2007 in the United Kingdom
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2007_in_the_United_Kingdom".

2007 in the United Kingdom:

Other years

2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009

News by month

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

England | Northern Ireland | Scotland

Sport, Television and music

2007 British Grand Prix

2007 English cricket season

Football: England | Scotland | Wales

2007 in British television

2007 in British music

UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007

Events from the year 2007 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

• Monarch - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Prime Minister - Tony Blair, Labour Party (until 27 June), Gordon Brown, Labour

Events

January

• 1 January - Central Trains hold the second day of a two day industrial action, affecting many parts of England, especially the East and West Midlands.^[1]
• 3 January -
  • Celebrity Big Brother 5 launched on Channel 4, with celebrities such as Jermaine Jackson, Dirk Benedict and Leo Sayer.^[2]
  • 2007 National Express coach crash: A National Express coach from London Heathrow Airport to Aberdeen, Scotland crashes on a slip road between the M4 and the M25, killing two people and injuring thirty-six others.^[3]
• 4 January - In response to yesterday's crash, National Express withdraw all 12 of their double-decker coaches as a precaution.^[4]
• 5 January -
  • The England cricket team lost the 5th Ashes test in Sydney, Australia by 10 wickets, resulting in a 5-0 series whitewash, the first time this has occurred since the 1920-1921 Ashes Tour.^[5]
  • Umran Javed, a British Muslim, is found guilty at the Old Bailey, London, of inciting racial hatred at a London rally back in February 2006 protesting against the publication of a cartoon in a Danish newspaper depicting Muhammad (see Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy)^[6]
• 7 January -
  • Bristol International Airport closes its runway due to concerns by various airlines (including easyJet and BA Connect) over the safety of landing in wet weather. This follows two days of nine airlines refusing to use the runway.^[7]
  • Laura Pearce becomes the first contestant on Channel 4 show Deal or No Deal to win the top prize of £250,000 since the start of the show on October 31, 2005. It took until the 351st attempt for the top prize to be won.^[8].
• 9 January - New rules outlawing businesses from discriminating against homosexuals are upheld in the House of Lords, after a challenge by Lord Morrow of the Democratic Unionist Party^[9]
• 10 January - Two military helicopters collide in mid-air near Market Drayton, Shropshire, killing one person and injuring three others.^[10].
• 10 January–28 January - John Reid facing mounting problems continuing from those of his predecessors including further prisoner escapes especially from open prisons and also absconding of those under Control Orders,^{[11][12][13][14][15]} and missing sex offenders.^[16]
• 11 January - In an unexpected move, the Bank of England raises interest rates to 5.25%, an increase of 0.25%. This is the third rise in five months, after a year of stability.^[17].
• 16 January - At the 64th Golden Globe Awards, Helen Mirren wins an award for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in The Queen and Sacha Baron Cohen for his role in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Other British winners were Hugh Laurie in House and Jeremy Irons in Elizabeth I.^[18]
• 17 January -
  • It is announced that methamphetamine - otherwise known as crystal meth - is to be reclassified to a Class A drug, to avert widespread use of the drug.^[19]
  • Protests in India and the UK against the British series of Celebrity Big Brother after Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara are alleged to be racially abusive to Bollywood star, Shilpa Shetty.
• 18 January - The UK is hit by torrential rain and gale force winds, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people and causing havoc to public transport and power supplies.^[20]
• 20 January - The MSC Napoli is deliberately grounded to prevent it sinking, leading to concern about environmental damage to Branscombe beach in Devon.^[21].

February

• 1 February - Defence Secretary Des Browne announces that the UK forces in Southern Afghanistan will be boosted by 800.
• 1 February - Passenger duty for flights from the UK doubles.^[22]
• 1 February - Downing Street officials reveal that Tony Blair had been interviewed as a witness by police on 26th January, regarding the Cash-for-honours allegations.
• 3 February - The presence of the H5N1 virus in the avian flu outbreak at the Holton turkey plant in Suffolk is confirmed.^[23]
• 11 February - The British Academy Film Awards are held; winners include Helen Mirren for Best Actress.^[24]
• 11 February - The England Cricket team defeat Australia to win their first overseas One-Day International trophy since 1997.^[25]
• 23 February - Grayrigg rail crash: A Virgin Pendolino train derails in Cumbria, killing one person and injuring dozens more.^[26]

