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.[3]
The cold weather affecting the UK continues to cause widespread disruption across the country.[3] The continued freezing temperatures lead to millions of people becoming eligible for cold weather payments from the government.[5]
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.[6] More than 27,000 jobs have been lost as a result of the company's collapse.[7]
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%.[8]
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.[9]
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 2.1million.[10]
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]
11 January
The News of the World reports that HRHPrince Harry has been filmed using racist language towards a Pakistani member of his army platoon. Prince Harry swiftly apologises amid widespread condemnation.[12]
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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[21]
The Royal Bank of Scotland announces it expects to have to write down assets totalling around £20billion, believed to be the biggest loss in British corporate history. The announcement sees RBS' share price plunge 67% on the day.[22]
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.[23]
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 1.9million, the highest level since late 1996.[24]
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.[25]
23 January
The Office for National Statistics announces that the United Kingdom's economy is officially in recession for the first time since 1991.[26] 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.[27]
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.[28]
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.[30]
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.[31]
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.[34]
Hundreds of workers strike at the Lindsay Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire in protest at the hiring of foreign construction workers at the site, despite rising unemployment in the UK.[35]
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.[36]
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.[1]
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.[37]
3 February – Adverse weather conditions continue to cause widespread disruption to education and transport in large parts of England.[39]
5 February
Further heavy snow in parts of England and Wales cause fresh school closures and travel disruption.[40]
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.[41]
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.[50]
Four people, including two teenage air cadets, are killed in a mid-air collision between two light aircraft over the Welsh coast.[51]
The Office for National Statistics announced that UK unemployment has risen to 1.97million, an increase of 146,000 in the last three months.[52]
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.[53]
13 February
Shares in the Lloyds Banking Group close down over 30% after they suggest that one of its subsidiaries, HBOS, would post annual losses of nearly £11billion. In response, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, says that a 'range of options' remains in place to assist the banking system, and refuses to rule out full nationalisation.[54]
14 February – A Royal Marine from 45 Commando, later named by the Ministry of Defence as Marine Darren Smith, is killed by enemy gunfire in Southern Afghanistan. This takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 144.[1]
16 February – A British soldier from 1st Battalion The Rifles, later named as Lance Corporal Stephen Kingscott, is killed by enemy fire in Southern Afghanistan. This increases the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 145.[1]
17 February
Amid growing public and political pressure, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, announces a reduction in the payment of bonuses to senior staff at RBS and that these reduced bonuses will be paid in shares, rather than cash.[56]
Official figures show that the UK's CPI, the official measure of inflation, has fallen by 0.1% in January to 3.1%. The alternative measure of inflation, the Retail Price Index, fell by 0.8% to 0.1% in the same monthly period.[57]
18 February – The Yorkshire Ripper is released from Broadmoor Hospital to face a life sentence for killing 13 women and attempting to kill 7 more, after doctors claim he has been treated for schizophrenia.
TV personality, Jade Goody and her boyfriend, Jack Tweed, are married at Down Hall, Essex. Goody, 27, has had cervical cancer for six months and was told earlier this month that she may only have weeks to live after the cancer spread to her bowel, liver and groin.[59] She dies at her home in Essex exactly one month later.[60] Tweed is free on license following imprisonment for assault.[61]
23 February – Binyam Mohamed, a British national suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, is returned to the United Kingdom after being held at Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre for more than four years. Mohammed alleges that he was subject to extraordinary rendition and that UK agents were complicit in his torture.[62]
25 February
Three British soldiers from 1st Battalion The Rifles, later named as Corporal Tom Gaden, Lance Corporal Paul Upton and Rifleman Jamie Gunn, are killed in an explosion in Southern Afghanistan. In a separate incident, a Royal Marine from 45 Commando, Signaller Michael Laski, dies in a British hospital after sustaining injuries in the Aghan conflict on Monday 23 February. The four deaths take the total number of British forces to die in the Afghan conflict to 149.[1]
Labour Party peer Lord Ahmed is sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment for dangerous driving, having been involved in a fatal crash.[63]
26 February – The Royal Bank of Scotland, as expected, announces annual losses totalling £24.1billion, the biggest loss in British corporate history. It is also confirmed that the bank is to receive a further £13billion from the government in return for an increased stake in the company.[66] Alongside this announcement, the bank announces that its former chief executive, Fred Goodwin, is to receive a £693,000-a-year pension for life. This leads to widespread condemnation, whilst the government threaten legal action to claw back the payments.[67]
27 February – Lloyds Banking Group announces that their HBOS subsidiary made annual losses of £10.8billion in 2008. The Lloyds TSB division of the group made a profit of £807million, down 80% on 2007.[68]
