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2023 in United Kingdom politics and government

A list of events relating to politics and government in the United Kingdom during 2023.

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In United Kingdom politics and government
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Events

January

Andrew Bridgen was suspended by the Conservative Party in January 2023, and would later join the Reclaim Party.

February

March

Humza Yousaf succeeded Nicola Sturgeon as Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), in March 2023.
  • 1 March – COVID-19 in the UK: WhatsApp messages leaked to the Daily Telegraph are reported as suggesting former Health Secretary Matt Hancock chose to ignore advise from experts in April 2020 that there should be "testing of all going into care homes".[50] A spokesman for Hancock said "These stolen messages have been doctored to create a false story that Matt rejected clinical advice on care home testing”.[51]
  • 2 March –
    • COVID-19 in the UK: The Daily Telegraph publishes more of Matt Hancock's WhatsApp exchanges, this time with former Education Secretary Gavin Williamson in December 2020, when a debate into whether schools should reopen following the Christmas holiday was taking place. The leaked messages suggest Hancock favoured school closures, while Williamson was more hesitant.[52] Hancock, who worked alongside journalist Isabel Oakeshott to co-author a book, describes the release of the messages as a "massive betrayal and breach of trust".[53] In response, Oakeshott says she released the messages because she believed doing so was in the "public interest".[54]
    • Sir Keir Starmer unveils Sue Gray, who led the investigation into the Partygate scandal, as Labour's new Chief of Staff, sparking concern among some Conservative MPs about her impartiality.[55][56] On the same day, Gray resigns from her post as Cabinet Office Second Permanent Secretary and leaves the Civil Service.[57]
    • Scotland's Minister for Transport, Jenny Gilruth, announces plans to nationalise the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train service that links London with several locations in Scotland, taking effect from 25 June.[58]
  • 3 March –
    • The Commons Select Committee of Privileges finds that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have misled Parliament over the Partygate scandal after evidence suggested breaches of COVID-19 rules would have been "obvious" to him. In response Johnson says that none of the evidence shows he "knowingly" misled parliament, and that "it is clear from this report that I have not committed any contempt of parliament".[59]
    • The latest leaked WhatsApp messages published by the Daily Telegraph are reported as appearing to show former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case joking about locking people in quarantine hotels.[60]
    • Rupa Huq is allowed to rejoin the Labour Party five months after being suspended over comments she made about former Conservative Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.[61]
    • Buckingham Palace announces the first state visit to be made by Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen Consort; they will travel to France and Germany between 26 and 31 March.[62]
  • 4 March – Leaked WhatsApp messages published by the Daily Telegraph indicate Matt Hancock and his staff deliberated over whether or not he had broken COVID-19 regulations after pictures of him kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo, were published by The Sun newspaper. In another conversation, the messages show Hancock criticising the Eat Out to Help Out scheme for "causing problems" in areas where there was a high number of COVID-19 cases.[63]
  • 5 March –
    • News outlets including BBC News, Sky News and The Independent (who have not verified the messages) report that further WhatsApp messages published by The Telegraph appear to show discussions about how and when the government should reveal details of the Kent COVID-19 variant in order to ensure people would comply with the regulations. The news outlets also says Hancock appears to suggest they should "frighten the pants off everyone", while in another conversation, head of the civil service Simon Case suggests the "fear/guilt factor" was an important element of the government's messaging.[64][65][66] The Telegraph also reports messages showing ministers and civil servants discussing "[getting] heavy with the police" to enforce lockdown measures with senior police officers being brought into Number 10 to be told to be stricter with the public.[67]
    • Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Sunak says that migrants arriving in the UK on small boats will be prevented from seeking asylum under proposed new legislation to be brought before Parliament.[68]
  • 6 March – The Telegraph publishes messages that are reported to have been exchanged between Allan Nixon, a parliamentary Advisor and Hancock from November 2020 in which they discuss threatening to cancel projects in MPs constituencies if MPs do not support the local lockdown tiers legislation. It is also reported that as part of a strategy aimed at trying to stop MPs from rebelling against the legislation, party whips compiled a spreadsheet of 95 MPs who disagreed with this policy and the reasons for them disagreeing; these related to lack of parliamentary scrutiny, economic harm, harms to hospital, absence of cost benefit analysis and the policy being "unconservative".[69]
  • 7 March –
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman introduces the Illegal Migration Bill into the House of Commons, which is designed to stop migrants arriving in the UK by boat. The legislation proposes to detain and remove those from the UK who arrive by illegal means, as well as blocking them from returning.[70]
    • STV hosts the first televised debate of the Scottish National Party leadership election.[71]
  • 9 March – The UK government announces a two-year delay in the construction of the Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 in order to save costs.[72]
  • 10 March – The King bestows the title of Duke of Edinburgh on his younger brother, Prince Edward.[73]
  • 13 March –
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces an extra £5bn of government spending for UK defence over the coming two years.[74]
    • Voting opens in the Scottish National Party leadership election.[75]
  • 14 March – BBC Scotland hosts the final televised debate of the SNP leadership election.[76]
  • 15 March – Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt presents the 2023 budget to the House of Commons.[77][78]
  • 16 March – The UK government announces that TikTok is to be banned on electronic devices used by ministers and other employees, amid security concerns relating to the Chinese-owned app's handling of user data.[79] The Welsh Government also announces the app will be banned from all its official devices.[80]
  • 18 March – Peter Murrell resigns as chief executive of the Scottish National Party amid a row over party membership.[81] Mike Russell succeeds him as interim chief executive.[82]
  • 19 March – The UK government launches the Emergency Alerts service, a service to send text alerts to mobile phones in a situation where it is perceived there is an immediate risk to life.[83]
  • 21 March –
    • Partygate scandal: Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson publishes a 52-page defence of his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic in which he acknowledges misleading Parliament over the Partygate scandal, but says he did not do so intentionally.[84]
    • At 8pm, Times Radio airs a leadership debate from Edinburgh and featuring the three candidates in the Scottish National Party leadership election.[85]
    • Stormont is to ban Northern Ireland's civil servants from using the TikTok app on their official devices following a similar decision by the Westminster Government.[86]
  • 22 March –
    • Boris Johnson gives evidence to the cross-party Privileges Committee, relating to his conduct during Partygate. He insists that he "did not lie" to the House of Commons and always made statements in good faith.[87]
    • MPs back Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland by 515 votes to 29.[88]
    • Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, issues a "sincere, heartfelt and unreserved" apology to people affected by the practice of forced adoption in Scotland during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.[89]
  • 23 March –
  • 24 March – MPs vote to back the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill, which will make catcalling, following someone or blocking their path an offence in England and Wales with a punishment of up to two years in prison.[93]
  • 25 March –
    • Reports in The Sun and i newspapers suggest former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was in office for 49 days, has submitted a Resignation Honours list.[94]
    • London City Hall bans its staff from using TikTok on all its official devices.[95]
  • 26 March – The Observer reports on a sting operation staged by the campaign group Led By Donkeys in which former ministers Matt Hancock and Kwasi Kwarteng agreed to work for a fake South Korean company for £10,000 per day.[96]
  • 27 March –
  • 28 March –
  • 29 March –
  • 30 March –
    • During his state visit to Germany, Charles III becomes the first British monarch to address the Bundestag.[108]
    • The Cabinet Office issues ministers with updated guidelines on the use of messaging apps such as WhatsApp for government business, advising them to use the apps "with care" and never to use them for information classified as "secret".[109]
    • The Parliamentary Standards Committee recommends that former Scottish National Party MP Margaret Ferrier be suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days for breaching COVID-19 regulations in September 2020 when she took a train home from London following a positive COVID test.[110]
    • Humza Yousaf attends his first session of First Minister's Questions since his election as Scotland's First Minister. The session is interrupted on several occasions by climate change protesters, forcing the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament to clear the gallery of visitors.[111]