March

• March - Ford launches the third generation of its market-leading Mondeo large family car.
• 1 March - Five British people are kidnapped in Ethiopia.^[27]
• 2 March - The Attorney General for England and Wales, Lord Goldsmith, obtains an injunction from the High Court preventing the BBC from broadcasting an item about investigations into the alleged cash for honours political scandal.^[28]
• 3 March - Contaminated petrol that was causing cars to fail is traced to a fuel depot in Essex.^[29]
• 4 March - Two British soldiers serving with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization International Security Assistance Force force in Afghanistan are killed in Helmand province during clashes with Taliban forces.^[30]
• 5 March
  • Al-Qaeda has threatened to kidnap or kill Prince Harry during his upcoming tour of duty in Iraq.^[31]
  • A search party in Ethiopia finds the vehicles belonging to five Britons kidnapped in the country.^[32]
• 7 March
  • Reform of the House of Lords: In a House of Commons vote a majority of MPs express support for a fully elected House of Lords. A smaller majority support an 80% elected, 20% appointed chamber. Other options with a lower elected component are rejected. The proposals were put forward by Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, who describes the votes as "a historic step forward".^[33][34]
  • The 2007 elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly begin. The election is being conducted using the single transferable vote applied to six seater constituencies, each of which corresponds to a UK parliamentary seat.^[35]
  • Jonathan Evans is announced as the next Director-General of MI5. Evans is currently Deputy Director-General and will take over in April following the retirement of Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller.^[36]
• 9 March - Results from the Northern Ireland Assembly election show the DUP and Sinn Féin making gains, and ensuring that in order for direct rule to cease both parties must agree to cooperate in a powersharing Executive.^[37]
• 11 March - The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the new generation Skynet 5 military satellite system is launched successfully from Kourou in French Guiana at 22:03 GMT.^[38]
• 12 March - Nigel Griffiths resigns as the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons over the proposed expansion of the Trident missile program.^[39]
• 12 March - The BBC's correspondent in the Gaza Strip, Alan Johnston, who is the only foreign reporter from a major media organisation based in Gaza, is kidnapped. All the main Palestinian militant groups have called for his release.^[40]
• 13 March
  • Five British Embassy workers kidnapped in Ethiopia twelve days ago have been set free in neighbouring Eritrea.^[41]
  • A draft Climate Change Bill is published in the United Kingdom, outlining a framework for achieving a mandatory 60% cut in carbon emissions by 2050.^[42]
• 14 March - The Government wins support of the House of Commons to update the Trident missile system. There was a significant revolt within the Labour Party with two PPSs Stephen Pound and Chris Ruane resigning.^[43]
• 16 March - coroner Andrew Walker finds that the death of soldier Matty Hull in the 190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals "friendly fire" incident was "unlawful and criminal".^[44] The U.S. Department of State rejects this ruling.^[45]
• 17 March - Cheesy pop four piece Scooch controversially win the right to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. The Making Your Mind Up selection show was marred by the fact that co-host Terry Wogan announced French songstress Cyndi Almouzni as the winner, whereas Fearne Cotton announced Scooch as winning. The final results showed Scooch having received 53% compared to Cyndi's 47%.
• 21 March
  • Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announces his 2007 Budget. Major points include a cut in the basic income tax rate from 22p to 20p, the abolition of the lower 10p income tax rate, and a 2p cut in corporation tax.^[46]
  • Two British sailors die and a third is injured as a result of an accident on the nuclear submarine HMS Tireless in the Arctic Ocean.^[47]
• 23 March - 15 Royal Navy servicemen operating in disputed waters are seized by Iranian authorities after inspecting a ship suspected of smuggling.^[48][49]
• 26 March - Northern Ireland Peace Process: Members of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, led by Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, meet face-to face for the first time, and agree a timetable for implementing the St Andrews Agreement.^[50]
• 30 March - Network Rail (the replacement for Railtrack) is fined £4 million for health and safety breaches leading to the Ladbroke Grove rail crash, in which 31 people died.^[51]

April

• 2 April - a smoking ban comes into effect in all public places in Wales.^[52]
• 4 April
  • President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces that the 15 British sailors held by Iran are to be freed as a "gift" to Britain.
  • Violence erupts during a UEFA Champions League game between Manchester United and AS Roma.^[53]
• 5 April - Four British soldiers are killed in a bomb blast near the Iraqi city of Basra.^[54]
• 6 April - Beginning of the 2007/08 Financial Year.
• 12 April - The anchor handling tug supply vessel Bourbon Dolphin capsizes in the North Sea. Three people are dead and four are missing.^[55]
• 15 April - Two United Kingdom military helicopters collide near the town of Taji near Baghdad killing two soldiers.^[56]
• 17 April - Inflation at an annual rate of 3% falls outside government target range causing for the first time, the Governor of the Bank of England to have to write a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as required by Monetary Policy Committee rules, explaining the reasons for this.^[57]
• 24 April - British anti-terrorism police arrest five people in London and one in Luton for alleged breaches of the Terrorism Act.^[58]
• 28 April - An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the richter scale strikes in Kent, injuring one and causing damage to buildings.

