1997 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1997 in the United Kingdom. This year is noted for a landslide general election victory for the Labour Party under Tony Blair; the transfer of Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to China; and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

1997 in the United Kingdom
Other years
1995 | 1996 | 1997 (1997) | 1998 | 1999
Constituent countries of the United Kingdom
England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Popular culture

Incumbents

Events

January
  • 6 January – Allegations of a Tory MP's extramarital affair appear in the News of the World newspaper a week after Conservative Prime Minister John Major put "the family" at the heart of his campaign. Jerry Hayes - married with two children - denied the allegations.
  • 7 January – 2.5 million people take part in a phone-in vote as part of an ITV debate on the British monarchy. A 2-1 majority vote in favour of retaining the institution.
  • 8 January – British boss of Virgin Richard Branson had a lucky escape when his attempt to fly around the world by balloon ended after just 20 hours. The Virgin Challenger carrying Branson and two other men came down in the Algerian desert.
  • 9 January – British yachtsman Tony Bullimore is rescued in the Southern Ocean five days after his boat capsized in freezing waters, the Queen commends his bravery.
  • 15 January
    • Diana, Princess of Wales calls for an international ban on landmines.[1]
    • The strengthening economy is reflected in a national unemployment total of 1,884,700 for last December – the lowest level since January 1991. The Conservative government who are mired in allegations of sleaze are still behind Labour in the opinion polls as the general election looms.
  • 16 January
    • The Conservative Party government loses its majority in the House of Commons after the death of Iain Mills, MP for Meriden.[2]
    • Chris Evans resigns from BBC Radio 1 after his request for a four-day week is refused. Since joining the station as a breakfast-time DJ in 1995 Evans had boosted audience numbers by 700,000.
  • 17 January
    • A jury at the Old Bailey rules that 86-year-old Szymon Serafinowicz is unfit to stand trial on charges of murdering Jews during the Holocaust.
    • East 17 singer Brian Harvey is dismissed from the band after publicly commenting that the drug Ecstasy is safe.
  • 20 January – Death of Labour Party MP Martin Redmond ends the government's minority.[2] On the same day, the party vows not to raise income tax if, as seems likely, it wins the forthcoming general election.[3]
  • 30 January – An underground anti-road protest ended as the last protester known as "Swampy" (Daniel Hooper) emerged from the network of tunnels beneath the A30 extension site in Devon.

February
  • 4 February – Moors Murderer Myra Hindley is informed by Home Secretary Michael Howard that she will never be released from prison. Hindley, who has now been in prison for more than 30 years, was originally issued with a whole life tariff by the then Home Secretary David Waddington in 1990, but not informed of the ruling until just over two years ago.
  • 6 February – The Court of Appeal rules that Mrs Diane Blood of Leeds can be inseminated with her dead husband's sperm. Mrs Blood had been challenging for the right to use the sperm of her husband Stephen since just after his death two years ago.[4]
  • 12 February – A 23 year old British soldier is shot dead in Northern Ireland. Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was shot by a sniper while manning a checkpoint in Bessbrook (County Armagh), he is the last British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA.
  • 14 February – The Daily Mail newspaper accused five young men of the murder of Stephen Lawrence on its front page the day after a coroner's inquest found that the teenager had been unlawfully killed in an unprovoked racist attack by five white youths in April 1993.
  • 22 February – Scientists at the Roslin Institute announce the birth of a cloned sheep named Dolly seven months after the fact.[5]
  • 27 February – The government loses its Commons majority again after the Labour victory at the Wirral South by-election.[2]

March
  • 10 March – 160 vehicles are involved in a motorway pile up on the M42 motorway at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. Three people are killed and 60 injured.
  • 17 March – John Major announces that the general election will be held on 1 May. Despite the opinion polls having shown a double digit Labour lead almost continuously since late 1992, Major is hoping for a unique fifth successive term of Conservative government by pinning his hopes on a strong economy and low unemployment – no incoming government since before the First World War has inherited economic statistics as strong as the ones that Labour will should they win the election.
  • 18 March – The Sun newspaper, a traditional supporter of the Conservative Party, declares its support for Tony Blair and Labour. It condemns the Conservatives as "tired, divided and rudderless" – a stark contrast to its support for them in the run-up to the 1992 election where it waged a high-profile campaign against the then Labour leader Neil Kinnock and, after the Conservative victory, claimed responsibility for the result.
  • 23 March – Unemployed continues to fall and now stands at just over 1,800,000 – its lowest level since December 1990.
  • 30 March – Channel 5, Britain's fifth terrestrial television channel and its first new one since the launch of Channel 4 in November 1982, is launched.
  • 31 March – BBC pre-school children's television series Teletubbies first airs.