April

Dominic Raab resigned as Deputy Prime Minister in April 2023.
The barge, known as the Bibby Stockholm, is stationed in Portland Harbour in Dorset to house asylum seekers from April 2023, causing widespread controversy amongst local residents and the country at large.
  • 3 April – Environment Minister Therese Coffey confirms government plans to ban wet wipes containing plastic in England as a means of helping to tackle water pollution.[112]
  • 4 April – Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick is given a six-month driving ban by magistrates after he was caught speeding on the M1.[113]
  • 5 April –
  • 6 April – An inquiry concludes without being able to determine whether Conservative MP Mark Spencer told colleague Nus Ghani that her Muslim faith was a factor in her sacking.[119]
  • 7 April –
    • BBC News reports that Johnston Carmichael, the accountants who audit the SNP's accounts, have resigned from the role, citing a their decision to do so as having been taken following a review of their clients.[120]
    • Labour are accused by critics of practicing "dog whistle" and "gutter politics" following the release of adverts personally attacking Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with claims that he does not believe people convicted of child sex offences should be sent to prison.[121]
  • 8 April – SNP president Mike Russell tells The Herald newspaper he does not think Scottish independence can be achieved "right now", and that the party is facing its biggest crisis for 50 years.[122]
  • 10 April – Sir Keir Starmer says that he stands "by every word" of the Labour Party's adverts attacking Rishi Sunak despite criticism from fellow party members.[123]
  • 12 April – SNP leader Humza Yousaf confirms that his party will not pay any legal fees for former chief executive Peter Murrell, but that he will not be suspended from the party because he is "innocent until proven guilty".[124]
  • 13 April – Andrew Edwards, a councillor representing a ward in Haverfordwest, is suspended from the Conservative Party after his voice is identified on a recording in which someone stating a belief that white men should have black slaves.[125]
  • 14 April – Sir Robert Goodwill, Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, confirms he will stand down as an MP at the next general election.[126]
  • 15 April –
    • The SNP's National Executive Committee orders a review of the party's transparency and governance.[127]
    • Shaun Slater, a Bromley councillor who tweeted that it was "more likely" a rape victim was a prostitute whose "punter... didn't pay", is expelled from the Conservative Party.[128]
  • 16 April –
    • Scotland's Sunday Mail publishes leaked video purporting to show Nicola Sturgeon playing down concerns about the SNP's finances.[129]
    • The SNP says that its finances are "in balance" following reports the party is facing a financial crisis.[130]
  • 17 April –
    • The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is to investigate Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over a possible failure to declare an interest over a childcare company in which his wife has shares.[131]
    • Sunak announces a review of the "core maths content" taught in England's schools, with the establishment of a panel to conduct the review.[132]
    • MP Margaret Ferrier confirms she will appeal against her 30-day ban from the House of Commons.[133]
  • 18 April – SNP treasurer Colin Beattie is arrested and questioned by Police Scotland in connection with their ongoing investigation into the party's finances.[134]
  • 19 April –
    • Downing Street publishes a full list of financial interests for all ministers, including those of Rishi Sunak which mention a childcare company in which his wife has shares. Sunak had previously declared the shares to government officials, Downing Street said, and BBC News said it was told that this happened before he became prime minister.[135][136] Downing Street had previously said work on the new list was ongoing.[136]
    • Colin Beattie resigns as SNP treasurer with immediate effect.[137]
  • 20 April – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is handed the findings of an investigation into bullying allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.[138]
  • 21 April –
  • 23 April
    • Diane Abbott is suspended from the Labour Party after writing a letter in The Observer in which she downplays racism against Irish people, Jews, and Travellers.[145]
    • The Emergency Alerts service is tested by the UK government at 3pm BST. An estimated 80% of smartphones are believed to be compatible to receive the alert, but around 7% of those do not receive it. Many people on the Three network report that the alert failed to appear on their phone, while others do not receive it because their phone is switched to aeroplane mode or they have disabled emergency alerts.[146][147]
  • 26 April –
    • Andrew Bridgen is expelled from the Conservative Party after comparing COVID-19 vaccines to the Holocaust and being found to have breached lobbying rules.[148]
    • The Illegal Migration Bill passes its final stage in the House of Commons, with MPs voting 289–230 in favour of the bill.[149]
  • 27 April –
  • 28 April –
  • 29 April – The constituency Labour parties of Rutherglen and Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have written to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to make a formal complaint about the selection process for candidates, after being "inundated" with complaints by local members about a "lack of transparency".[155]
  • 30 April – Former Prime Minister Liz Truss is contesting a bill of around £12,000 she has been asked to pay by the government for costs incurred at Chevening House in Kent during her time as Foreign Secretary and while she was a candidate in the Summer 2022 Conservative leadership election.[156]

May

  • 2 May –
  • 3 May –
    • An independent review into the internal culture of Plaid Cymru identifies several issues within the party, and concludes that it needs to "detoxify a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny".[159]
    • The SNP signs a contract with a new auditor, Manchester-based AMS Accountants Group.[160]
  • 4 May – The 2023 United Kingdom local elections are held.[161][162] There are significant losses for the Conservatives, while Labour and the Lib Dems gain control of a number of councils from the Conservatives.[163] The Green Party also makes record gains, with over 200 councillors, and win majority control of Mid Suffolk District Council, the party's first ever council majority.[164] The UK Independence Party, which had 500 council seats in 2014, loses the remainder of its councillors.[165]
  • 6 May – The Coronation of Charles III and Camilla takes place at Westminster Abbey, London.[166][167]
  • 7 May – Leaked text message conversations obtained by the BBC show members of Plaid Cymru discussed whether the party's leader, Adam Price, was fit for office in November 2022, and debated whether he should be removed from the post.[168]
  • 10 May –
    • Following his expulsion from the Conservative Party for calling COVID-19 vaccines the "biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust," MP Andrew Bridgen announces he will join the Reclaim Party, giving the party its first parliamentary representative.[169]
    • Adam Price announces his resignation as leader of Plaid Cymru after a report found a culture of misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party.[170]
  • 11 May –
  • 16 May –
    • Javad Marandi, a businessman whose foreign companies were part of a global money laundering investigation, is named as a major donor to the Conservative Party.[173]
    • Adam Price makes his final Senedd appearance as leader of Plaid Cymru.[174]
  • 17 May –
  • 18 May – The 2023 Northern Ireland local elections are held. Sinn Féin sees a net gain of 39 seats, increasing the party's Councillor count from 105 to 144 Councillors. DUP seeing no net gain or loss, siting at 122 seats and Alliance having a net gain of 14 Councillors with most other parties seeing losses.[179]
  • 19 May – Data collected from 160 local authorities in England shows that 26,165 were turned away from polling stations during England's local elections for not having valid ID. Of those, 16,588 later returned with ID later in the day, while 9,577 did not return.[180]
  • 20 May – Sinn Féin are now the largest political party in Northern Ireland after making significant gains in the local election votes.[181]
  • 21 May – Labour and the Liberal Democrats call for an inquiry into Home Secretary Suella Braverman after it is reported she asked civil servants to arrange a private speed awareness course after she was caught speeding in summer 2022 during her tenure as Attorney General.[182]
  • 22 May – Former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab announces he will stand down from Parliament at the next election.[183]
  • 23 May – The Cabinet Office has referred former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the police following fresh allegations of rule breaches during the COVID-19 pandemic.[184]
  • 24 May –
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirms that Home Secretary Suella Braverman's handling of a speeding offence did not breach ministerial rules and that she will not face an investigation.[185]
    • Conservative MP Paul Bristow is asked to leave the House of Commons by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle four minutes into Prime Minister's Questions for continuing to shout after MPs were warned about doing so.[186]
    • Neil Coyle is reinstated as a Labour MP following a five-day suspension from the House of Commons after he was found to have breached harassment rules over racist comments he made to a journalist. Labour says his conduct will be monitored by the party's chief whip.[187]
    • A group of eight former SNP councillors in North Lanarkshire form a new political party, Progressive Change NL, which becomes North Lanarkshire Council's second largest opposition party.[188]
  • 25 May –
  • 28 May –
    • Four MPs who claimed fines for driving offences on their personal expenses have been asked to repay the money by parliamentary authorities.[192]
    • The Home Office announces it is launching an ad campaign on social media in Albania to deter migrants from coming to the UK; the campaign will begin the following week.[193]
  • 31 May –
    • Labour's Nick Thomas-Symonds defends the party's decision to accept money from green entrepreneur Dale Vince, a supporter of Just Stop Oil describing him as a "legitimate person" to accept money from, and says that it has nothing to do with the party's views on the protest organisation.[194]
    • Personal trainer Henry Morris reveals himself to be the person behind a parody Twitter account titled Secret Tory.[195]