May

• 3 May - Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales general elections held; and local council elections in Scotland and parts of England.
• 8 May - Formation of the power sharing executive in the Northern Ireland Assembly.^[59]
• 9 May - The Ministry of Justice comes into existence in the United Kingdom, reorganized from the Department for Constitutional Affairs and taking over some responsibilities from the Home Office.^[60]
• 10 May - Tony Blair asks Labour's National Executive Committee to seek a new party leader and announces he will step down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 27 June.
• 10 May and 12 May - In Eurovision Song Contest, the UK entry comes joint second last in the final.^[61]
• 16 May
  • Alex Salmond is elected First Minister of Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, the first person from the Scottish National Party to hold the post. Supported by the Scottish Green Party, his party will form a minority administration.^[62]
  • The Ministry of Defence announces that HRH Prince Harry will not be deployed to Iraq as originally planned, due to the security risks to both himself and his regiment the Blues and Royals.^[63]
• 23 May - The Government announce a carbon emissions trading scheme, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, that will apply to hotel chains, supermarkets, banks, and other large organisations.^[64]
• 24 May - Jenny Bailey becomes the first transsexual mayor in the United Kingdom.
• 28 May - The Foreign Office submits a formal request to the Russian Government for the extradition of ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi to face charges over the murder of his former colleague Alexander Litvinenko in London.^[65]
• 29 May - The Longbridge car factory in Birmingham re-opens, two years after the bankruptcy of MG Rover. The re-opened factory is a scaled down operation which will initially just produce the MG TF sports car, though there are plans by Chinese owners Nanjing Automobile to build other cars there in the future.
• 30 May - A fire at a Magnox nuclear power station in Oldbury, South Gloucestershire, forces its indefinite closure. British Nuclear Group announces that the fire has not damaged the reactor and was in a "non-nuclear" area.^[66]

June

• 13 June - Queen Elizabeth II awards Sir Tim Berners-Lee the Order of Merit for his pioneering work on the world wide web.^[67] Salman Rushdie receives a knighthood sparking protests in Iran and Pakistan.^[68][69]
• 24 June - At Special Labour Party conference, Gordon Brown becomes leader of the party and Harriet Harman is elected Deputy Leader.^[70]
• 27 June - Tony Blair steps down as Prime Minister and is succeeded by Gordon Brown.^[71]Blair becomes an envoy to the Middle East on behalf of the "Quartet" of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia.^[72]
• 28 June - Gordon Brown announces his new cabinet. Jacqui Smith becomes the first female Home Secretary.^[73]
• June 29- Two car bombs are uncovered in central London but are defused before they can explode.
• June 30- A terrorist attack occurs at Glasgow International Airport. There are no civilian fatalities, but the perpetrator of the attack is seriously injured.
• June 30- The third generation of the Ford Mondeo is launched

July

• 1 July
  • The Smoking ban begins in England, meaning that all of the United Kingdom is now covered by a ban on smoking in virtually all enclosed public places.^[52]
  • Concert for Diana held in memorial of Diana, Princess of Wales.
• 2 July
  • Michael Mullen, 21, of Leeds, is sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of his two-year-old niece Casey Leigh Mullen, who died at her home in the city on 11 February this year. The trial judge recommends that Mullen should serve a minimum of 35 years before being considered for parole.
  • Demolition work begins on the historic HP Sauce factory in Birmingham, which closed in May with the loss of 125 jobs and the end of more than 100 years of manufacturing when the production facility was transferred to Holland.
• July 6 - July 8 The 2007 British Grand Prix is held at the Silverstone Circuit.
• July 22
  • Floods cause chaos through wide areas of Britain, especially the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, leaving hundreds homeless and thousands of vehicles stranded on major roads.

August

• 1 August - Scouting's Sunrise to celebrate 100 years of Scouting worldwide and mark the beginning of the next century.
• 22 August - 11-year-old Rhys Jones is shot dead in Croxteth, Liverpool. His death is believed to have been a random shooting carried out by a local gang.
• 31 August - 10th Anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.

