On this day
444 stories
2026
Farage beats Count Binface in self-imposed Clacton by-election
2026
Andy Burnham becomes prime minister in Labour coronation
2026
Keir Starmer resigns as prime minister
2026
Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election to seal parliamentary return
2026
Wes Streeting quits as health secretary and calls for Starmer to resign
2026
Rhun ap Iorwerth sworn in as first Plaid Cymru first minister of Wales
2026
Green Party secures first by-election victory in Gorton and Denton
2025
Angela Rayner resigns as deputy prime minister over tax row
2025
Zarah Sultana quits Labour to launch new left-wing party with Corbyn
2025
Starmer forced into U-turn on welfare bill after major backbench rebellion
2025
Reform UK suspends Rupert Lowe after public rift with Farage
2025
Starmer announces defence spending hike ahead of Trump meeting
2024
Starmer appoints Peter Mandelson as US ambassador
2024
MPs back assisted dying bill in historic vote
2024
Kemi Badenoch elected Conservative leader
2024
Rachel Reeves unveils biggest tax-raising budget since 1993
2024
Labour wins historic landslide as Conservative Party collapses
2024
‘Gamblegate’: Conservative candidate investigated over bet on election date
2024
Lee Anderson defects to Reform UK
2024
Galloway wins landslide victory in chaotic Rochdale by-election
2024
Chris Skidmore resigns as Conservative MP over ‘tragic’ oil and gas bill
2023
Supreme court rules Rwanda asylum plan unlawful
2023
Rishi Sunak appoints David Cameron as foreign secretary
2023
Conservatives lose two out of three seats in ‘super Thursday’ by-elections
2023
Boris Johnson questioned by privileges committee over ‘Partygate’
2023
Nicola Sturgeon announces resignation as first minister of Scotland
2023
Zelenskyy addresses parliament with plea for fighter jets
2023
Nadhim Zahawi sacked as Conservative chairman over tax affairs
2022
Rishi Sunak declared Conservative leader after rivals withdraw
2022
Kwarteng's 'mini-budget' triggers market meltdown and government collapse
2022
Liz Truss becomes prime minister, succeeding Johnson
2022
Truss criticised for Macron ‘jury's out’ remark
2022
Sunak and Truss clash in first head-to-head Tory leadership debate
2022
Johnson resigns as prime minister after unprecedented government crisis
2022
Chris Pincher resigns as deputy chief whip over groping allegations
2022
Dowden resigns as Conservative chairman after crushing by-election defeats
2022
Johnson survives ‘no-confidence’ vote despite significant Tory rebellion
2022
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak fined for lockdown breach
2022
Four senior Johnson aides resign amid partygate and Savile row
2022
Johnson government unveils ‘levelling up’ white paper
2022
Tory MP Christian Wakeford defects to Labour over Partygate
2022
Senior Tory David Davis tells Johnson: ‘In the name of God, go’
2022
Partygate scandal deepens with ‘bring your own booze’ revelation
2021
Standards committee accuses Owen Paterson of ‘egregious’ lobbying breaches
2021
Conservative MP Sir David Amess murdered at constituency surgery
2021
Raab grilled over Afghanistan withdrawal after cutting short holiday
2021
Salmond launches Alba Party to build independence ‘supermajority’
2020
MPs back post-Brexit deal after emergency recall
2020
Ed Davey wins Liberal Democrat leadership election
2020
Government U-turns on A-level results, scraps algorithm for teacher grades
2020
Minister resigns over Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip
2020
Keir Starmer elected Labour leader in decisive victory
2020
Coronavirus Act grants government sweeping emergency powers
2020
Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor in reshuffle bombshell
2020
Britain leaves the European Union after 47 years of membership
2020
Dominic Cummings calls for ‘weirdos and misfits’ to join No 10
2019
Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party wins historic 80-seat majority
2019
John Bercow announces resignation as commons speaker
2019
Commons backs bill to block no-deal Brexit
2019
Boris Johnson prorogues parliament, sparking Brexit crisis
2019
Boris Johnson becomes prime minister after winning Tory leadership
2019
Theresa May announces resignation, admitting failure to deliver Brexit
2019
Brexit Party storms to victory in last European Parliament elections
2019
Nigel Farage officially launches the Brexit Party
