2025 in United Kingdom politics and government
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A list of events relating to politics and government in the United Kingdom during 2025.
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- 2 January –
- Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg announces he is standing down as Meta's president of global affairs after almost seven years.[1]
- Twenty Labour Party councillors on Broxtowe Borough Council in Nottinghamshire have resigned from Labour in protest at the direction of the party under Sir Keir Starmer and will sit as independents.[2]
- Graham Sheldon resigns as leader of Oldham Council's Conservatives, and from the Conservative Party itself, after police were called to a heated council meeting on 18 December.[3]
- Kemi Badenoch calls for a public inquiry into grooming gangs.[4]
- 3 January –
- The UK government announces that the plans for reforms to social care in England may not be published until 2028, or later.[5]
- Zoe Hughes, a transgender member of Exeter City council, quits the Labour Party in a row over transgender issues.[6]
- 4 January –
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seeks to distance himself from Elon Musk's call for far-right activist Tommy Robinson to be released from prison.[7]
- At Reform's East of England Conference in Chelmsford, Farage threatens to target Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch's North West Essex seat over her allegations his party's membership figures are weak, and seems to show that the party now has 170,000 members.[8]
- 5 January – In a post on Twitter, Elon Musk says that Nigel Farage "doesn't have what it takes" to lead Reform UK, remarks that Farage says stem from a disagreement over Musk's support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.[9]
- 6 January –
- The Prime Minister responds to X owner Elon Musk and others he accuses of "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs. Starmer tells reporters that these online debates have now "crossed a line", resulting in threats against MPs, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.[10]
- MPs debate an online petition calling for a re-run of the 2024 general election in Westminster Hall, a secondary debating chamber.[11]
- Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq refers herself to the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests after controversy over her links to her aunt's political movement in Bangladesh.[12]
- Justin Welby's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury comes to an end following his resignation in November 2024. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell assumes temporary charge of the Church of England from the following day.[13]
- 7 January – Minister Jess Phillips says Elon Musk is putting her in danger with misinformation about grooming gangs.[14]
- 8 January –
- MPs vote 364–111 against a Conservative proposal to require the UK government to establish an inquiry into grooming gangs.[15]
- The Liberal Democrats are ordered to pay £14,000 to Natalie Bird, a former parliamentary candidate who says she was driven out of the party and barred from standing as an MP over her gender-critical views.[16]
- Sir Oliver Robbins is appointed Permanent Secretary to the Foreign Office, succeeding Sir Philip Barton.[17]
- Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, is to take time off from the Scottish Parliament because of a medical procedure.[18]
- Proposals are published to give Members of the Senedd a 6% pay rise, taking the wages for a backbench MS to £76,380 in 2025–26, up from £72,057.[19]
- 9 January –
- Former Prime Minister Liz Truss sends Sir Keir Starmer a legal "cease and desist" letter demanding that he stop saying she "crashed the economy".[20]
- Mick Lynch announces his retirement as general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.[21]
- 10 January –
- Local councils have until this date to decide whether to delay their participation in the May local elections.[22]
- Ten Reform UK councillors in Derbyshire resign from the party in protest at Nigel Farage's leadership, saying that the party is being run in an "increasingly autocratic manner" and "has lost its sense of direction" since Farage took over as leader. In response, Farage says the members were put forward by a "rogue branch" of the party and that "none of them passed vetting".[23]
- 13 January –
- Buckingham Palace confirms that King Charles III will travel to Auschwitz concentration camp to attend an event marking the 80th anniversary of its liberation on 27 January.[24]
- Michael Ellam is appointed at the Cabinet Office's second permanent secretary, European Union and International Economic Affairs.[25]
- As Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces mounting criticism over her handling of the economy against a backdrop of a falling pound and increases in government borrowing, Downing Street says she will remain in her role "for the whole of this Parliament".[26]
- In a social media post, former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon announces that she and Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, have "decided to end" their marriage and have been separated for some time.[27]
- According to Reform UK's website they now have 180,000 members.[28]
- 14 January –
- Tulip Siddiq resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, over a scandal linked to the ousted government of Bangladesh. She becomes the second minister to resign from the Starmer ministry since the general election of July 2024.[29] Emma Reynolds is appointed to replace her.[30]
