Crisis Chronology | United Kingdom

UNITED KINGDOM

01/17/2024

UK Parliament passes a bill that would allow deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their asylum claims heard and for resettlement.

01/09/2024

Storm over a television documentary detailing the mistaken imprisonment of many post office employees on false charges of theft and fraud. It was the result, apparently, of a computer error.

12/12/2023

UK Parliament passes Sunak’s law allowing Rwanda deportations.

12/05/2023

Rwanda and UK sign new treaty to allow the UK to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

11/15/2023

Supreme Court declares plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda unlawful because there is a risk they would be sent back to their country of origin.

11/13/2023

Braverman is fired after a series of insensitive remarks about minorities. She is replaced, in a surprise, by former PM David Cameron.

11/11/2023

Three hundred thousand march in London in support of Palestinians. Suella Braverman, home secretary, criticizes them.

06/30/2023

Court of Appeal rules that the government’s plan to deport immigrants to Rwanda is unlawful because that country is not a safe haven.

06/23/2023

Central bank raises interest rates more than expected.

06/15/2023

Parliamentary report details numerous instances in which Johnson misled parliament and says that he would have been suspended.

06/09/2023

Boris Johnson resigns from parliament ahead of parliamentary report on his actions and parties during COVID-19 lockdown.

05/11/2023

UK says it will send Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, which have a range sufficient to attack Crimea.

04/23/2023

Election for House of Assembly in the British Virgin Islands.

03/27/2023

Humza Yousaf is elected leader of Scottish National Party. Almost certain to be elected first minister, he is the grandson of Pakistani immigrants and a Muslim, both first for a Scot political leader.

03/18/2023

Peter Murrell, the party’s chief executive and, incidentally, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, resigns after issuing a report on the Scottish National Party’s membership that failed to recognize its substantial loss.

02/27/2023

Northern Ireland DUP says that the new Brexit agreement shows “significant progress” but it still has concerns.

02/26/2023

EU and UK agree on terms regarding Northern Ireland, allowing for a final vote on the overall Brexit agreement. No details as yet.

02/15/2023

Sturgeon resigns

Sturgeon unexpectedly resigns as first minister of Scotland, citing a feeling that she could not lead the country and the “brutality” of political life. She will remain in office until a new leader is chosen.

02/01/2023

Seven unions comprising a half million workers go on strike to protest inflation, which is at 10%.

01/29/2023

Sunak removes head of the Conservative Party Nadhim Zahawi, who was discovered to be paying a multimillion-dollar tax penalty while he was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2022.

01/18/2023

Ruling party re-elected

Elections for the House of Representatives. The Labour Party retains its majority in the 15-member House, although it lost six seats, falling to a total of nine. The United Progressive Party gains five seats, rising to six. Gaston Browne of the ABLP remains prime minister.

01/14/2023

UK agrees to send fourteen main battle tanks to Ukraine. There is a general debate on the continent about sending more modern tanks to Ukraine.

12/20/2022

A wave of labor strikes across the country.

12/19/2022

UK High Court rules that deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is legal.

11/17/2022

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announces his fiscal plan, which calls for spending cuts and tax hikes. He warns that the UK may see as much as a 7% decline in living standards in 2023.

11/15/2022

Inflation reaches 11/1%, the highest since 1981.

11/14/2022

UK announces that it will withdraw its troops from Mali, citing “political instability” and the alleged relationship between the junta leaders and the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries.

11/06/2022

Large protest, largely organized by unions and community organizations, in London calling for new elections amid the worsening economic condition in the UK.

11/03/2022

Central bank raises interest rates to 3% and warns that the UK is in a recession that could last two years.

11/01/2022

Home Secretary Suellen Braverman a focus on criticism for treatment of some asylum seekers and today’s comment of “an invasion on our Southern coast,” referring to migrants and refugees crossing the English Channel in small boats. “Let’s stop pretending they are all refugees in distress, the whole country knows that is not true,” she said.

10/24/2022

Sunak chosen prime minister

After competitors withdraw from the race within the Conservative party, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is elected prime minister. He is the first person of color and the first Hindu to be prime minister.

10/20/2022

Truss resigns

Liz Truss resigns, the shortest term as prime minister in the history of the UK. She will stay on as interim prime minister until a replacement is chosen.

10/19/2022

Home Secretary Suellen Braverman resigns for a personal mistake, although it is a blow for the Truss government.