2019
Bercow casts deciding vote on day of immense Brexit drama
2019
Nick Boles quits Conservative Party over Brexit failures
2019
MPs fail to find majority for any Brexit option in ‘indicative votes’
2019
‘One million’ march in London to demand second Brexit referendum
2019
MPs vote to reject a ‘no-deal’ Brexit as cabinet ministers abstain
2019
Seven Labour MPs quit party to form Independent Group
2019
MPs back Brady and Spelman amendments in Brexit ‘Plan B’ votes
2019
Theresa May’s Brexit deal defeated in historic commons vote
2018
Theresa May shimmies on stage to ABBA's ‘Dancing Queen’
2018
Jeremy Hunt mistakenly calls Chinese wife ‘Japanese’ on Beijing trip
2018
David Davis resigns as Brexit secretary over ‘Chequers plan’
2018
Amber Rudd resigns as home secretary over Windrush scandal
2018
Theresa May defends ordering Syrian airstrikes without a vote
2018
May expels 23 Russian diplomats over Salisbury poisoning
2018
Minister offers resignation for lateness in House of Lords
2018
May fails to assert authority in ‘night of the blunt stiletto’ reshuffle
2017
Theresa May’s election gamble backfires, resulting in hung parliament
2017
Labour holds Stoke but loses Copeland in twin by-elections
2017
MPs back Article 50 bill by overwhelming majority
2017
May outlines Brexit strategy in landmark Lancaster House speech
2016
Theresa May denounces ‘citizens of the world’ in conference speech
2016
Jeremy Corbyn re-elected after Labour leadership challenge
2016
Theresa May becomes Conservative leader after Leadsom withdraws
2016
Chilcot report delivers damning critique of Iraq war decisions
2016
Jeremy Corbyn loses confidence vote in overwhelming PLP rebellion
2016
UK votes to leave European Union in historic referendum
2016
Labour MP Jo Cox murdered in constituency
2016
Obama warns Brexit would leave UK at ‘back of the queue’
2016
Dennis Skinner ejected from commons over ‘Dodgy Dave’ jibe
2016
Cameron tells Corbyn to ‘do up your tie and sing the national anthem’
2016
Boris Johnson joins campaign to leave European Union
2016
David Cameron suspends collective responsibility for Brexit referendum
2015
Hilary Benn applauded after speech supporting Syria airstrikes
2015
Jeremy Corbyn wins Labour leadership in first-round landslide
2015
Cameron leads Conservatives to surprise majority in general election
2015
Government ‘plot’ to oust John Bercow as commons speaker defeated
2015
Grant Shapps admits to second job under pseudonym while an MP
2015
Conservative poster depicts Ed Miliband in Salmond's pocket
2014
Douglas Carswell introduced as Ukip’s first elected MP
2014
‘That is a disgrace!’: Liz Truss delivers impassioned speech on cheese and apple imports
2014
Scotland votes 'No' to independence in referendum
2014
Ukip tops poll in European elections in political ‘earthquake’
2013
Cameron suffers historic commons defeat on Syria intervention
2013
Home Office launches ‘Go Home’ van campaign
2013
Commons backs same-sex marriage bill despite major Tory rebellion
2013
Chris Huhne pleads guilty to perverting justice and resigns as MP
2013
Lib Dems vote against Conservative coalition partners for first time
2013
Cameron promises in/out EU referendum in landmark Bloomberg speech
2012
Chief whip Andrew Mitchell resigns over ‘Plebgate’ scandal
2012
Nick Clegg issues apology for breaking tuition fee pledge
2011
Leveson inquiry begins public hearings into press ethics
2011
Liam Fox resigns as defence secretary over relationship with businessman
2011
David Cameron recalls parliament to debate England riots
2011
Murdoch hit by foam ‘pie’ during phone-hacking hearing
2011
‘Project Volvo’ documents detail Brownite plot to oust Blair
2011
UK rejects electoral reform as AV referendum ends in landslide ‘No’ vote
2011
SNP wins historic majority in Scottish Parliament election
2011
Hundreds of thousands march in London against austerity cuts
2011
MPs approve military action in Libya by huge majority
2010
Ed Miliband narrowly defeats brother David to become Labour leader
2010
Treasury chief David Laws resigns over expenses claims
2010
Cameron and Clegg unveil coalition in Downing Street 'rose garden' ceremony
2010
General election results in hung parliament with Conservative as largest party
2010
Gordon Brown calls voter a ‘bigoted woman’ in campaign gaffe
2010
David Cameron warns corporate lobbying is ‘next big scandal’
2009