September

• 1 September - Eurovision Dance Contest to be held in London.
• 6 September - The 10th Anniversary of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Commemorations will take place throughout the United Kingdom.
• 6 September - Murder victim Rhys Jones is buried following a funeral service at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
• 10 September - Television entertainer Michael Barrymore is told that he will not face charges in connection with the death of Stuart Lubbock, the man who was found dead in a swimming pool at his house more than six years ago.

October

• 15 October - Sir Menzies Campbell resigns as leader of the British Liberal Democrats.
• 20 October - South Africa defeats England at the Rugby World Cup 2007 final in Stade de France, Paris.

November

• 1 November - London's Metropolitan Police Service is found guilty of endangering the public following the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian who officers mistook for a suicide bomber.
• 2 November - Four firefighters feared dead in the 2007 Atherstone fire disaster.
• 14 November - High Speed 1 from London to the Channel Tunnel is opened to passengers.
• 20 November - 2007 UK child benefit data scandal: HM Revenue and Customs admits that it has misplaces two computer discs which contained the records of child benefit claimants data, including bank details and National Insurance numbers, leaving up to 7.25 million households susceptible to identity theft.
• 26 November - Donorgate: Labour Party official Peter Watt resigns over loans received by the party from David Abrahams.^[74]

December

• 18 December - Nick Clegg wins the Liberal Democrats leadership election.
• 24 December - Freddie Fuller, the boyfriend of Sugababes star Amelle Berrabah,is stabbed outside the Queen Victoria pub in Aldershot, Hampshire but survives.

Publications

• Iain Banks' novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale.
• Ian McEwan's novel On Chesil Beach.
• Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Making Money.
• J. K. Rowling's novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Births

• 12 March - Xan Windsor, Lord Culloden
• 17 December - James Windsor, Viscount Severn

Deaths

• 3 January - Sir Cecil Walker, Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for North Belfast (1983–2001), heart attack (born 1924)
• 4 January - Grenfell (Gren) Jones, newspaper cartoonist (born 1934)
• 7 January - Magnus Magnusson, journalist, broadcaster and host of BBC quiz show Mastermind from 1972 to 1997, pancreatic cancer (born 1929)
• 8 January -
  • David Ervine, leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, heart attack leading to stroke and brain haemorrhage (born 1953)
  • Francis Cockfield, Baron Cockfield, politician and European Commissioner, cause of death unknown (born 1916)
• 27 January - Paul Channon, Baron Kelvedon, Member of Parliament, (born 1935)
• 30 January - Griffith Jones, actor (born 1910)
• 9 February - Ian Richardson, actor (born 1934)
• 16 February - Sheridan Morley, theatre critic (born 1941)
• 4 March - Ian Wooldridge, sports journalist (born 1932)
• 7 March - Lady Thorneycroft, philanthropist (born 1914)
• 8 March - John Inman, actor (born 1935)
• 14 March
  • Tommy Cavanagh, footballer and football manager (born 1928)
  • Gareth Hunt, actor (born 1942)
• 16 March
  • Sally Clark, lawyer and victim of a miscarriage of justice (born 1964)
  • Sir Arthur Marshall, aviation pioneer and businessman (born 1903)
• 17 March - Freddie Francis, cinematographer and film director (born 1917)
• 18 March - Bob Woolmer, cricketer and cricket coach (born 1948)
• 28 March - Sir Thomas Hetherington, barrister (born 1926)
• 30 March
  • Fay Coyle, footballer (born 1933)
  • Michael Dibdin, crime writer (born 1947)
• 24 April - Alan Ball, footballer and football manager (born 1945)
• 18 June - Bernard Manning, comedian (born 1930)
• 5 July - George Melly, jazz singer (born 1926)
• 29 July
  • Phil Drabble, author and television presenter (born 1914)
  • Mike Reid, comedian and actor (born 1940)
• 31 July - R. D. Wingfield, novelist and radio dramatist (born 1928)
• 10 September - Anita Roddick, environmentalist, political campaigner, businesswoman (Founder of The Body Shop) (born 1942)]]
• 11 September - Ian Porterfield, footballer and football manager (born 1946)
• 16 October - Deborah Kerr, actress (born 1921)
• 22 November - Verity Lambert, television producer (born 1935)
• 29 December - Phil O'Donnell, footballer (born 1972)

References

See also