- Helen Pitcher resigns as chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission following criticism from government regarding her tenure in charge of the Commission, and moves to have her removed from the post.[31]
- Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar accuses Senedd Presiding Officer Elin Jones of "inappropriately interrupting him" after she tells him to "tone down" a question about grooming gangs while he called for a fresh inquiry into child sexual abuse.[32]
- 15 January –
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tells the House of Commons the UK government will look at "every conceivable way" to prevent Gerry Adams, the former President of Sinn Féin, from receiving compensation after it emerged that repealing the Troubles Legacy Act could allow him to claim compensation for unlawful detention during the 1970s.[33]
- Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson tells Parliament the UK government will proceed with the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act, which proposed fines for universities failing to uphold freedom of speech.[34]
- Eighteen local authorities have applied to delay their elections until 2026 amid proposals for major reorganisation.[35]
- Ed Davey calls for Britain to re-join the European Union Customs Union.[36]
- MP Joe Morris raises the topic of "Holly's Law" in Prime Minister's Questions.[37]
- 16 January –
- Keir Starmer signs a 100-year treaty with Ukraine in Kyiv.[38]
- Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces plans for a nationwide review of grooming gangs including five government-backed local inquiries.[39]
- Kemi Badenoch criticises her predecessors for mishandling Brexit.[40]
- Downing Street clears Emma Reynolds to be City Minister despite her past work as a lobbyist.[41]
- MP Mike Amesbury admits to assault at Chester Magistrates' Court.[42]
- The White House announces that Ian Paisley Jr will attend the second inauguration of Donald Trump.[43]
- 17 January –
- The Greater London Authority is to investigate Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for his acceptance of tickets to a Taylor Swift concert.[44]
- Westminster's Strangers' Bar is to close for a safety and security review after a report that a woman had her drink spiked.[45]
- The Liberal Democrats urge the UK government to release analysis of the potential impact of the US imposing trade tariffs on the UK economy after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 20% on global imports.[46]
- 18 January – The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg reports that the Prime Minister has chaired a series of "mini-cabinet" meetings, along with the Chancellor, Foreign Secretary and Business Secretary, in an attempt to plan "for what might come" in terms of the effect on the UK during the Second Trump Presidency.[47]
- 19 January –
- Foreign Secretary David Lammy tells the BBC the prime minister will visit the United States within weeks to meet incoming US president Donald Trump.[48]
- Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell agree to be interviewed under caution by police following a pro-Palestinian rally in London. The police are investigating what they say was "a coordinated effort by organisers to breach conditions imposed on the event".[49]
- 21 January –
- Marcus Bokkerink is dismissed as chair of the Competition and Markets Authority amid concerns the group is not focussed enough on economic growth; Doug Gurr replaces him on a temporary basis.[50]
- First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan tells the Senedd she is lobbying the UK government to give the Welsh Government powers over the Crown Estate in Wales, after a UK government minister suggested otherwise.[51]
- 25 January – Sinn Féin lifts its suspension on Belfast City Councillor JJ Magee following an investigation by the Local Government Commissioner for Standards.[52]
- 28 January –
- Labour's Stephen Timms is reprimanded for attending a Muslim Council of Britain dinner despite official government advice being to not engage with the organisation.[53]
- Joe Fitzpatrick announces that he will not stand for re-election to the Scottish Parliament seat of Dundee City West at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.[54]
- 31 January – First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan confirms she will contest the new seat of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire at the 2026 Senedd election.[55]
February
[edit]- 3 February –
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejects an allegation that he broke COVID-19 regulations by having a voice coach present at a press conference where he responded to a Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson.[56]
- For the first time, Reform UK have lead an opinion poll, after coming top with 25% in a YouGov poll for Sky News. Labour are second on 24%, with the Conservatives on 21%.[57]
- Northern Ireland's Economy Minister, Conor Murphy steps down from the post and announces he will leave Stormont after being elected to the Irish Seanad.[58] Caoimhe Archibald is appointed to replace him as Economy Minister.[59]
- 4 February –
- BBC News reports that Jack Lopresti, the former Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke who lost the seat at the last general election has joined the Ukrainian military.[60]