April
  • April – Nursery Education Voucher Scheme introduced, guaranteeing a government-funded contribution to the cost of preschool education for 4-year-olds.
  • 8 April
    • BBC journalist Martin Bell announces that he is to stand as a candidate against Neil Hamilton in the Tatton constituency on an anti-corruption platform.[6]
    • A MORI opinion poll shows Conservative support at a four-year high of 34%, but Labour still look set to win next month's general election as they have a 15-point lead.[7]
  • 29 April – The last MORI poll before the election tips Labour for a landslide victory as they gain 48% of the vote and a 20-point lead over the Conservatives.[8]

May

June
  • June – Ford enters the growing compact coupe market with its Puma, which uses the same chassis as the Ka and Fiesta.
  • 2 June – The Halifax Building Society floats on the London Stock Exchange. Over 7.5 million customers of the Society become shareholders of the new bank, the largest extension of shareholders in UK history.
  • 12 June – Law Lords declare that former Home Secretary, Michael Howard, acted illegally in raising the minimum sentence of the two juveniles who committed the murder of James Bulger, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, to 15 years. They also strip the government of setting minimum terms for prisoners aged under 18 who had received life or indefinite prison sentences.[12]
  • 19 June – The High Court of Justice delivers judgement, largely in favour of McDonald's, in the libel case of McDonald's Corporation v Steel & Morris ("the McLibel case"), the longest trial in English legal history, against two environmental campaigners.[13]
  • 25 June – An auction of dresses owned by Diana, Princess of Wales, in Manhattan raises more than £2million for charity.
  • 26 June – Publication of J. K. Rowling's first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

July
  • 1 July – The UK transfers sovereignty of Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to the People's Republic of China as the 99 years lease on the territory formally ends.[14] This event is widely considered by historians and commentators to mark the end of the British Empire, the largest imperial endeavour in the history of mankind.[15]
  • 2 July – Chancellor Gordon Brown launches the first Labour budget for nearly 20 years, which includes a further £3billion for education and healthcare, as well as a £3.5billion scheme to get single mothers, under 25's and long term unemployed people back into work.
  • 4 July – Russian carmaker Lada announces the end of imports to the United Kingdom after 23 years and some 350,000 sales of its low-priced, low-specification cars, which at their peak sold in excess of 30,000 cars a year, but managed just over 6,000 sales last year.
  • 6–11 July – 1997 nationalist riots in Northern Ireland: there is violence in nationalist areas after an Orange Order parade is allowed down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown by the Royal Ulster Constabulary as part of the Drumcree conflict.
  • 19 July – The IRA declares a ceasefire.[16]
  • 30 July – Sunderland's Stadium of Light, the largest football club stadium to be built in England since the 1920s, is opened by the Duke of York.[17]
  • 31 July – At the Uxbridge by-election, John Randall holds the seat for the Conservatives.[18]

August

September
The funeral cortege of Diana, Princess of Wales
  • 1 September
    • French investigators reveal that Diana's driver, Henri Paul, was over the drink-driving limit and had been travelling at speeds in excess of 100 mph before the crash that killed her. Lawyers for Mohamed Al-Fayed, father of Dodi Al-Fayed, lay the blame on the paparazzi who were pursuing the vehicle.[23]
    • A new style of fifty pence coin is introduced.[24]
    • Reebok Stadium, the new home of Bolton Wanderers F.C., is opened by deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.[25]
  • 5 September – The Queen makes a nationwide broadcast in tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, following widespread criticism of the Royal Family's response to her death.
  • 6 September – The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place at Westminster Abbey, London followed by a private burial at the estate of the Earls Spencer in Althorp, Northamptonshire. The Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, attacks the Royal Family's and the media's treatment of Diana in his funeral eulogy. TV coverage of the funeral is hosted by both BBC 1 and ITV, attracting an audience of more than 32,000,000 which falls just short of the national TV audience record set by the England national football team's victorious World Cup final in 1966.[26]
  • 7 September – Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow (the "armadillo"), designed by Foster and Partners, is completed.
  • 11 September – Referendum in Scotland on the creation of a national Parliament with devolved powers takes place. On two separate questions, voters back the plans both for a national Parliament and for it to have limited tax raising powers.[27]
  • 13 September – Release of Elton John's Candle in the Wind remade as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. This will be the second best-selling single worldwide of all time.[28]
  • 17 September – Police investigating the death of Diana, Princess of Wales reveal that the car in which she was travelling may have collided with a Fiat Uno seconds before hitting a concrete pillar.
  • 18 September
  • 19 September - Seven die and 139 are injured in the Southall rail crash when a Passenger train passes a Danger signal and collides with a Freight train.
  • 25 September – A Saudi court sentences British nurse Lucille McLauchlan to eight years in prison and 500 lashes for being an accessory to the murder of Australian nurse Yvonne Gilford in December the previous year. Fellow British nurse Deborah Parry is charged with murder and could face the death penalty if found guilty. Ms Gilford's brother Frank, is reported to be willing to accept £750,000 in "blood money" for Ms Parry's life to be spared if she is found guilty. Foreign Secretary Robin Cook condemns the sentence of flogging against Ms McLauchlan as "wholly unacceptable in the modern world".
  • 29 September – British scientists state that they have found a link between Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and eating of BSE-infected meat.[29]