James Purnell resigns from cabinet, calling on Brown to quit
2009
Peers suspended – the first since 1642 – over ‘cash for amendments’ scandal
2009
MPs’ expenses scandal erupts, shaking Westminster and public trust
2009
Gordon Brown defeated over Gurkha settlement rights
2008
David Davis wins self-imposed by-election on civil liberties platform
2007
Nick Clegg elected Liberal Democrat leader by razor-thin margin
2007
Gordon Brown signs Lisbon Treaty after skipping official gathering
2007
Green Party votes to adopt formal leadership structure
2007
Gordon Brown rules out snap election
2007
Gordon Brown becomes prime minister after decade in waiting
2007
MPs back fully elected House of Lords in ‘historic’ vote
2006
David Cameron dismisses Ukip as ‘fruitcakes and loonies’
2006
Menzies Campbell elected Liberal Democrat leader after party crisis
2005
David Cameron elected Conservative leader in landslide victory
2005
Blair suffers first major commons defeat over 90-day detention
2005
Iraq War legal advice leaked during election campaign
2005
Constitutional Reform Act creates UK supreme court
2004
Blair hit by purple flour bombs during prime minister’s questions
2004
Blair scrapes home in tuition fees vote as Hutton inquiry looms
2003
Robin Cook resigns from cabinet over Iraq war
2001
John Prescott punches protester during election campaign
2001
Peter Mandelson resigns from cabinet for a second time
2000
Fuel protesters blockade refineries, causing petrol shortages across Britain
1999
Charles Kennedy elected Liberal Democrat leader
1998
Peter Mandelson resigns as trade secretary over undisclosed £373,000 home loan
1997
Blair faces first major rebellion as 47 Labour MPs oppose lone parent benefit cuts
1997
‘Pretty straight guy’: Blair issues TV apology over Ecclestone affair
1997
Blair apologises for Britain’s role in Irish Famine
1997
Blair leads Labour to landslide victory in general election
1996
Nelson Mandela arrives in UK for historic state visit
1995
Major resigns as Tory leader in ‘put up or shut up’ gambit
1995
Blair wins historic vote to rewrite Labour's Clause IV
1994
Tony Blair elected as new Labour leader
1994
Labour leader John Smith dies at 55
1993
John Major launches ‘Back to Basics’ campaign
1993
UK Independence Party founded by anti-Maastricht campaigners
1993
Major caught on tape calling eurosceptic ministers ‘bastards’
1992
Britain forced out of ERM in 'Black Wednesday' crisis
1992
Major leads Conservative Party to surprise victory in general election
1992
Not all right: Neil Kinnock’s euphoric Sheffield rally backfires
1990
John Major succeeds Thatcher as prime minister
1990
Margaret Thatcher announces resignation as prime minister
1990
Geoffrey Howe resigns from Thatcher cabinet over Europe
1990
Chancellor John Major proposes ‘hard ECU’ as euro alternative
1989
Thatcher survives leadership challenge from ‘stalking horse’ MP
1988
Thatcher delivers landmark Bruges speech warning against 'European superstate'
1987
David Owen resigns as SDP leader over proposed Liberal merger
1987
Thatcher secures historic third term with 102-seat majority
1986
Thatcher rides Challenger tank in West Germany
1986
Thatcher suffers second reading defeat over Sunday trading
1986
Westland affair: Heseltine’s resignation plunges Thatcher government into crisis
1985
Ulster Says No: Unionists stage mass Belfast rally against Anglo-Irish Agreement
1985
Kinnock confronts Militant in landmark conference speech
1984
Harold Macmillan launches attack on Thatcherism in Lords maiden speech
1983
Kinnock and Hattersley win Labour leadership on ‘dream ticket’
1983
Thatcher wins landslide victory in general election
1981
SDP co-founder Shirley Williams wins Crosby by-election
1981
Healey narrowly defeats Tony Benn after deputy leadership challenge
1981
Thatcher conducts ‘purge of the wets’ reshuffle
1981
‘Gang of Four’ break from Labour with Limehouse Declaration
1980
Michael Foot defeats Healey in Labour leadership contest
1980
Margaret Thatcher declares ‘The lady's not for turning’
1979
1979 general election: Margaret Thatcher leads Conservative Party to victory
1979
Callaghan government falls by a single vote in dramatic no-confidence motion
1979
Callaghan's ‘no chaos’ comment sparks outrage after Guadeloupe summit
1978
Callaghan accused of ‘running scared’ after ruling out autumn election
1977
Roy Jenkins resigns as Labour MP to take up European Commission presidency