28 February – The government launches an inquiry into a Fred Goodwin's pension and massive losses by HBOS in 2008.
ITV announces it is cutting 600 jobs after it reported a loss of £2.6billion for 2008. The jobs will go from the company's Yorkshire studios in Leeds and from their headquarters in London.[71]
5 March
The Bank of England reduces the base interest rate to 0.5%, its lowest ever level. It also announces plans to begin quantitative easing by injecting £75billion into the British economy.[72]
The government takes a controlling stake, reported to be 65%, in the troubled Lloyds Banking Group. Toxic loans totalling £260billion will be insured by the government as part of the deal.[75]
13 March – Comic Relief 2009 raises a record total in excess of £57million at the climax of their telethon, surpassing the amount raised during the 2007 telethon by over £17million.[79]
14 March – A British soldier from Royal Welsh Regiment, 2nd Battalion, later named as Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, is killed in an explosion in Southern Afghanistan. It takes the total number of British forces to die in the conflict to 150.[1]
16 March – Two British soldiers from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, later named as Corporals Graeme Stiff and Dean John, are killed in an explosion in Southern Afghanistan. The deaths take the total number of British forces to die in the Afghan conflict to 152.[1]
18 March
The Office for National Statistics announce that UK unemployment rose to 2.03million in the three months to January. It takes unemployment above 2million for the first time since 1997.[80]
Sean Hodgson, who has served 27 years in prison since being convicted of murder in 1982, is acquitted at the Court of Appeal in London.[81]
24 March – The Consumer Price Index, the government's preferred measure of inflation, unexpectedly rises to 3.2% in February, a rise of 0.2% on the previous month. The alternative measure of inflation, the Retail Price Index falls to 0.0% for the first time in nearly 50 years.[82]
27 March – Official figures confirm that the United Kingdom is still in recession, with the economy shrinking by 1.6% in the final quarter of 2008 compared to the third quarter.[83]
29 March – It emerges that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith submitted an expenses claim for a TV package which included pornographic films watched by her husband.
April
April – The economy continues to decline dramatically, with statistics showing a 2.4% rate of contraction for the first quarter of this year.
1 April
A Super Puma helicopter crashes in the North Sea whilst transporting oil-rig workers. All 16 people on board, 14 passengers and 2 crew, are killed.[84]
Protests are held across London ahead of the following day's G20 summit. Police report 63 arrests across the city, where a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland is targeted by protesters, believed to be as a result of the ongoing anger at the pension of former chief executive, Fred Goodwin. The Metropolitan Police later announce that one protester had died of a heart-attack during the protests.[85]The world leaders present at the G-20 London Summit, 2 April 2009 On 5 April the Independent Police Complaints Commission announces an investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson, the protester. Video footage emerges on 7 April showing him being pushed to the ground by a police officer.
3 April – Vincent Nichols is named as the new Archbishop of Westminster and head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, replacing Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor.
8 April
Analogue television signals begin to be switched off in the Westcountry Television area as part of the UK's ongoing process of digital switchover.[87]
Police and MI5 conduct eight counter-terrorism raids in North-West England. The raids have had to be brought forward because operational details had been visible on a document being carried by an assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bob Quick as he arrived at 10 Downing Street for a meeting with the Prime Minister earlier in the day; Mr Quick resigned the following day.
11 April – Gordon Brown's special adviser Damian McBride resigns his position after it emerges that he and another prominent Labour Party operative, blogger Derek Draper, had exchanged a series of emails in which they discussed plans to smear Conservative Party politicians with a series of false stories about their private lives.[88]
Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers the government's budget to the House of Commons. It includes the introduction of a 50% tax rate for those earning in excess of £150,000 and the announcement that Britain's debt level will rise to 79% of GDP by 2013.[89]
Figures show unemployment has now risen to more than 2.1million, the highest level seen under the current government.[citation needed]Magnified image of the H1NI flu virus, origin of a pandemic.
