diana, Princess of Wales, calls for an international ban on landmines. The strengthening economy is reflected in a national unemployment total of 1,884,700 for last December – the lowest level since January 1991. The Conservative government who are mired in allegations of sleaze are still behind Labour in the opinion polls as the general election looms. 16 January The Conservative Party government loses its majority in the House of Commons following the death of Iain Mills, MP for Meriden. Chris Evans resigns from BBC Radio 1 after his request for a four-day week is refused. Since joining the station as a breakfast-time DJ in 1995 Evans had boosted audience numbers by 700,000. 17 January A jury at the Old Bailey rules that 86-year-old Szymon Serafinowicz is unfit to stand trial on charges of murdering Jews during The Holocaust. East 17 singer Brian Harvey is dismissed from the band after publicly commenting that the drug Ecstasy is safe. 20 January – Death of Labour Party MP Martin Redmond ends the government's minority. On the same day, the party promises not to raise income tax if, as seems likely, it wins the forthcoming general election.British Election Panel Study, 1992-97 30 January – An underground anti-road protest ends as the last protester, known as "Swampy" (Daniel Hooper), emerges from the network of tunnels beneath the A30 extension site in Devon.
February 4 February – Moors Murderer Myra Hindley is informed by Home Secretary Michael Howard that she will never be released from prison. Hindley, who has now been in prison for more than 30 years, was issued with a whole life tariff in 1990 by the then Home Secretary David Waddington but not informed of the ruling until just over two years ago. 6 February – The Court of Appeal rules that Mrs Diane Blood of Leeds can be inseminated with her dead husband's sperm. Mrs Blood has been challenging for the right to use the sperm of her husband Stephen since just after his death two years ago. 12 February – A 23 year old British soldier is shot dead in Northern Ireland. Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick is shot by a sniper while manning a checkpoint in Bessbrook (County Armagh); he is the last British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA. 14 February – The Daily Mail newspaper names and accuses five young men of the murder of Stephen Lawrence on its front page the day after a coroner's inquest finds that the teenager had been unlawfully killed in an unprovoked racist attack by five white youths in April 1993. 15 February – Murder of Billie-Jo Jenkins, a 13 year old girl, in Hastings, East Sussex, who is beaten to death at the family home. Her stepfather Siôn Jenkins is convicted of her murder in 1998 but formally acquitted after a hung jury at a second retrial in 2006. 22 February – Scientists at the Roslin Institute announce the birth of a cloned sheep named Dolly seven months after the fact. 24 February – At the Brit Awards 1997, Geri Halliwell wears her iconic Union Jack dress. 27 February The government loses its Commons majority again after a Labour victory at the Wirral South by-election. The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997, together with the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 of 27 November, prohibit personal ownership of almost all handguns.Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 (c.5) as originally enacted; Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 (c.64) as originally enacted.
March 10 March – 160 vehicles are involved in a motorway pile up on the M42 motorway at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Three people are killed and 60 injured. 17 March – John Major announces that the general election will be held on 1 May. Despite the opinion polls having shown a double-digit Labour lead continuously since late 1992, Major is hoping for a unique fifth successive term of Conservative government by pinning his hopes on a strong economy and low unemployment – no incoming government since before the First World War has inherited economic statistics as strong as the ones that Labour will should they win the election. 18 March – The Sun newspaper, a traditional supporter of the Conservative Party, declares its support for Tony Blair and Labour, condemning the Conservatives as "tired, divided and rudderless" – a stark contrast to its support for them in the run-up to the 1992 election where it waged a high-profile campaign against the then Labour leader Neil Kinnock and following the Conservative victory, claimed responsibility for the result. 23 March – Unemployed continues to fall and now stands at just over 1,800,000 – its lowest level since December 1990. 30 March – Channel 5, Britain's fifth terrestrial television channel and its first new one since the launch of Channel 4 in November 1982, is launched. 31 March – BBC preschool children's television series Teletubbies first airs.
April April – Nursery Education Voucher Scheme introduced, guaranteeing a government-funded contribution to the cost of preschool education for 4-year-olds. 1 April – Following the handover of ScotRail to National Express, the final British Rail passenger service, the Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William, reaches its destination, ending the process of privatisation of passenger services brought about by the Railways Act 1993. 8 April BBC journalist Martin Bell announces that he is to stand as an independent parliamentary candidate against Neil Hamilton in the Tatton constituency on an anti-corruption platform. A MORI opinion poll shows Conservative support at a four-year high of 34%, but Labour still look set to win next month's general election as they have a 15-point lead. 29 April – The last MORI poll before the election tips Labour for a landslide victory as they gain 48% of the vote and a 20-point lead over the Conservatives.