1976
James Callaghan becomes prime minister after winning Labour leadership
1976
Harold Wilson announces shock resignation as prime minister
1975
UK votes to remain in European Community in first nationwide referendum
1975
Labour Party votes to leave the EEC in blow to Harold Wilson
1975
Margaret Thatcher elected Conservative leader
1974
Labour secures majority of three in second election of the year
1974
Heath's ‘Who governs Britain?’ gamble backfires with hung parliament
1973
Heath celebrates as Britain joins EEC after decade of debate
1972
Roy Jenkins resigns as Labour deputy leader over Europe referendum
1972
Heath government scrapes victory in key Common Market vote
1972
Heath declares state of emergency as miners’ strike escalates
1971
Democratic Unionist Party founded by Ian Paisley
1970
Edward Heath wins shock general election victory
1969
Bernadette Devlin, 21, wins Mid Ulster by-election
1968
George Brown resigns as foreign secretary in late-night drama
1967
Wilson defends devaluation in ‘pound in your pocket’ broadcast
1966
Harold Wilson leads Labour to landslide election victory
1965
Edward Heath elected Conservative leader in party’s first formal ballot
1964
Labour wins narrow majority after 13 years of Tory rule
1963
Foreign secretary hints at leadership bid as Tories face succession crisis
1963
Wilson pledges to forge Britain in 'white heat' of scientific revolution
1963
Wilson defeats George Brown in Labour leadership contest
1963
Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell dies
1963
‘Non’: Charles De Gaulle vetoes Britain's entry to EEC
1962
Macmillan purges cabinet in ruthless ‘Night of the Long Knives’ reshuffle
1960
Gaitskell defeats Harold Wilson in Labour leadership contest
1960
Macmillan delivers ‘wind of change’ speech to South African Parliament
1957
Bevan denounces unilateralism in ‘naked into the conference chamber’ speech
1957
Macmillan becomes PM after Eden’s resignation on health grounds
1956
Suez ceasefire comes into effect after political crisis
1955
Clement Attlee retires as Labour leader after two decades
1955
Anthony Eden becomes prime minister as Churchill era ends
1951
Churchill secures first general election victory as Labour win popular vote
1950
Labour wins slim majority in 1950 general election
1949
Iron and Steel Act receives royal assent after constitutional battle
1947
Hugh Dalton resigns as chancellor after budget leak
1946
Churchill says an ‘iron curtain’ has descended across Europe
1945
Clement Attlee becomes first PM of majority Labour government
1945
Labour wins surprise landslide victory in post-war general election
1945
Churchill’s ‘Gestapo’ jibe backfires in election broadcast
1941
Winston Churchill addresses joint session of Congress
1940
Churchill leads commons tributes to former prime minister Neville Chamberlain
1940
Winston Churchill becomes prime minister after Chamberlain resignation
1939
'Speak for England!': Leo Amery appeals to Labour on the eve of war
1939
Parliament recalled to pass Emergency Powers Bill as war looms
1936
King Edward VIII’s abdicates after constitutional crisis
1936
Churchill condemns defence complacency in ‘locust years’ speech
1931
National Government forced to abandon gold standard
1931
MacDonald forms National Government after Labour split
1931
Oswald Mosley resigns from Labour to launch New Party
1929
Labour is largest party for first time after general election
1928
Equal Franchise Act grants women vote on same terms as men
1925
Plaid Cymru founded at National Eisteddfod
1924
Scottish home rule bill talked out in chaotic commons scenes
1924
Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour prime minister
1923
Conservative MPs establish the 1922 committee
1922
Tory MPs vote to end Lloyd George coalition at Carlton Club
1922
Parliament debates Lloyd George ‘cash for honours’ scandal, forcing concession
1922
Dáil Éireann ratifies Anglo-Irish Treaty as Sinn Féin splits
1918
Woodrow Wilson and king toast ‘historic epoch’ in first ever presidential state visit
1918
Lloyd George coalition wins landslide as Sinn Féin sweeps Ireland
1918
New legislation grants women right to stand for parliament
1918
Representation of the People Act grants vote to women over 30
1916
Asquith resigns in protest at Lloyd George’s ‘war council’ scheme
1916
Irish republic proclaimed as Easter Rising begins in Dublin