10/17/2022

Hunt says that the government will reverse almost all the tax cuts proposed in Kwarteng’s budget. Markets around the world soar.

10/15/2022

Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng is fired, replaced by a more conservative economist, Jeremy Hunt, who says the economic plan will the revised to reduce spending, and delay tax cuts. His speech reinforces the sense that Truss is no longer in control of the economic program, and many speculate that she will soon be removed as prime minister.

10/03/2022

Government retracts proposal for dropping tax rates on high incomes, a huge blow to the government. The pound regains strength as a result and stock markets rebound somewhat. The Truss government is facing plunging approval ratings and a very uncertain future with parliament as a result of the clumsy handling of the economic plan. Truss’s insistence on supply-side economics is not approved by a large number of Conservatives and many have called this a spectacularly bad beginning for any PM in recent history.

09/28/2022

The IMF criticizes the UK economic proposals in the strongest possible terms. The Bank of England announces program to support the pound; markets recover somewhat.

09/27/2022

After UK government announces a program of tax cuts without corresponding income, the pound falls to a new low and worldwide financial markets plunge.

09/11/2022

Antigua and Barbuda government announces it will hold a vote on independence, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

09/08/2022

Queen Elizabeth II dies. Her son will be crowned as Charles III.

09/05/2022

Liz Truss is elected prime minister by Conservative Party members with about 57% of the vote. She vows tax cuts and fighting inflation and other economic stresses.

07/22/2022

EU begins new legal proceeding against the UK regarding its recalcitrance on its withdrawal from EU. The UK parliament recently passed a bill that would eliminate some of the rules regarding Northern Ireland.

07/20/2022

Heat wave in UK continues but moderates slightly, though the country is largely still at a standstill. Fires break out from London to Scotland. France experiencing two large wildfires in the south. Spain and Portugal also experiencing widespread wildfires and maximum heat. Wildfires in Greece move toward Athens, Greece. The heat wave, which moved north from Africa, will probably moderate slightly over the next week, although the resulting dangers will not.

07/20/2022

Foreign Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and the finalists to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister in voting by the Conservatives. The final decision is expected by 9/5.

07/06/2022

Johnson resigns

After another in a succession of scandals, Johnson agrees to resign as soon as a successor is chosen.

07/05/2022

Finance minister and health minister resign. Increased calls for Johnson to resign.

06/27/2022

Scotland first minster Nicola Sturgeon announces her intention to seek another vote on secession from the UK. She asks the UK Supreme Court to decide whether Britain is legally able to block a vote.

06/23/2022

Conservative Party loses two key by-elections, a strong blow against Johnson’s leadership.

06/16/2022

UK approves extradition of Julian Assange to the US. He may still appeal.

06/16/2022

UK approves extradition of Julian Assange to the US. He may still appeal.

06/15/2022

First flight of deportees to Rwanda is cancelled after the European Court of Human Rights rules that all of those aboard cannot be deported until their asylum applications have been reviewed.

06/15/2022

EU initiates legal proceedings to force the UK to implement the Brexit agreement. The UK has published plans to change the Northern Ireland Protocol, saying that it is burdensome and inflexible in several regards.

06/08/2022

Government rules out direct rule of the British Virgin Islands despite what it calls “gross failures” of governance. It gives the current administration two years to work out an effective government.

06/06/2022

Johnson survives a no-confidence vote brought by his detractors in the Conservative Party. However, as more than 40% of Conservatives vote against him, his strength as prime minister is severely undermined.

05/24/2022

Government report faults leadership for parties during COVID in which PM Johnson and others participated.

05/13/2022

Democratic Unionist Party refuses to support a speaker for the Assembly or to name any ministers until the UK rewrites the Northern Ireland Protocol that governs trade between the UK, including Northern Ireland and the EU, including Ireland. This effectively shuts down the government. The protocol created a customs border in the sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, but the UK now says the required bureaucracy is unworkable.

05/13/2022

Johnson visits all political parties. He supports changing the Brexit agreement with the EU, as does the DUP. Sinn Fein supports maintaining the current agreement.

05/11/2022

UK signs security agreements with Sweden and Finland to aid either country if it is attacked.

05/05/2022

Voting in UK for local positions. Conservatives lose several seats that are usually held. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein is expected to win a majority of votes, although because of the proportional representation system, they may not be able to gain a majority in the legislature. Under the terms of the 1998 peace agreement, Sinn Fein is required to share power with the Democratic Unionist Party, but the latter has refused to participate in that arrangement until the protocol governing trade with the rest of the UK is rewritten now that the UK has left the European Union.