June

Rhun ap Iorwerth became the new Leader of Plaid Cymru in June 2023.
  • 1 June –
    • Labour suspend MP Geraint Davies from the party following allegations that he subjected younger members to unwanted sexual attention.[196]
    • The UK government confirms it will launch a legal challenge over the COVID-19 Inquiry's demand for the unredacted version of Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages and emails as the deadline on which the inquiry had demanded access to them expires.[197]
  • 2 June – Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces he is bypassing the Cabinet Office by directly supplying the COVID-19 inquiry with unredacted copies of his WhatsApp messages and emails.[198]
  • 5 June – The Parliamentary Standards Committee finds former Conservative MP Matt Hancock (now sitting as an independent) guilty of attempting to influence an investigation into Conservative MP Steve Brine, and orders him to apologise to Parliament.[199]
  • 6 June –
  • 7 June –
  • 8 June –
  • 9 June –
    • Nadine Dorries announces she will stand down as Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire with immediate effect, triggering a by-election.[209]
    • Boris Johnson's Resignation Honours are published. Highlights include knighthoods for Jacob Rees-Mogg and Simon Clarke, and a damehood for Priti Patel.[210]
    • Johnson announces he will stand down as an MP with immediate effect after receiving the Commons Select Committee of Privileges's report into the Partygate scandal, triggering a by-election.[211]
    • Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves announces a change of policy on Labour's 2021 pledge of an annual £28bn investment in green industry if the party wins the next election, saying the party must be "responsible" with public finances. She confirms that Labour would instead increase investment each year between 2024 (the expected date of the election) and 2027, when the annual amount would be £28bn.[212]
    • Bambos Charalambous, the Shadow Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, is suspended from the Labour Party following complaints about his conduct.[213]
    • Rhun ap Iorwerth is set to become the next leader of Plaid Cymru after the final two candidates seen as potential rivals in the party's leadership race, Sian Gwenllian and Sioned Williams, issue a joint statement ruling themselves out of the contest.[214]
    • Health Minister Will Quince announces he will step down as a Conservative MP at the next general election.[215]
  • 10 June – Nigel Adams becomes the third Conservative MP in quick succession to stand down from Parliament with immediate effect, triggering a by-election.[216]
  • 11 June –
  • 12 June –
    • The House of Lords Appointments Commission says that it rejected eight of Boris Johnson's nominations for peers after Sunak accuses Johnson of asking him to intervene in the process, something Johnson rejects.[219]
    • Chris Bryant, chair of the Commons Select Committee of Privileges, describes attacks on the committee's procedures aas "bang out of order".[220]
    • With the findings of the Privileges Committee investigation into Boris Johnson scheduled to be published within days, Johnson submits an eleventh hour letter to the Committee at 23:57 on 12 June.[221]
    • Scotland's First Minister, Humza Yousaf, tells BBC News he will not suspend Nicola Sturgeon from the SNP following her arrest.[222]
    • The broadcasting regulator Ofcom announces it is conducting research into public attitudes towards current affairs programmes presented by politicians with a view to a potential change in the rules regarding such shows.[223]
  • 13 June –
  • 15 June –
    • Partygate: A report by MPs concludes that ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown parties at 10 Downing Street, and would be suspended for 90 days if still an MP. It states that he deliberately misled the House, the committee, impugned the committee and was "complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the Committee".[226][227]
    • Lucy Allan, Conservative MP for Telford, announces she will stand down from Parliament at the next general election.[228]
    • Scotland's First Minister, Humza Yousaf, concludes that Jenny Gilruth did not break the ministerial code during her time as the country's Transport Minister. The announcement comes after Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross suggested she had done so by delaying important railways work that cost £1m.[229]
  • 16 June –
  • 17 June –
  • 18 June –
  • 19 June –
    • Partygate:
      • BBC News reports that it has seen an invitation sent out to 30 people by Ben Mallett, a former aide to Boris Johnson, in which they were invited to "jingle and mingle" at a party held at Conservative Party Headquarters on 14 December 2020, while London was in Tier 2 restrictions.[243]
      • MPs back, by 354 votes to seven, a report finding Boris Johnson deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown parties at Downing Street.[244]
  • 20 June –
    • The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, rules out direct financial support for mortgage holders, over fears it would "make inflation worse, not better".[245]
    • A recall petition opens in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency to determine whether Margaret Ferrier will face a by-election; 10% of eligible voters must sign it to trigger the by-election.[246]
    • SNP MP John Nicolson is cleared of bullying allegations against former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries.[247]
  • 21 June – Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd Tom Giffard gives a speech in the Senedd congratulating Wales for winning the 2023 World Cup of Darts generated by the ChatGPT chatbot.[248]
  • 22 June –
  • 23 June –
    • Conservative MP Steve Brine, chair of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee, announces his intention to stand down as an MP at the next general election.[251]
    • Research carried out by the Electoral Commission indicates around 14,000 people were prevented from voting in England's May 2023 elections because they did not have suitable photo ID, with unemployed people and those among ethnic minorities being more likely to be turned away.[252]
  • 24 June –
    • The UK government holds an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the Wagner Group rebellion in Russia. Sunak urges both sides to "be responsible and to protect civilians".[253]
    • Addressing a convention in Dundee, Scotland's First Minister, Humza Yousaf, says the SNP will use the next general election as a referendum to negotiate independence with the UK government if the party wins a majority in Scotland.[254]
  • 26 June – Daniel Korski, a former Downing Street adviser, rejects "in the strongest possible terms" a claim by journalist and author Daisy Goodwin that he groped her during a meeting at Downing Street in 2013.[255]
  • 27 June – Virginia Crosbie, the MP for Ynys Môn, apologises for attending a drinks event at Westminster on 8 December 2020 after the Guido Fawkes website reported she was a co-host of the event.[256]
  • 28 June –
    • The final proposals for the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies are published, and see changes to constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales. The overall number of MPs elected at the next general election will remain at 650, but the number of seats will change from 533 to 543 in England, 40 to 32 in Wales, and 59 to 57 in Scotland. The review, which takes account of changes in population, will also see some prominent MPs, such as Conservative Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Labour's Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, lose their seats as they are abolished, requiring them to undergo a fresh selection process for alternative seats.[257]
    • Stewart Hosie, MP for Dundee East and former SNP deputy leader, confirms he will stand down from Parliament at the next general election.[258]
    • Daniel Korski withdraws from the contest to be the Conservative candidate for the 2024 London mayoral election following allegations he groped journalist and author Daisy Goodwin.[259]
    • Robin Millar resigns as a parliamentary aide to Welsh Secretary David TC Davies in order to vote against legislation that makes it compulsory for schools in Northern Ireland to teach all post-primary school children about abortion and birth control. The legislation passes by 373–28.[260]
  • 29 June –
  • 30 June –