- Welsh Conservatives leader Darren Millar and his colleague Russell George miss a Senedd vote on the Eluned Morgan government's budget for 2025–26 because they have travelled to the United States for the annual National Prayer Breakfast.[61]
- 5 February –
- Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner confirms that local elections in East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey will be delayed for a year to allow major local government reorganisations to take place.[62]
- Four of the seven MPs suspended from the Labour Party for voting against the child benefit cap are readmitted to the party; they are Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Rebecca Long-Bailey.[63]
- The Welsh Conservatives are absent from a Senedd debate concerning their former leader, Andrew RT Davies, but reject allegations they are boycotting the chamber's disciplinary process.[64]
- 6 February – Chris McEleny is suspended as general secretary of the Alba Party following allegations of gross misconduct.[65]
- 7 February – Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf tells the BBC's Political Thinking podcast that history will judge Boris Johnson as one of the most damaging prime ministers in British history.[66]
- 8 February – Health Minister Andrew Gwynne is sacked by the prime minister after the Mail on Sunday reported he sent a string of abusive and insulting WhatsApp about constituents and colleagues. Gwynne apologises for what he describes as the "badly misjudged" messages.[67]
- 9 February –
- Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart tells the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg there is "not a conversation to be had" about suggestions of an electoral pact with Reform UK.[68]
- Oliver Ryan, MP for Burnley, becomes the second MP to apologise for inappropriate comments made in a WhatsApp chat.[69]
- 10 February –
- Peter Mandelson begins his tenure as United Kingdom ambassador to the United States, and tells the BBC the UK must respect President Donald Trump's "strong and clear mandate for change".[70]
- Oliver Ryan is suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party over his membership of a WhatsApp group in which offensive messages were exchanged.[71]
- King Charles III gives the prime minister and deputy prime minister a tour of his environmentally friendly, sustainable housing project at Nansledan in Cornwall.[72]
- MPs' basic salary is set to rise by 2.8% to £93,904 from April.[73]
- Darren Millar tells the Senedd he was in the "right place at the right time" as he defends his decision to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in the United States and miss a vote on the Welsh Government's budget. Millar also says he was promoting Welsh interests while in the US.[74]
- Simon Case, the former Cabinet Secretary, is appointed as the chair of the Team Barrow Delivery Board, a board that will oversee a £200m project to redevelop Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.[75]
- 11 February –
- Labour suspends 11 councillors in Greater Manchester as part of its investigation into a WhatsApp group in which offensive messages were exchanged.[76]
- James Garnor resigns as a member of Whittlebury Parish Council after a video was share that appeared to show an explosive device being triggered by a cat.[77]
- 12 February – A review into the events leading up to the murder of David Amess finds that his killer, Ali Harbi Ali, was exited from the government's Prevent anti-terror programme "too quickly" and that its handling of him was "sub-optimal".[78]
- 13 February –
- A BBC News investigation discovers Chancellor Rachel Reeves was the subject of an expenses investigation while she was a senior manager at Halifax Bank of Scotland in the late 2000s. Her online CV is also reported to have exaggerated the length of time she was employed by the Bank of England.[79] In response, Reeves says that no concerns were raised with her at the time of the investigation.[80]
- The Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill is introduced into the House of Commons in order to lift the ban on Roman Catholics becoming the King's representative at the Church of Scotland's annual assembly, after Lady Elish Angiolini KC, a practicing Catholic, was appointed to be Lord High Commissioner of the 2025 general assembly.[81]
- Labour MP Kevin McKenna announces in the House of Commons that he is living with HIV.[82]
- The UK government publishes a list of 100 proposed locations for potential new towns in England, with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook saying work on them will begin before the next general election.[83]
- 14 February – The UK government scraps the role of independent adviser on political violence, created before the last general election.[84]
- 16 February – Former prime minister Sir John Major warns that the US's isolationist policy could be a threat to world democracy as it could leave a power vacuum and embolden states such as Russia and China.[85]
- 17 February – Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Claire Hanna announces that the party will decline any invitations to the White House for St Patrick's Day celebrations due to Donald Trump's stance on the Gaza conflict.[86]
- 19 February – Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds faces calls for his resignation after he was accused of falsely saying he was a solicitor in his online CV.[87]
- 20 February –
- Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says she will raise concerns with BBC bosses over the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, narrated by a 13-year-old boy who is the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. Hamas is a prescribed terrorist group in the UK, Israel and many other countries.[88] The film is subsequently removed from BBC iPlayer.[89]
- Nigel Farage gives up ownership of Reform UK, the party he founded as a private limited company in 2018, and relinquishes his shares in the organisation.[90]
- Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, is charged with offences relating to bribery and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday 24 February.[91]
- 21 February –
- The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards launches an investigation into former minister Andrew Gwynne over the alleged sending of offensive messages through a WhatsApp group.[92]
- Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says he will deliver the "biggest reform of the NHS in decades" if his party wins the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.[93]
- Wales's Social Justice Secretary, Jane Hutt, who is the UK's longest serving minister after service in successive Welsh Governments since 1999, announces she will retire from the Senedd in 2026.[94]
- Sinn Féin confirms it will boycott St Patrick's Day events at the White House over US President Donald Trump's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.[95]
- 24 February –
- Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury is sentenced to ten weeks in prison after admitting to punching a man to the ground in his Cheshire constituency.[96]
- Westminster's Strangers' Bar is scheduled to reopen following a safety review. The establishment will have CCTV and extra security guards, while bar staff will be trained to look out for any potential safety issues.[97]
- The UK government rejects a call from Plaid Cymru to devolve responsibility for the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government, saying it would make no sense to do so.[98]
- Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly confirms she will travel to Washington for St Patrick's Day celebrations at the White House.[99]
- 25 February
- Keir Starmer announces cuts to international aid to fund an increase of defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.[100]
- In her first major speech on foreign policy, Kemi Badenoch said the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).[101]
- Reform UK gains its first representative on Cornwall Council following the defection of Conservative councillor Kevin Towill.[102]
- Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds apologises for saying he worked as a solicitor before he became an MP.[103]
- The first round of cross-party talks on social care reform in England is postponed.[104]
- 27 February –
- Starmer meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House for talks on Ukraine and defence.[105]
- King Charles III invites Trump to the UK for a second state visit.[106]
- Labour MP Mike Amesbury's prison sentence is suspended following an appeal.[107]
- 28 February –
- International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds resigns over the prime minister's cuts to the foreign aid budget, saying the UK's reputation will be deeply harmed.[108]
- Former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve is appointed by the UK government to lead a review into creating a new definition of Islamophobia.[109]
- Owen Glass, a 10-year-old from the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, is reported to have become the youngest person to deliver a speech to the House of Commons.[110]
March
[edit]- 1 March – Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet for talks at 10 Downing Street following Zelensky's visit to Washington the previous day.[111]
- 3 March – SNP MSP and deputy presiding officer Annabelle Ewing announces she will not seek re-election to Holyrood in 2026.[112]
- 4 March –
- The Home Office launches an advertising campaign in Iraq aimed at discouraging people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.[113]
- Former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard announces he will not seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament at the next election.[114]
- The Senedd votes 29–28 to approve the Welsh Government's £26bn budget for 2025–26 after Labour secured the support of Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds to achieve a majority.[115]
- 5 March –
- In his first major interview since leaving office, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expresses his regret at the use of the "Stop the boats" slogan, describing it as "too stark, too binary".[116]
- The UK government launches a consultation process on replacing the windfall tax on the profits of energy companies when it comes to an end in 2030.[117]
- SNP ministers Shona Robison and Fiona Hyslop announce they will stand down from Holyrood at the next Scottish election.[118]
- In an interview with the Daily Mail, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe criticises the party's leadership under Nigel Farage, describing it as a "protest party led by the Messiah".[119]
- 6 March –
- UK officials say that around 20 countries, largely from Europe and the Commonwealth, are interested in joining a "coalition of the willing" to provide support to Ukraine.[120]
- Starmer attends a UK–Ireland summit in Liverpool alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin at which he says the two countries have "turned a page on the turbulent years" and are ready for a meaningful partnership.[121]