1915
Asquith forced to form coalition, ending last all-Liberal government
1914
Irish Home Rule Bill passed but immediately suspended
1914
Keir Hardie makes anti-war appeal as Europe mobilises
1912
Unionists sign Ulster Covenant, pledging resistance to Home Rule
1912
Labour’s George Lansbury denounces Asquith for ‘torturing’ suffragettes
1911
Parliament Act receives royal assent after constitutional crisis
1911
MPs vote to introduce parliamentary salaries for the first time
1910
Black Friday: Suffragettes face police violence after Conciliation Bill falls
1909
Lords reject ‘People’s Budget’, sparking constitutional crisis
1908
Suffragettes chain themselves to commons mesh in ‘Grille incident’
1905
Sinn Féin founded in Dublin by Arthur Griffith
1905
Ulster Unionist Party founded to fight Irish Home Rule
1900
Salisbury capitalises on Boer War patriotism and Liberal split in ‘Khaki Election’
1900
Labour Representation Committee founded in London
1895
Conservatives win landslide victory as Rosebery’s Liberals collapse
1893
Independent Labour Party founded in Bradford
1890
Charles Stewart Parnell revealed as adulterer in O'Shea divorce case
1886
Gladstone introduces Irish Home Rule Bill, splitting Liberal Party
1884
Third Reform Act establishes uniform franchise after ‘Arlington Street compact’
1880
Commons bars atheist MP Charles Bradlaugh from taking his seat
1874
Disraeli becomes prime minister for a second time
1872
Ballot Act introduces secret voting after parliamentary battle
1871
Trade Union Act grants legal status
1867
Second Reform Act extends vote to urban working men
1867
John Stuart Mill proposes women's suffrage amendment to Reform Bill
1852
Whigs and Peelites unite as Aberdeen constructs ‘Coalition of All the Talents’
1841
Robert Peel forms majority Conservative government after election win
1839
Chartists present mass petition for political reform to parliament
1839
Anti-Corn Law League formed to campaign for free trade
1835
Charles Manners-Sutton unseated as speaker by Whig opposition
1834
Robert Peel issues Tamworth Manifesto
1834
Palace of Westminster destroyed by devastating fire
1834
Slavery Abolition Act comes into force across British Empire
1832
First women’s suffrage petition presented to parliament
1832
Great Reform Act receives royal assent after prolonged political crisis
1830
Wellington’s government fatally weakened as election opens door to reform under Whigs
1829
Catholic Emancipation Act receives royal assent
1822
Foreign secretary Lord Castlereagh dies by suicide
1820
Queen Caroline's 'trial' begins in House of Lords
1820
Police foil Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate the cabinet
1819
Cavalry charges peaceful reform rally in Peterloo Massacre
1812
Prime minister Spencer Perceval assassinated in House of Commons
1801
Acts of Union create United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
1799
Combination Act and Unlawful Societies Act receive royal assent
1791
Thomas Paine’s revolutionary ‘Rights of Man’ published
1783
William Pitt becomes Britain’s youngest prime minister at 24
1775
King issues proclamation declaring American colonies in rebellion
1770
Lord North becomes prime minister
1769
Expelled MP John Wilkes re-elected unopposed
1765
Parliament passes Stamp Act, triggering colonial crisis
1763
Wilkes publishes North Briton No 45, attacking king’s speech
1745
Charles Stuart raises standard at Glenfinnan, beginning '45 rising
1735
Sir Robert Walpole moves into 10 Downing Street
1708
Queen Anne exercises final monarchical veto
1707
Scottish Parliament votes to ratify Act of Union
1689
James II lands in Ireland and begins Williamite War
1689
Parliament issues Declaration of Right, offering crown to William and Mary
1660
Four regicides executed at Charing Cross by restored monarchy
1649
Levellers crushed by Cromwell after Banbury mutiny
1649
House of Commons abolishes the House of Lords
1649
Rump Parliament votes to create court for trial of Charles I
1642
King Charles I raises standard at Nottingham, signalling start of Civil War
1642
Charles I’s failed arrest of five MPs sparks constitutional crisis
1629
Charles I dissolves parliament and begins 11 years of ‘Personal Rule’
1605
Guy Fawkes arrested in failed ‘Gunpowder Plot’ against King James I and parliament
1265
First English parliament with commons meets
1215
King John seals Magna Carta at Runnymede