July

In July 2023, Keir Mather won the 2023 Selby and Ainsty by-election for Labour, becoming the Baby of the House.
  • 1 July –
    • Local Government Minister Lee Rowley formally writes to South Cambridgeshire District Council to request they end their trial of a four-day working week "immediately" amid concerns about "value for money". The scheme, launched in January 2023, is scheduled to run until March 2024.[270]
    • First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf announces that the SNP has changed the way it records donations after the issue was highlighted by its auditors. Having previously only kept online records of donations under £250, the party will now keep documented records of the donations.[271]
    • Sir Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, is chosen as the Conservative candidate for the newly created constituency of Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge, which will be contested at the 2024 general election.[272]
  • 2 July –
  • 3 July –
    • The Cabinet Office finds that Sue Gray broke civil service rules by failing to declare that she was in talks with Labour about a job with the party. Labour dismisses the finding as a "political stunt".[275]
    • Members of Orkney Islands Council, a Council area of Scotland, vote 15–6 in favour of investigating alternative methods of government that includes the potential to become a crown dependency of the UK or a self-governing territory of Norway.[276]
    • Illegal Migration Bill: The House of Lords votes to limit the time which children and pregnant women can be held before being deported for entering the UK illegally.[277]
    • A group of Conservative MPs calling themselves the New Conservatives publish a 12-point plan intended to reduce net migration to the UK, and warn Sunak that failure to tackle the issue "risks eroding public trust".[278]
    • Ofcom launches investigations into an episode of Jacob Rees-Mogg's State of the Nation that aired on GB News on 9 May, and an edition of Richard Tice presented by Alex Salmond on TalkTV on 2 April, both of which covered news stories, but were presented by politicians. The State of the Nation investigation will establish whether the edition of the programme, which covered a jury verdict on former US President Donald Trump, complies with broadcast regulations, while the Richard Tice investigation will look at whether the programme was presented with due impartiality. The former received 40 complaints after airing, while the latter received two.[279][280]
  • 4 July –
    • The Metropolitan Police announces it is reopening its investigation into a lockdown party held at Conservative Party Headquarters in December 2020, as well as an event held at Westminster on 8 December 2020.[281]
    • SNP MP Mhairi Black announces she will stand down from Parliament at the next general election.[282]
  • 5 July –
    • King Charles III is presented with the Honours of Scotland during a ceremony held at Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral.[283][284]
    • SNP MP Angus McNeil is suspended from the party for a week following an argument with the party's chief whip, Brendan O'Hara, after he allegedly threatened O'Hara.[285]
    • Media expert Chris Banatvala, who drew up the UK's broadcasting rules, urges Ofcom to decide whether politicians should be allowed to present programmes on news channels.[286]
    • Six members of Parliamentary staff tell BBC Newsnight that a "predatory culture" still exists in Westminster, with abuses of power by male MPs and senior staffers common.[287]
  • 6 July –
    • The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards recommends that MP Chris Pincher be suspended for eight weeks, following an investigation into groping allegations.[288]
    • The UK government loses a High Court bid to prevent the COVID-19 Inquiry from seeing Boris Johnson's diaries and WhatsApp messages in full.[289]
    • Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, tells the BBC's Newsnight programme she has experienced inappropriate behaviour at Westminster around 30 times since becoming an MP, and that describes what some women working at Westminster have been through as "horrific".[290]
    • The Scottish and UK governments confirm plans to collaborate on new legislation to prevent landlords excluding parents and people on benefits from renting properties.[291]
  • 7 July –
    • Christina Rees, a former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, is prevented from seeking selection as the Labour candidate for the newly created constituency of Neath and Swansea East due to her suspension from Labour over bullying allegations.[292]
    • The Scottish Government urges Westminster to decriminalise the personal possession of all illegal drugs, and puts forward a number of proposals for the managed use of drugs.[293]
    • Ofcom launches an investigation into a GB News campaign that urges the UK government to introduce legislation to stop "Britain becoming a cashless society" following a complaint. The "Don't Kill Cash" petition, which has been signed by more than 166,000 people, potentially breaches Ofcom's rules that require broadcasters to not comment on "matters of political and industrial controversy or current public policy".[294]
  • 8 July – It is reported that members of Flintshire County Council are to be given lessons in respect after one of its members called Wales's First Minister, Mark Drakeford, "Führer" on Facebook.[295]
  • 9 July – US President Joe Biden arrives in the UK for a brief visit ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania.[296]
  • 10 July –
    • US President Joe Biden meets King Charles III at Windsor Castle during a trip to the UK.[297][298]
    • Daniel Greenberg, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, says that Parliament must improve its complaints system following a number of misconduct allegations by MPs.[299]
    • John McNally, MP for Falkirk, says he will stand down from Parliament at the next election, becoming the seventh SNP MP to do so.[300]
    • The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards opens an investigation into Conservative MP Lee Anderson for using the roof of his Westminster office to film a promotional video for his GB News show.[301]
    • MPs approve the Privileges Committee report that accused Johnson's allies of running a co-ordinated campaign to interfere with the report into Johnson.[302]
  • 11 July –
    • MPs overturn many of the 20 changes the House of Lords made to the Illegal Migration Bill, but the government makes concessions on the detention of children and pregnant women.[303]
    • In the Senedd, Wales's First Minister, Mark Drakeford, defends the country's former Health Minister Vaughan Gething for not reading pandemic paperwork until he prepared for the COVID-19 inquiry, but Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives questions how there can be confidence in Gething's current job as Economy Minister.[304]
    • MPs on the Public Bills Committee vote 9–6 against an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill that would remove parental rights from a person convicted of murdering their partner for the duration of their sentence.[305]
  • 12 July –
    • Cabinet Secretary Simon Case refers Nadine Dorries to the Conservative Whip following allegations she sent "forceful" messages to officials.[306]
    • Simon Case urges politicians to stop referring to the Civil Service as "the Blob", describing the term "insulting" and "dehumanising".[307]
  • 13 July –
    • Illegal Migration Bill: The House of Lords rejects government plans to extend the amount of time migrant children can be held in detention, and also votes to increase protection for people claiming to be the victims of human trafficking.[308]
    • Labour announce plans to reform the Parliamentary standards system if they win the next general election, including levying fines for former ministers who breach lobbying rules.[309]
  • 14 July –
  • 15 July –
    • Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace announces his intention to stand down from the Cabinet at the next reshuffle, and to stand down as an MP at the next general election when his constituency will be abolished because of boundary changes.[313]
    • Angus MacNeil urges the UK government to reopen the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding programme, designed to help households that missed out on the £400 worth of financial help given to households in the winter of 2022–23 after it emerged that of the one million households eligible to apply to the scheme only a fraction received any funds.[314]
  • 16 July – Kemi Badenoch, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, formally signs a treaty confirming accession to the Indo-Pacific CPTPP bloc.[315] The deal is forecast to add 0.08% to the UK's economy over ten years.[316]
  • 17 July – The Illegal Migration Bill is set to become law after the House of Lords votes not to reinstate time limits on child detention and protections concerning modern slavery.[317]
  • 18 July –
  • 19 July – The Conservative Party have complained to the Evening Standard about their front page coverage of the party's selection of Susan Hall as its candidate for the 2024 London mayoral election, claiming the coverage is "contemptable".[324]
  • 20 July –
  • 21 July –
  • 23 July – The Cabinet Office announces the launch of the Humanitarian Medal for emergency workers and humanitarian relief teams, such as charities, service personnel and health workers.[336]
  • 24 July –
    • Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland, announces she will not stand for Parliament at the next election.[337]
    • Charlotte Owen, a former adviser to Boris Johnson, joins the House of Lords as its youngest life peer at the age of 30, becoming Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge.[338] Her appointment was announced on 12 July.[339]
    • The Cabinet Office confirms that controversial guidance used to vet potential speakers for government organised events has been withdrawn.[340]
  • 25 July –
    • Dame Alison Rose says she was the source of an inaccurate BBC news report about Nigel Farage's Coutts bank account after discussing the matter with BBC business editor Simon Jack, something she describes as a "serious error of judgement".[341] She subsequently resigns from her post early the next day.[342]
    • Labour abandons proposals to allow people to legally change their sex without a medical diagnosis.[343] This policy is in juxtaposition to Scottish Labour which confirms it still supports removing the requirement.[344]
    • The Culture, Media and Sport Committee writes to The Sun and the BBC to gain a better understanding of their handling of allegations made against BBC newsreader Huw Edwards.[345]
  • 27 July – First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf unveils a new Scottish Government paper on independence that includes plans for Scottish citizenship and passports.[346]
  • 28 July – Gina Miller, leader of the True and Fair Party, reveals she was told one of the party's bank accounts would be close without explanation by Monzo. The bank has since confirmed it does now allow accounts for political parties.[347]
  • 30 July – Nigel Farage launches AccountClosed.org, a website he says will stand up for people who have been refused bank accounts.[348]
  • 31 July –