October
  • 1 October – The final LTI FX4 London cab is produced after 39 years.
  • 4 October – The BBC introduces its new corporate logo across the corporation, as well as new idents for BBC1.
  • 15 October – Andy Green driving the ThrustSSC sets a new land speed record of 763.035 mph (1227.99 km/h), the first time the sound barrier is broken on land.[14]
  • 24 October – WPC Nina Mackay, 25, is stabbed to death in Stratford, London, when entering a flat to arrest a Somali asylum seeker who was due to be deported.

November

December

Undated

Publications

Births
Izzy Brown
Shaheen Jafargholi
Asa Butterfield
Maisie Williams
Joe Gomez
Tilly Keeper
Alan Walker
Claudia Fragapane
Marcus Rashford

Full date unknown

Deaths
John Kendrew
Diana, Princess of Wales

See also

References
  1. "Princess Diana sparks landmines row". BBC News. 15 January 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  2. "How the Government's Majority Disappeared, BBC". Retrieved 26 September 2007.
  3. British Election Panel Study, 1992-97
  4. "Widow allowed dead husband's baby". BBC News. 6 February 1997. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  5. "Dolly the sheep is cloned". BBC News. 22 February 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  6. "BBC TV newsman turns politician". BBC News. 8 April 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  7. "Voting Intention in Great Britain: 1976-present". Ipsos. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011.
  8. "Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls". Election 2010. BBC News.
  9. "Labour routs Tories in historic election". BBC News. 2 May 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  10. "Brown sets Bank of England free". BBC News. 6 May 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  11. "Labour to stub out tobacco sponsorship". BBC News. 19 May 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  12. "Straw to reconsider Bulger killers' fate". BBC News. 12 June 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  13. "Victory for McDonald's – at a cost". BBC News. 19 June 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  14. Penguin Pocket on This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
  15. Common knowledge
  16. "IRA declares ceasefire". BBC News. 19 July 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  17. http://www.safc.com/page/FAQs
  18. "Factsheet M16: By-election results, 1997–2001" (PDF). House of Commons Information Office. September 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  19. "No. 54850". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 1997. pp. 8911–8914.
    "No. 54851". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 1997. pp. 8909–8910.
  20. "Three matches in floodlight probe". BBC News. 12 February 1999.
  21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. "Princess Diana dies in Paris crash". BBC News. 31 August 1997. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  23. "Diana driver was 'drunk and speeding'". BBC News. 1 September 1997. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  24. "Royal Mint, 50 p Coin Design". Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. "Diana's funeral watched by millions". BBC News. 6 September 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  27. "Scots say 'Yes' to home rule". BBC News. 12 September 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  28. Guinness World Records (PDF). 2007. p. 187. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2011. White Christmas was the first.
  29. "Scientists confirm brain diseases link". BBC News. 29 September 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  30. "1950: Television crosses the Channel". BBC News. 27 August 1950. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  31. "'Great Train Robber' escapes extradition again". BBC News. 12 November 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  32. "Murder conviction quashed after 25 years". BBC News. BBC. 3 December 1997. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  33. "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1997". Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  34. "Dawn of Scottish parliament". BBC News. 18 December 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  35. "Tory leader weds". BBC News. 19 December 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  36. "BSE inquiry to be 'far-reaching'". BBC News. 22 December 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  37. "Minister's son arrested in drug probe". BBC News. 24 December 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  38. "1997: Loyalist leader murdered in prison". BBC News. 27 December 1997. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  39. https://candidates.democracyclub.org.uk/person/11832/aimee-challenor

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