- Conservative peer Lord Hamilton apologises after saying the Jewish community should "pay for their own" Holocaust memorial because they have "an awful lot of money" during a House of Lords debate on plans for a memorial near Parliament.[122]
- 7 March –
- Reform UK suspends MP Rupert Lowe from the party and refers him to police, alleging he has made "threats of physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf.[123]
- Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and city politician Derek Hatton are charged with bribery and misconduct relating to council contracts, along with 10 others.[124]
- Former Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart says that Mark Drakeford, the country's First Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, "dented people's confidence" in the UK government by saying successful aspects of the fight against COVID were Welsh Government policy and the unsuccessful were UK government policy.[125]
- 8 March – Former national security adviser Mark Sedwill tells the BBC's The Week at Westminster the potential deployment of UK troops to Ukraine could last "many years".[126]
- 10 March –
- Mike Amesbury confirms he will stand down as the MP for Runcorn and Helsby following his conviction for assault, triggering a by-election.[127]
- Home Secretary Yvette Cooper rejects calls from the family of David Amess for a public inquiry into his murder.[128]
- Former Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire is introduced into the House of Lords.[129]
- Carol Beattie is appointed chief executive of the Scottish National Party after taking on the post in an acting role following the resignation of her predecessor, Murray Foote.[130]
- 11 March –
- The Metropolitan Police launch an investigation into Rupert Lowe over allegations of making "verbal threats".[131]
- The Democracy and Boundary Commission has decided that all Senedd seats will have Welsh language only names from 2026.[132]
- Reform UK gains its first representative on Falkirk Council following the defection of ex-Conservative turned Independent councillor Claire Mackie-Brown.[133]
- 12 March –
- Keir Starmer says the UK will "keep all options on the table" regarding Donald Trump's steel and aluminium tariffs.[134]
- All 404 Labour MPs are summoned to Downing Street for a briefing on the spring statement.[135]
- Former First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, announces she will stand down from the Scottish Parliament at the 2026 election.[136]
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting calls for his former assistant Sam Gould to resign from Redbridge London Borough Council after he admitted to indecent exposure.[137]
- The requirement for a High Court judge to approve applications is dropped by the bill committee of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.[138]
- South Kesteven councillor Rosemary Trollope-Bellew leaves Reform UK just 11 days after joining.[139]
- 13 March –
- Keir Starmer announces that NHS England will be abolished in order to "cut bureaucracy".[140]
- First Minister of Scotland John Swinney holds talks with Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, at Bute House.[141]
- Chorley councillor Craige Southern is convicted of assault.[142]
- 14 March –
- Labour chooses Karen Shore, the deputy leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council to contest the 2025 Runcorn and Helsby by-election.[143]
- A hearing at the Old Bailey sets a trial date of 29 June 2026 for Nathan Gill, who is accused of accepting bribes to make statements in the European Parliament that would have been beneficial to Russia.[144]
- The High Court rules that former Home Secretary Suella Braverman acted unlawfully by housing three asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield in Essex between July 2023 and February 2024, where they lived in "prison like" conditions.[145]
- 26 March – Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the March 2025 United Kingdom spring statement to the House of Commons.[146]
- 28 to 29 March – 2025 Alba Party leadership election[147][148]
April
[edit]May
[edit]June
[edit]July
[edit]August
[edit]September
[edit]October
[edit]November
[edit]December
[edit]Deaths
[edit]- 1 January – Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, 96, British politician, minister of state for consumer affairs (1979–1982), MP (1970–1987), and member of the House of Lords (1989–2019).[150]
- 4 January – Jenny Randerson, Baroness Randerson, 76, Welsh politician and peer, acting Deputy First Minister of Wales (2001–2002) and member of the House of Lords (since 2011).[151]
- 24 January – Joan Hanham, Baroness Hanham, 85, British politician, member of the House of Lords (1999–2020) and leader of the Kensington and Chelsea Council (1989–2000).[152]
- 1 February – John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, 81, British aristocrat, businessman and politician, member of the House of Lords (1995–2024).[153]
- 7 February – Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, 78, Welsh politician, llywydd of the Senedd (1999–2011), MP (1974–1992) and member of the House of Lords (since 1992).[154]
- 16 February – Barry Panter, politician (Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme), car crash.[155] (death reported on this date)
- 19 February – Joe Haines, 97, British journalist and public servant, Downing Street press secretary (1969–1970, 1974–1976).[156]
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