August

September

  • 1 September – Amber de Botton announces her resignation as Downing Street Director of Communications less than a year after her appointment to the role. She is replaced by Nerissa Chesterfield, who is promoted from the post of Downing Street Press Secretary.[391]
  • 3 September –
    • Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says the UK government will "spend what it takes" to put right defective concrete in schools,[392] but concedes that structural problems could be identified in more schools and other public buildings.[393]
    • Neil Gray, Scotland's Wellbeing and Economy Secretary, says there is no immediate risk to schools in Scotland from defective concrete.[394]
  • 4 September –
  • 5 September –
    • Steve Tuckwell, Sarah Dyke and Keir Mather are sworn in as MPs following the summer break.[400]
    • Former SNP MP Natalie McGarry is ordered to pay £66 for embezzling £25,000 from the SNP and a pro-independence group.[401]
    • First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf outlines the programme for government legislation for the year ahead, including improvements to childcare, an extra £1bn for social security and pay improvements for social care staff.[402] There are also plans to ban disposable vapes over environmental concerns.[403]
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman announces that Russia's mercenary Wagner Group is to be prescribed as a terrorist organisation.[404]
  • 6 September –
  • 7 September –
    • The UK rejoins the EU's Horizon Europe scheme, allowing UK scientists and institutions to apply for money from the £81b fund.[408]
    • Justice Secretary Alex Chalk announces an independent inquiry into the escape of Daniel Khalife from Wandsworth Prison. The inquiry will have two areas of focus – a review of the "placement and categorisation" of all inmates at Wandsworth, and an investigation of all people in custody currently charged with terror offences.[409]
    • Christopher Pincher resigns his Parliamentary seat, triggering a by-election.[399]
    • Conservative MP Marcus Fysh is reprimanded by the Parliamentary Standards Committee after speaking to the media regarding a now-concluded investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, and ordered to apologise to the House of Commons.[410]
  • 8 September –
    • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives in New Delhi for the G20 summit.[411]
    • A government auction for renewable energy projects ends without any new contracts being awarded for offshore wind farms after developers said they were too expensive. Contracts for onshore wind, solar energy and tidal projects are awarded though.[412]
    • Labour suspends its leadership team in the Bolton North East constituency following a disagreement over who will represent the party at the next general election. An election campaign will be established by an outside convener.[413]
    • The Conservatives defend accepting a £350,000 donation from Sandy Chadha, chief executive of Supreme 8 Limited, who is also chief executive of Supreme PLC, a company accused by the Labour Party of marketing vapes to children.[414]
  • 10 September –
  • 11 September –
    • In a statement to Parliament, Sunak tells MPs he "will not accept" Chinese interference in UK democracy.[417]
    • Seven Sheffield Labour councillors are suspended by the national Labour party after refusing to vote with the rest of the party.[418]
  • 12 September –
  • 13 September –
  • 14 September –
    • Responding to an Intelligence and Security Select Committee report criticising the UK government's China strategy, Sunak says he is "acutely aware of the particular threat to our open and democratic way of life" posed by China.[427]
    • The Parliamentary Standards Committee finds that Sunak broke the MPs code of conduct when Downing Street commented on their investigation into his wife's failure to properly declare her financial interest in a childminding company before details had been made public.[428]
  • 15 September –
  • 18 September –
    • The BBC documentary series State of Chaos is told that senior Whitehall officials raised concerns with Buckingham Palace about Boris Johnson's conduct during the pandemic, and suggested the Queen raise the matter with him during their weekly private audience.[431]
    • Conservative MP Dehenna Davison resigns as a levelling up minister, saying "chronic migraines" have made it "impossible" to do her job.[432] She is replaced by Jacob Young.[433]
    • A year on from her controversial budget, former prime minister Liz Truss gives a speech in which she attempts to defend the policies she tried to enact, acknowledging she tried to introduce them too fast but blaming the "political and economic establishment" and "institutional bureaucracy" for their failure.[434]
    • Figures released by the Welsh Government indicate that plans to bring an extra 36 members to the Senedd could cost an extra £17.8m on top of the present cost of running the legislature.[435]
  • 19 September –
    • The UK government announces that commissioners will be appointed to oversee the running of Birmingham City Council following its recent financial troubles.[436]
    • The Scottish Government begins its legal challenge against Westminster over the UK government's decision to block the controversial Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.[437][438]
    • The UK government is criticised by the National Audit Office (NAO) over its reasoning behind the decision to use public funds to pay for Boris Johnson's Partygate legal fees, describing it as not "wholly persuasive".[439]
    • The Online Safety Bill is passed by the House of Lords.[440]
    • The Home Office announces it is disbanding the team established in 2018 to deal with Windrush cases.[441]
    • Labour leader Keir Starmer holds a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which he describes as "very constructive and positive".[442]
    • In a series of interviews with BBC Local Radio, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey rules out an electoral deal with the Labour Party for the next general election.[443]
    • A petition on the gov.wales website opposing Wales's 20 mph speed limit has received over 177,000 signatures since its launch, and will be considered by the Senedd Petitions Committee for debate as it has passed the 10,000 signatures required to be considered for debate.[444]
  • 20 September –
  • 21 September –
  • 22 September –
    • Speaking to LBC ahead of the 2023 autumn statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says it would be "virtually impossible" to introduce tax cuts until the state of the UK economy has improved.[453]
    • The Home Office is ordered to stop work to convert the former RAF Scampton into an asylum centre by West Lindsey District Council over a potential breach of planning laws.[454]
    • Conservative MP Brandon Lewis has claimed that people working for him have struggled to secure mortgages because banks regard them as politically exposed persons.[455]
  • 23 September –
    • A task force to accelerate home insulation and upgrades to domestic boilers is scrapped by the UK government.[456]
    • Former prime minister Boris Johnson warns Sunak against building what he describes as a "mutilated" version of HS2 after reports the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the scheme could be scrapped due to spiralling costs.[457]
  • 24 September –
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman orders a review into armed policing, after dozens of firearms officers hand in their weapons, following concerns over a police officer charged with murdering 24-year-old Chris Kaba.[458]
    • Former Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps tells the BBC it would be "crazy" not to review HS2 plans amid spiralling costs.[459]
  • 25 September –
    • Olympic rower James Cracknell is chosen as the Conservative Party candidate for Colchester at the next general election following William Quince's decision to stand down from Parliament.[460]
    • Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham says that scrapping the HS2 rail link between Birmingham and Manchester risks "ripping the heart" out of plans to improve rail services across northern England.[461]
    • At their annual party conference, members of the Liberal Democrats vote to reject proposals by the party leadership to abandon their housebuilding target of 380,000 properties per year.[462]
  • 26 September –
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman tells a US think tank the 1951 Refugees Convention is no longer fit for the modern age, and that being discriminated against for being gay or female should not be enough to qualify for refugee status. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees rejects the comments.[463]
    • Giving his keynote speech at the Liberal Democrats party conference in Bournemouth, Sir Ed Davey calls for a new legal right to begin treatment for cancer within two months of referral in England.[464]
    • Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West, announces he will not stand for parliament again at the next general election.[465]
    • First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford tells the Senedd he has received threats to his personal safety over Wales's 20 mph speed limit, while police confirm they are investigating "reports of malicious communications" sent to Drakeford.[466]
    • The Court of Appeal rejects former MP Jared O'Mara's appeal against a four year sentence for fraud.[467]
  • 27 September – Former SNP minister Fergus Ewing is suspended from the party for a week after voting against the Scottish Government in a no confidence vote.[468]
  • 29 September –
    • Around a dozen Conservative MPs, including some ministers, are reported to have complained to the party's chief whip about Suella Braverman's speech on immigration and refugees.[469]
    • Ahead of the broadcast of an interview with Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman conducted by Conservative deputy chair and GB News presenter Lee Anderson, the chief executive of Ofcom, Melanie Dawes, says there are no present rules to prevent GB News using Anderson to interview Braverman.[470]
    • Colwyn Bay independent councillor Tom Maclean is cautioned by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales after sharing a fake social media post featuring an image of Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik. Maclean had claimed not to know the picture was of Breivik and deleted it as soon as his actions came to light.[471]
  • 30 September – Richard Walker, the chief executive of Iceland who had plans to stand as a Conservative MP, leaves the party, branding it "out of touch".[472]