The government is defeated on an opposition day motion in the House of Commons by 267 votes to 246 over their policy on Gurkha settlement rights.[92]
30 April
A further three cases of swine flu are confirmed by the Department of Health. Two of the cases are located in London, with the third being in Newcastle.[93]
The British military operation in Iraq officially ends after six years of combat. The Basra Province is handed over to American forces in a special ceremony, ahead of the withdrawal of British troops in the summer.[94]
The House of Commons pass a number of reforms to the rules governing MPs allowances.
May
1 May – The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the UK reaches 99. Notably, the first cases of human to human transmission of the virus are confirmed in Scotland and South Gloucestershire.[95][96]
8 May – The Daily Telegraph obtains a full copy of MPs' expenses claims and begins publishing them unredacted prior to the official parliamentary publication date of 1 July, reigniting the MPs' expenses controversy.[97]
12 May – Conservative leader of the opposition David Cameron says he will pay back a £680 expenses claim on his constituency home. He also orders fellow Tory MPs to repay thousands of pounds in claims as the on-going expenses scandal engulfs parliament.
14 May – A number of MPs from all parties are either suspended or announce their resignations due to the expenses scandal. Several weeks later almost 100 MPs will have announced that they will not be standing at the next general election.
16 May – Manchester United win the Premier League championship for the third consecutive year after a 0–0 draw against Arsenal F.C. at their home ground, Old Trafford. They have now equalled Liverpool's record tally of 18 top division titles.[98]
20 May – Labour peers Lord Taylor of Blackburn and Lord Truscott are suspended from Parliament for six months each having been found guilty of breaching the code of conduct and also failing to act on their personal honour. The suspensions came about as a result of the 2009 cash for influence scandal and are the first such actions since 1642.[100]
21 May – Following a long campaign by Gurkha veterans who served in the British Armed Forces before 1997, Home SecretaryJacqui Smith announces that all Gurkha veterans who have served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 will be allowed to settle in Britain.[101]
30 May – Chelsea win the FA Cup for the fifth time after beating Everton 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium. Everton French striker Louis Saha scores the fastest ever FA Cup Final goal, after 23 seconds[105]
2009 European Parliament election: Labour suffer a significant drop in support, losing 5 seats and being pushed from second to third place in vote share by the Eurosceptic UKIP, while the Conservatives also enjoy an increase in support, and the far-right BNP gain 2 seats, their first ever in the European Parliament.
5 June – In the aftermath of yesterday's election results, Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffles his cabinet amidst some pressure on his leadership of the Labour Party.[110]
8 June – Paedophile nursery worker Vanessa George is arrested on suspicion of child sex abuse in connection to the 2009 Plymouth child abuse case[111]
9 June
Newly elected MEP and leader of the British National Party Nick Griffin is forced to abandon a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament after being ambushed by protesters.
Unemployment in Britain is now standing at a 14-year high of 2.22million and the quarterly rise in unemployment is the highest for 28 years.[112]
14 June
The first death in the United Kingdom related to the 2009 swine flu pandemic is confirmed by the Scottish Government at 20:30 BST.[113] There will eventually be 474 confirmed deaths in the UK.
The Big Top 40 Show is the first real-time chart show ever to be broadcast in the United Kingdom, consisting of downloads and airplay. The show is broadcast on 142 stations – the largest number of stations that a radio show is broadcast on in the UK.[114]
15 June
Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces an independent inquiry into events surrounding the Iraq War.[115]
An official inquiry begins into the MPs expenses scandal, conducted by The Committee on Standards in Public Life.
18 June – MPs' expenses are published online by Parliamentary authorities,[118] but the decision to black out many of the details leads to criticism.[119]
Britain's last two Army veterans of World War I. Top: Henry Allingham, the oldest man in the world and one of the last surviving veterans of World War I, who died on 18 July aged 113. Above: Harry Patch, the last British Army veteran of World War I, who died on 25 July aged 111.