05/05/2022

With inflation expected to reach 10%, the Bank of England raises interest rate to a 13-year high.

04/28/2022

The Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Andrew Fahie and another are arrested in the US for facilitating a drug deal.

04/14/2022

Rwanda agrees to accept asylum seekers who reach the UK, which will pay Rwanda £120M for education, training, etc. Details are sparse, but it seems that the asylum seekers, regardless of country of origin, will be flown to Rwanda and supported there for a period of some years if they stay. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa.

04/14/2022

Rwanda agrees to accept asylum seekers who reach the UK. Details are sparse, but it seems that the asylum seekers, regardless of country of origin, will be flown to Rwanda and supported there for a period of some years if they stay. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa.

03/23/2022

During a visit by Prince William, Prime Minister Andrew Holness tells him that Jamaica wants to be a fully independent republic, ending its links to the UK monarchy.

03/10/2022

UK imposes sanctions on fifteen Russian oligarchs, freezing nearly £15 billion.

02/22/2022

UK imposes sanctions on Russian banks and individuals.

02/20/2022

Unusually powerful storm hits the British Isles, with winds up to 122 mph (196 km/hour).

02/08/2022

UK, Poland, and Ukraine join in a mutual defense pact.

02/08/2022

Continuing efforts by some Conservatives to oust Johnson as prime minister, though he seems determined to stay on.

01/23/2022

US and UK have drawn down residents in the Ukraine embassy, as Biden suggests that Russia will invade Ukraine in some way in the coming days. US and others sending matériel to Ukraine. NATO putting troops standby alert.

01/22/2022

UK says that intelligence suggests that Russia will attempt to install a puppet ruler in Ukraine.

01/18/2022

Increased calls for Johnson to resign, including by Conservative Party members.

01/10/2022

New outrage over Johnson having invited a hundred people to a party during the pandemic. The details are provided by Dominic Cummings, former cabinet minister who has become a Johnson critic.

01/03/2022

China, France, Russia, UK, and US issue statement pledging not to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and to ensure no nuclear war is ever fought.

01/03/2022

China, France, Russia, UK, and US issue statement pledging not to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and to ensure no nuclear war is ever fought.

12/18/2021

UK Brexit negotiator David Frost resigns, citing policy differences with Johnson. He is replaced by Foreign Minister Liz Truss, a rising star among British politicians and thought to be less ideological than Frost.

12/14/2021

Evidence of the faltering standing of the Johnson government, many conservatives vote against his vaccine mandate in parliament, though it still passes. A series of missteps, inconsistent pandemic policies, and gaffes have severely damaged Johnson’s support.

12/10/2021

UK court rules that Julian Assange may be extradited for trial in the US.

11/29/2021

Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK begin talks to restore the JPCOA. Iran continues to require lifting of US sanctions before substantive talks can begin, but says it seeks a “fair deal.”

10/31/2021

UK disputes French position on the fishing boat’s rights to fish.

10/28/2021

France seizes British fishing trawler, accusing it of lacking a license.

10/21/2021

The UK has become the European country hardest hit by a resurgence of COVID-19.

10/12/2021

UK asks for significant changes to Brexit rules governing trade with Northern Ireland, a day before the EU is to offer its proposal. Brexit minister David Frost says UK may unilaterally change the rules of the EU proposal is not satisfactory.

10/05/2021

UK demands that EU respond to its requirements for customs control in the Irish Sea. The EU has repeatedly rejected the UK terms, saying that it will not renegotiate terms that were agreed to in 2019. There have been increasing difficulties in Irish Sea shipping. The UK is also fighting with France over fishing rights in the English Channel. France has threatened to cut energy supplies to the UK.

09/28/2021

Departure of immigrants due to Brexit leads to a lack of truck drivers to deliver commercial fuel, and shortages of available fuel. Government says it will call out the army to make deliveries.

09/16/2021

UAE to invest billion pounds in the UK infrastructure, energy and technology.

09/15/2021

Australia, the UK, and the US announce a new strategic defense pact that will give Australia nuclear submarines. China denounces the pact. New Zealand says it will not allow the submarines in its territorial waters. France feels betrayed, having been negotiating a submarine deal with Australia, which Australia has now cancelled.

09/15/2021

Johnson shuffles cabinet with the stated aim of uniting the country and equalizing representation among regions. Foreign Minister Dominic Raab is replaced by Liz Truss, the first female foreign secretary.