October

Rishi Sunak confirmed in October 2023 that the northern portion of High Speed 2 (HS2) linking Birmingham to Manchester will be axed.
  • 1 October – Speaking to BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says that he would like to cut taxes before the next election, but does not commit to doing so.[473] He also declines to confirm whether or not the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the High Speed 2 rail link will be scrapped.[474]
  • 3 October –
    • Home Secretary Suella Braverman addresses the Conservative Party Conference and claims a "hurricane" of migrants are coming to the UK.[475]
    • London Assembly chair Andrew Boff is ejected from the Conservative Party Conference after heckling Braverman during her speech.[476]
  • 4 October
    • Rishi Sunak confirms that the West Midlands to Manchester portion of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link will be axed, which will free up £36bn to be spent on new transport projects in the North and Midlands. He also confirms that the southern portion of the line will run all the way from Birmingham to Euston, not just Old Oak Common as earlier reports had speculated.[477][478]
    • Sunak proposes that the age at which people can buy cigarettes and tobacco should rise by one year every year, so that eventually no-one can buy them, emulating a similar scheme announced recently in New Zealand.[479]
    • Sunak confirms plans to replace A Levels and T Levels in England with a new qualification called the Advanced British Standard.[480]
  • 5 October –
  • 6 October –
    • At a summit of European leaders in Spain, Sunak calls for greater co-operation in dealing with migration.[483]
    • Dale Vince, a major donor to the Labour Party, says he will no longer fund Just Stop Oil and describes further protests from the group as being "counterproductive".[484]
    • Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell and a former Secretary of State for Transport, announces he will stand down from Parliament at the next election following a prostate cancer diagnosis.[485]
    • The UK government orders an inquiry after the Department for Education miscalculated the schools budget for England for the 2023–24 academic year, forcing a planned 2.7% had to be revised to 1.9%.[486]
  • 8 October – Marina Wheeler, an employment lawyer and the former wife of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been appointed as the Labour Party's adviser on protecting women against workplace harassment.[487]
  • 9 October –
    • Sunak chairs an emergency COBRA meeting to discuss the escalating situation in Israel, and pledges further support for the country.[488]
    • Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference, promising to usher in "an era of economic security" by cutting waste and driving growth.[489]
    • The Supreme Court begins a hearing as the UK government appeals against the Court of Appeal's block on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.[490]
  • 10 October –
    • Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference, promising to build 1.5 million new homes, make reforms to the NHS and education, and to deliver a "decade of renewal under Labour". The speech is slightly delayed by a protester who throws glitter at Starmer.[491]
    • Labour suspends Newport City Councilor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi while it investigates posts he made on social media about Israeli security policy in Gaza.[492]
  • 12 October –
  • 13 October –
    • WhatsApp messages exchanged between senior Downing Street officials during the pandemic are read to the COVID-19 Inquiry, and show Downing Street Permanent Secretary and later Cabinet Office Secretary Simon Case expressing concern at the influence of Carrie Symonds, who was at the time Boris Johnson's partner.[496]
    • Police confirm that 24 fines will be issued for breaches of COVID-19 rules in regard to a party held at Conservative Party HQ in December 2020 for those involved in Shaun Bailey's campaign to become London Mayor.[497]
  • 14 October –
    • Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman says she regrets the "upset and anger" caused by her social media post in which she described the Hamas attack on Israel as "decolonisation" rather than "terrorism". She has since deleted the post.[498]
    • Former SNP MP Lisa Cameron claims she and her family have had to go into hiding since she switched to the Conservatives after receiving threats of violence.[499]
    • Crispin Blunt, the MP for Reigate, co-director of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, announced the group's intention to prosecute UK government leaders for "aiding and abetting war crimes in Gaza" amid the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, warning his colleagues in Westminster of the peril of guilt through complicity.[500]
  • 15 October – First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf signals a change in his party's Scottish independence strategy, now saying that an SNP win in a majority of Scotland's Westminster seats would give the party a mandate to begin independence negotiations with the Westminster Government.[501]
  • 16 October – Parliament's Independent Expert Panel recommends Conservative MP Peter Bone face a six week suspension from the House of Commons after upholding complaints of bullying against him.[502]
  • 17 October –
    • Peter Bone is suspended by the Parliamentary Conservative Party after allegations of bullying were upheld against him.[503]
    • Humza Yousaf announces a freeze on council tax for Scottish households during his closing speech at the SNP Party Conference.[504]
    • A report by the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme concludes that a culture of drinking is fuelling inappropriate behaviour in Westminster.[505]
  • 18 October –
  • 19 October –
  • 20 October –
  • 22 October –
  • 23 October –
    • Sunak tells parliament the UK has judged the al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, which occurred on 17 October, was likely caused by "a missile, or part of one" fired from "within Gaza".[518]
    • Ofcom finds GB News breached its regulations on impartiality during a programme which aired on 16 June. Former Brexit Party MEP Martin Daubney was standing in for Laurence Fox when he interviewed Reform Party leader Richard Tice and discussed immigration. Ofcom finds Tice was not "sufficiently challenged" on his views and "the limited alternative views presented were dismissed".[519] However, Ofcom decides that Lee Anderson's interview with Home Secretary Suella Braverman did not breach their impartiality rules as it was a current affairs programme.[520]
  • 24 October – Anas Sarwar, the leader of Scottish Labour, accuses Israel of a "clear breach" of international law in Gaza and says there is "no justification for the withholding of essential supplies" from the people of Gaza. His comments come after a number of Scottish Labour resignations by officials who disagree with Keir Starmer's stance on the conflict.[521]
  • 25 October –
    • MPs vote to suspend Peter Bone from the House of Commons for six weeks, triggering a recall petition in his constituency.[522]
    • Sir Keir Starmer meets with Muslim Labour MPs as tension grows over the party's stance on the Israel–Hamas conflict and after 150 Muslim councillors wrote to him urging him to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.[523]
    • The Information Commissioner's Office finds that Dame Alison Rose, the former chief of NatWest, breached Nigel Farage's privacy rights when she shared information about his banking with a BBC journalist.[524]
    • BBC Director General Tim Davie attends a meeting with Conservative MPs, where there is a heated discussion about the BBC's decision not to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation in its news reports of the Israel–Hamas conflict.[525]
  • 26 October –
    • Parliament is prorogued by order of the King in preparation for the State Opening on 7 November, the first time that Parliament has been prorogued by a king since 1951.[526]
    • Crispin Blunt, the MP for Reigate, is suspended from the Conservative Party after he confirms he has been arrested and questioned by police over allegations of rape and possession of controlled substances.[527]
  • 27 October –
    • GB News have hired former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to present a series "showcasing the power of Britain around the world"; he will also help to provide coverage of the next UK and US elections.[528]
    • Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar break with the stance of Labour's leader, Sir Keir Starmer, on the Israel–Hamas conflict by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.[529][530]
    • Scotland's former Health Secretary Alex Neil calls for an urgent review of the use of WhatsApp by government following revelations that National Clinical Director Jason Leitch deleted messages on a daily basis during the pandemic; he also says that many government ministers did not understand the rules for using the app.[531]
    • NatWest says there were "serious failings" over its treatment of Nigel Farage.[532]
  • 28 October – Ash Regan, who stood as a candidate in the 2023 SNP leadership election, defects to the Alba Party after becoming disillusioned with what she describes as the SNP's "wavering commitment" to Scottish independence.[533]
  • 30 October –
    • Downing Street confirms that Paul Bristow has been sacked as a ministerial aide after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, something Downing Street describes as comments that "were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility".[535]
    • Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, echoes Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's call for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza conflict to allow aid in to the region. His comments come after 12 of his backbenchers in the Senedd signed a petition calling for a ceasefire.[536]
    • Labour suspends Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough, from the Parliamentary Labour Party following "deeply offensive" comments made by him in a speech at a pro-Palestinian rally, during which he used the phrase "between the river and the sea", which critics argue called for the destruction of Israel.[537]
    • Aphra Brandreth, daughter of Gyles Brandreth, is chosen as the Conservative candidate for the newly-created constituency of Chester South and Eddisbury, which contains part of the constituency represented by Gyles Brandreth during the 1990s.[538]
    • The Electoral Commission rejects an application to register the Party of Islam as a new political party because it did not define its constitution or structure clearly enough.[539]

November

Suella Braverman was dismissed as Home Secretary in the November cabinet reshuffle