1 July
Two British soldiers are killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. It is later confirmed that one of the casualties is Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the most senior ranking officer to be killed in action since Colonel H. Jones during the Falklands campaign.[122][123]
Elizabeth Cross instituted for award to the next of kin of members of the armed forces killed in action (or as the result of terrorism) since World War II.[125]
5 July – The Staffordshire Hoard, the largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found, is uncovered. The 1,500 gold and silver pieces are discovered buried beneath a field in Staffordshire by metal detecting enthusiast Terry Herbert. This is made public on 24 September.[126][127]
8 July
The Guardian claims that rival English newspaper, the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the Worldtabloid, paid £1million in court costs after its journalists were accused of involvement in phone tapping celebrities and politicians.[128]
11 July – The UK announces that 8 British soldiers are killed in Afghanistan, the country's worst death toll in a 24-hour period.[129]
14 July – BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons announces that bonuses for the 10 most senior BBC executives will be suspended indefinitely.[130]
15 July – Unemployment figures show the jobless total in Britain now stands at 2.38million, a level not seen since 1995.[131]
16 July – ITV announces that its news and information Teletext service will be discontinued within the next six months as a result of mounting losses and the inability to find a viable business model to continue.[132]
The Government launches the National Pandemic Flu Service across England, a website and phoneline allowing people who think they have the pandemic H1N1/09 virus to bypass the NHS to obtain antiviral drugs.[136] The website crashes within hours of its launch due to the overwhelming demand.[137]
25 July – Harry Patch, the last British survivor of the First World War trenches and briefly the oldest man in the United Kingdom, dies at the age of 111.[139]Claude Choules, a 108-year-old former Royal Navy serviceman who was born in Worcestershire but now lives in Australia, is the last surviving British veteran of the war and one of just three surviving of any nationality.[140]
8 August – The Conservatives are reported to be studying plans for VAT to be increased to 20% if they win the general election, as part of an emergency package to cut national debt.[147]
12 August
Wales begins the process of digital switchover with the turning off of parts of the analogue signal from the Kilvey Hill transmitting station in Swansea.[148]
New figures show unemployment now stands at 2.44million, the highest level for almost 15 years.[149]
15 August – The number of British Forces personnel killed in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001 reaches 200 after the Ministry of Defence announces the death of a trooper who had been wounded in a roadside attack two days earlier.[151]Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who made the decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds.
20 August – The Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill grants release to the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, stating that Megrahi is in the final stages of terminal prostate cancer.[152]
9 September – Westcountry Television completes the digital switchover process with the turning off of all analogue signals from the Caradon Hill transmitter.[157]
17 September – Three members of the CIRA are jailed in Northern Ireland for 15 years each for having a live Mortar Bomb.[158]Riots break out in Lurgan, County Armagh as a consequence. Cars are hijacked and placed on the railway lines disrupting services between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The riots continue for three days and there are reports of masked gunmen roaming the streets.[159]
6 October – Shadow Chancellor George Osborne unveils plans for cutting national debt if the Conservatives win the forthcoming general election. These include increasing the retirement age for men to 66 from 2016, a decade sooner than planned by the current Labour government, as well as increasing the retirement age for women to 65 by 2020.[163]
8 October – Postal workers vote three to one in favour of taking strike action over job security and working conditions.[164]
12 October
The government announces a £16bn assets sale in an attempt to raise funds to reduce the budget deficit. The Dartford Crossing and the state-owned bookmaker The Tote will be included in the sale.[165]
The independent audit of MPs expenses chaired by Sir Thomas Legg is completed. Among those who must repay claimed expenses is Prime Minister Gordon Brown who claimed £12,415 for cleaning and gardening costs.[166]
Reports state that United Kingdom has the worst quality of life in Europe, due to long hours, bad weather, low life expectancy and the high price of many consumer goods (as a result of the recession).[167]
16 October – A bomb detonates under the car belonging to a police officer's wife in the large Unionist area of East Belfast. The woman is taken to hospital with minor injuries as the bomb was set to go off in the passenger side where her husband usually sits but is not present on this day. The Real IRA later claim responsibility[169]
20 October – The latest MORI poll shows Conservative support at 43% – 17 points ahead of Labour. This showing, if translated into votes at an election, would see the Tories form the next government.[172]A crowd protests BNP Leader Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC show Question Time.