May 1 May – General election: The Labour Party under Tony Blair defeat the incumbent Conservative government under Prime Minister John Major in a landslide result, winning an all-time record for any party of 418 seats, with a swing of −10.23 points. Several high-profile Conservative MPs, including seven Cabinet ministers lose their seats, as do all Conservative MPs in Scotland and Wales. Michael Portillo, who was tipped by many to be the next leader of the Conservatives, is among those who lose their seats. The Conservatives fail to make any gains. A record 120 women enter parliament, including 101 female Labour MPs. Mohammad Sarwar, elected for Labour in Glasgow Govan, becomes the first ever Muslim MP. 2 May – Labour being the largest party holding a majority following the general election, Conservative John Major resigns and Tony Blair is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by The Queen. 3 May – Katrina and the Waves win the Eurovision Song Contest (held in Dublin) with the song Love Shine a Light, the first time the UK has won the competition since 1981. 6 May – New Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown announces that the Bank of England, central bank of the UK, is to assume independent responsibility for UK monetary policy. 19 May – The new Labour government announces that it will prohibit tobacco sponsorship of sporting events.
June June – Ford enters the growing compact coupe market with its Puma, which uses the same chassis as the Ka and Fiesta. 2 June – The Halifax Building Society floats on the London Stock Exchange. Over 7.5 million customers of the Society become shareholders of the new bank, the largest extension of shareholders in UK history. 12 June – Law Lords declare that former Home Secretary, Michael Howard, acted illegally in raising the minimum sentence of the two juveniles who committed the murder of James Bulger, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, to 15 years. They also strip the government of setting minimum terms for prisoners aged under 18 who had received life or indefinite prison sentences. 19 June The High Court of Justice delivers judgement, largely in favour of McDonald's, in the libel case of McDonald's Corporation v Steel & Morris ("the McLibel case"), the longest trial in English legal history, against two environmental campaigners. William Hague is elected as the leader of the Conservative Party. 23 June – Construction begins on the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. 25 June – An auction of dresses owned by Diana, Princess of Wales, in Manhattan raises more than £2 million for charity. 26 June – Publication of J. K. Rowling's first Harry Potter fantasy novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in London by Bloomsbury Publishing, in an edition of 500 copies. 30 June - Essex band The Prodigy released The Fat of the Land which broke a Guinness World Record for the fastest selling dance album of all time.
July 1 July – The UK transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to the People's Republic of China as the 99 years lease on the territory formally ends. This event is widely considered by historians and commentators to mark the end of the British Empire, the largest imperial endeavour in the history of mankind, with Hong Kong, now part of SAR. 2 July – Chancellor Gordon Brown launches the first Labour budget for nearly 20 years, which includes a further £3billion for education and healthcare, as well as a £3.5billion scheme to get single mothers, under 25's and long term unemployed people back into work. 4 July – Russian carmaker Lada announces the end of exports to the United Kingdom after 23 years and some 350,000 sales of its low-priced, low-specification cars, which at their peak sold more than 30,000 cars a year but managed just over 6,000 sales last year. 6–11 July – 1997 nationalist riots in Northern Ireland: there is violence in nationalist areas after an Orange Order parade is allowed down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown by the Royal Ulster Constabulary as part of the Drumcree conflict. 19 July – The IRA declares a ceasefire. 30 July – Sunderland's Stadium of Light, the largest football club stadium to be built in England since the 1920s, is opened by the Duke of York. 31 July Education (Schools) Act abolishes the Assisted Places Scheme (free or publicly-subsidised places for qualifying children attending fee-paying independent schools). At the Uxbridge by-election, John Randall holds the seat for the Conservatives.
August 2 August John Major's Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are announced. The comedy film Bean is released in movie theaters. 14 August – Derby County F.C. move into their new Pride Park stadium, but their inaugural match against Wimbledon in the FA Premier League is abandoned in the second half due to floodlight failure. 21 August – The new Oasis album, Be Here Now, is released – selling a record of more than 350,000 copies on its first day. 27 August An international survey shows that British rail fares are the most expensive in the world and have risen by 12% since privatisation.