December

  • 1 December –
    • Bradley Thomas, the Conservative candidate for Bromsgrove, faces another selection vote after an "irregularity" was found in the original process in July 2023.[598]
    • Michael Russell steps down as chairman of the Scottish National Party as he bids to become chairman of the Scottish Land Commission.[599]
  • 3 December – Sir Keir Starmer uses a Sunday Times article to credit Margaret Thatcher as a leader who effected "meaningful change" and unleashed Britain's "natural entrepreneurship".[600] Downing Street subsequently responds that Starmer is not "fit to lace Baroness Thatcher's boots".[601]
  • 4 December –
    • Home Secretary James Cleverly unveils the UK government's five point plan aimed at reducing legal migration, which includes increasing the minimum salary threshold for a visa from £26,200 to £38,700.[602]
    • MPs vote 246–242 in favour of an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill requiring the UK government to accelerate plans to establish a body to compensate victims of the NHS infected blood scandal, defeating the government which had not planned to include the measure in the legislation.[603]
  • 5 December –
  • 6 December –
  • 7 December –
    • Sunak calls an emergency press conference at which he urges Conservative MPs to back his latest Rwanda asylum plan. A vote on the legislation is scheduled to face a parliamentary vote on 12 December, but will not be a vote of confidence in the prime minister's authority.[609]
    • Two ministers are appointed to replace Robert Jenrick's ministerial briefing for immigration. Michael Tomlinson is appointed to the role of Minister of State for Illegal Migration, while Tom Pursglove becomes Minister of State for Legal Migration.[610]
    • Conservative councillor Wendy Agnew resigns as chair of Aberdeenshire Council's Kincardine and Mearns area committee following comments made about gypsies during a council meeting in November. Agnew is also being investigated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner following a complaint about the comments.[611]
  • 8 December –
  • 9 December – As part of an initiative to make being an MP more attractive as a career, MPs who lose their seats at the next election will receive publicly funded careers advice under a proposed "transition scheme" as they search for new occupations.[615]
  • 10 December –
    • Lawyers on the right of the Conservative Party have described the revised Rwanda legislation as not "sufficiently watertight".[616]
    • In his first broadcast since leaving the post of Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick tells the BBC Sunak's revised Rwanda plan is unlikely to work since it is "weak" and will become "bogged down" in legal challenges.[617]
    • Speaking in a YouTube documentary, Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone says she "regrets" not being more transparent about her involvement with PPE Medpro, a company contracted to supply personal protective equipment during the pandemic.[618]
    • The Green Party cuts ties with Green Party Women, one of its members' groups, after the group objected to the party's stance on "gender-critical views".[619]
    • Foreign Secretary David Cameron threatens to withdraw co-operation with Scottish ministers following a meeting between Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which took place without the presence of a UK official which Cameron said was a breach of protocol.[620] In response, Yousaf calls the threat "petty" and "misguided".[621]
  • 11 December –
    • Conservative MPs from the European Research Group (ERG) say the UK government's Rwanda asylum plan will not work because it does not go "far enough to deliver the policy".[622]
    • The UK government is offering a £2.5bn financial package for the return of a Stormont Executive, which includes funds to settle public sector disputes and for public services.[623]
    • The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is to move from its Abercrombie House offices in East Kilbride to an undisclosed location in Glasgow some time after 2025, it is announced, with His Majesty's Revenue and Customs moving from Queensway House to replace the FCO at Abercrombie House.[624]
  • 12 December –
    • The UK government avoids defeat after MPs vote 313–269 in favour of the revised Rwanda Bill.[625]
    • Nick Brown, Independent MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East, announces he will stand down from Parliament at the next election.[626]
    • First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford launches an investigation into whether Sports Minister Dawn Bowden breached the ministerial code over her handling of the Welsh Rugby Union sexism scandal.[627]
    • Former government minister David Davis intervenes to stop an attack on a rough sleeper near Parliament.[628]
  • 13 December – Mark Drakeford announces his resignation as leader of the Welsh Labour Party. He says he will leave his post as First Minister when a successor has been selected.[629]
  • 14 December –
  • 15 December –
    • Paul Barnett, leader of the Labour controlled Hastings Borough Council, leaves the Labour Party along with five colleagues to establish an independent group, citing what they collectively describe as Labour's lack of "focus on local government".[634]
    • A review commissioned by NatWest into the closure of Coutts' customer accounts has found "no evidence of discrimination" in relation to people's political views.[635]
    • Eluned Morgan, considered a favourite in the Welsh Labour leadership election, rules herself out of the contest.[636]
  • 16 December – Sunak travels to Italy to attend a right-wing rally in Rome, where he discusses his immigration policy and calls for changes to global refugee rules.[637]
  • 17 December –