25 October – It is reported that the Crown Office of Scotland has emailed relatives of British victims of the Lockerbie Disaster to inform them that a police review of the case has started now that "appeal proceedings" have ended.[176]
November
4 November
Five British soldiers are shot dead in Afghanistan's Helmand Province while mentoring and training Afghan police. Six other British servicemen and two Aghan police are also injured in the attack which the UK military blames on a "rogue" policeman.[177]
General Motors, the owner of British carmaker Vauxhall and its continental Opel partner, makes a surprise decision not to sell the carmaker to Canadian organisation Magna.
14 November – Severe gales and heavy rain from an Atlantic storm cause floods and damage across southern England and Wales.[181]
19 November – The highest ever UK 24-hour rainfall total, 314.4mm, is recorded at Seathwaite Farm, Cumbria[182] – a record which stands until December 2015.
20 November – Many towns and villages in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway are flooded following several days of heavy rain. Three bridges collapse, one of them leading to the death of a police officer standing on the bridge when it collapsed.[183]
22 November – The latest MORI poll shows that the Conservatives are just six points ahead of Labour, their narrowest lead for two years, with 37% of the vote, which, if translated into election results, would force a hung parliament. Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has suggested his party would support the Tories if the election resulted in no overall majority.[184][185]
November – With an average nationwide precipitation of 215.7 millimetres or 8.49 inches, this is the wettest calendar month over the United Kingdom as a whole since reliable records begin in 1910.[186]
December
2 December – The Winter Hill transmitting station has its remaining analogue signals turned off, completing the digital switchover process in the Granada Television region.[178]
7 December – The Ministry of Defence announces the death in Afghanistan of a soldier from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, taking the total number of British troops killed there in 2009 to 100[187] and the total number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the conflict began (October 2001) to 237.[187]
14 December – Cabin crew at British Airways vote overwhelmingly in favour of a planned 12 days of strike action over Christmas and the New Year in a dispute over job cuts and changes to staff contracts.[188] On 17 December the High Court rules that Unite, the representing trade union, had not correctly balloted its members on the strike action, meaning that the strikes could not go ahead.[189]
15 December – Paedophile nursery worker Vanessa George is jailed indefinitely after previously admitting to seven sexual assaults and six counts of making and distributing indecent pictures of children.[190]
16 December
Scotland's largest airline, Flyglobespan, goes into administration.[191]
ITV closes its news and information service on Teletext, leaving the ITV channel(s) without such a service for the first time in 35 years.[192]
The latest unemployment figures show that UK unemployment is slowing, but now stands at the highest figure for 15 years – almost 2.5million, equating to 8% of the workforce. The number of people claiming unemployment benefit, however, fell to 1.63million in October, the first fall for nearly two years. Youth unemployment has increased to 952,000 – the highest level since records began 17 years ago.[194]
20 December – The last MORI poll of the decade shows the Tories 17 points ahead of Labour on 43%, pointing towards a landslide and their first election win since 1992.[197]
29 December – Akmal Shaikh becomes the first EU native to be executed in China in 50 years. Gordon Brown releases a statement indicating that he is appalled.[199]
30 December
British hostage Peter Moore is released alive in Iraq following over two and a half years of captivity in Iraq and Iran.[200]
Three climbers are killed following three large avalanches in Scotland.[201][202]
Undated
More than 80% of the UK population (some 50million people) now has internet access.
New car sales drop to just under 2million after exceeding 2.5million in 2008, although the recession's effect on new car sales is eased by the scrappage scheme. The Ford Fiesta is Britain's best selling car, while the new version of the MINI (produced by BMW) is Britain's seventh best selling car with almost 40,000 sales. The new Vauxhall Insignia is Britain's ninth best selling car, while carmakers including Kia and Hyundai buck the trend of falling new car sales by increasing their market share largely due to the popularity of their cars with buyers taking advantage of the scrappage scheme.
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