    • Michelle Mone says that, in certain circumstances, she could benefit from some of the profits made by personal protective equipment sold to the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic by a company run by her husband, Doug Barrowman.[638]
    • Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said he would like to see a "sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza because "too many civilians have been killed".[639]
    • The UK government announces it will introduce an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to make it clear "without any doubt" that the act of spiking another person's drink is illegal, but the measures will stop short of making spiking a specific offence.[640]
    • Drakeford expresses his disappointment there are no women candidates in the Welsh Labour leadership contest, and claims personal attacks on social media have discouraged them from entering the contest.[641]
    • Comedian Eddie Izzard loses a vote to become the Labour Party candidate for Brighton Pavilion after local party members choose musician Tom Gray instead.[642][643]
  • 18 December –
    • Miriam Cates, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, is placed under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for an undisclosed reason.[644]
    • In response to Michelle Mone acknowledging that, in certain circumstances, she could benefit from some of the profits of a government PPE contract, Sunak says the government is taking the issue "incredibly seriously" and is pursuing legal action against PPE Medpro.[645]
    • Welsh Education Minister Jeremy Miles formally announces his Welsh Labour leadership campaign after winning the backing of 16 Labour members of the Senedd.[646]
  • 19 December –
    • Finance Secretary Shona Robison presents the Scottish Government's budget for 2024–25. Measures announced include a new 45% tax rate for people earning between £75,000 and £125,140, and a rise in the top rate of tax, paid by those earning over £125,000, from 47% to 48%. The £43,663 tax threshold is also frozen for the year.[647]
    • During routine questioning from MPs from Parliament's Liaison Committee, Sunak says that he does not have a "precise" date by which he hopes to stop migrants from crossing the English channel in boats.[648]
    • The Wellingborough recall petition closes,[549] and triggers a by-election after 13.2% of constituents sign the petition.[649]
    • The budget for Wales, announced by Finance Minister Rebecca Evans, cuts spending on public services, with funds being diverted to support the NHS.[650]
  • 20 December –
    • Tánaiste Micheál Martin announces Irish government plans to "initiate an inter-State case against the United Kingdom under the European Convention on Human Rights" over provisions in the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 which offers immunity from prosecution for certain Troubles-era related offences.[651]
    • The Scottish Government confirms it will abandon its legal challenge against the UK government's veto of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.[652]
    • Andrew Bridgen announces he has left the Reclaim Party seven months after joining over what he describes as a "difference in the direction of the party".[653]
  • 21 December –
    • Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland urges the UK government to do more to tackle the misuse of Artificial Intelligence to potentially disrupt the next general election, describing it as a "clear and present danger" to UK democracy.[654]
    • The UK government revises plans to increase the minimum salary someone coming to the UK must earn to apply for a family visa. Original plans to raise the amount from £18,600 to £38,700 are now updated to £29,000 from spring 2024, with no timetable for any further increases.[655] Sunak subsequently confirms the £38,700 threshold will be introduced in early 2025.[656]
    • Chancellor Jeremy Hunt signs a deal with Switzerland to facilitate easier financial transactions between Swiss and UK companies.[657]
  • 24 December – Home Secretary James Cleverly apologises after a Sunday Mirror report that he made an "ironic joke" about spiking his wife's drink at a Downing Street reception shortly after the UK government's announcement that it would clearly define the activity as being illegal.[658]
  • 26 December – The Labour Party says it is confiding processing some asylum claims overseas before asylum seekers reach the UK if it forms the government after the next general election.[659]
  • 27 December – HM Treasury confirms the date of the 2024 United Kingdom budget as 6 March.[660]
  • 29 December –
    • James Daly, the MP for Bury North, said in a newspaper interview that the majority of children in his constituency who are struggling are "the products of crap parents" and that "he wanted to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds have the best chance to succeed".[661]
    • Among those from the world of politics to be recognised in the 2024 New Year's Honours are Sajid Javid (KBE), Dame Margaret Beckett (Dame Grand Cross), Siobhain McDonagh (Dame Commander),[662] Maggie Throup (CBE),[663] and Huw Edwards (MBE).[664]
    • Liz Truss's Resignation Honours are published, and consist mostly of political supporters and former aides.[665]
    • The UK government says that a report published on the GOV.UK website on 27 December that said housing asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge was discriminatory on the grounds of age and sex was published by mistake. The report is deleted from the website.[666]
  • 31 December – Former Downing Street Director of Communications Dominic Cummings claims in a blog post to have attended two meetings with Sunak during the past year to discuss political strategy ahead of the next general election, and that the prime minister asked him to "secretly" work on stratecy.[667]

Deaths

See also

References

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