08/01/2021

US and UK blame Iran for drone attack on Israeli ship.

08/01/2021

US and UK blame Iran for drone attack on Israeli ship.

07/20/2021

“Freedom Day,” when all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, despite a growing trend of new cases related to the delta variant.

07/06/2021

Government set to lift COVID-19 restrictions despite surge in new cases, largely due to the delta variant.

06/23/2021

Russia says that it fired on a British warship and a Dutch one when they entered territorial waters near Sevastapol in Crimea, where a Russian naval base is stationed. The UK says its ship was not fired on and that Russia was conducting naval exercises at the time.

06/04/2021

G-7 nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the US -- agree to institute a global 15% tax on businesses and steps to restrict tax havens. It will take long negotiations. Nations such as Ireland benefit from the current tax laws, which allow them to be tax havens. The new rules will have to be approved by the legislatures of the participating countries. In principle, if a German company reports its profits through an Irish subsidiary, where taxes are 5%, Germany would receive 10% of those profits.

05/04/2021

Reacting to the UK’s demands about obtaining fishing licenses in the English Channel, French fishing ships mass off the island of Jersey. The UK sends Royal Navy patrol boats.

04/15/2021

Scottish National Party pledges to hold a referendum on independence by 2023, if it wins the parliamentary election on 5/6.

03/27/2021

Government orders strict stay-at-home restrictions for Easter, 4/5.

03/27/2021

Government orders strict stay-at-home restrictions for Easter, 4/5, due to COVID-19 pandemic.

03/22/2021

US, the EU, Canada, and the UK sanction some Chinese officials over human rights violations of Uighurs.

03/22/2021

US, the EU, Canada, and the UK sanction some Chinese officials over human rights violations of Uighurs.

03/04/2021

UK loyalist paramilitary groups say they are withdrawing their support for the Good Friday agreement due to the provisions about Northern Ireland in the Brexit agreement. They object to additional checks and paperwork required.

02/19/2021

In Turks and Caicos, the opposition Progressive National Party wins 14 of the 15 seats in the House of Assembly, with Washington Misick slated to become the next premier. Outgoing Premier Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson of the People's Democratic Movement loses re-election to her seat.

02/11/2021

EU and UK still unable to come to a final agreement on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

01/04/2021

UK judge refuses to allow extradition of Julian Assange to US.

01/04/2021

Government announces a third stay-at-home order beginning today at midnight.

12/24/2020

Agreement on UK exit from EU

EU and UK agree on important issues for Brexit. Although many details are to be worked out, the major outlines of trade issues are settled.

12/20/2020

Government imposes stricter stay-at-home order as cases surge again, to 35, 000 in one day. Health minister says it is out of control. EU countries halting flights from UK.

12/14/2020

UK and EU agree to continue talks on Brexit.

12/12/2020

UK and EU to continue talks, but both suggest no deal is likely.

12/10/2020

EU issues plan for a UK withdrawal without any agreement.

12/09/2020

EU head Ursula von der Leyden says substantial problems remain and talks have stalled. They agree to a deadline of 12/13 for an agreement.

12/03/2020

North Macedonia and UK sign an agreement that will maintain EU trade standards between them even after the UK leaves the EU.

11/30/2020

Brexit talks still stalled on several issues, with a no-deal deadline of 12/31/20.

11/24/2020

Government says stay-at-home order will end 12/2, but restrictions will remain in place until the spring of 2021.

10/01/2020

EU begins legal action against UK for breaching Brexit agreement.

09/29/2020

Canada and the UK sanction Lukashenko and other Belarussian government officials. Protests continue over the weekend and the police continue the crackdown on them.

09/16/2020

Johnson agrees that members of the Conservative Party will have a say in whether the provisions of the new law that breach international law will be exercised.

09/15/2020

Parliament passes new Brexit bill that openly violates international law.

09/11/2020

UK and Japan agree on a free trade pact.

09/09/2020

Government introduces a new law affecting the Brexit treaty. It says that the draft law "breaks international law in a very specific and limited way." The EU is critical.

09/08/2020

Reports that Johnson is thinking of throwing out important parts of the Brexit agreement with the EU. Points now at issue involve industry and fishing rights and the UK-Ireland border.

09/08/2020

Government bans gatherings of more than six people, beginning 9/14, after a spike in COVID-19 cases.

09/05/2020

Reports that EU is demanding veto over UK changes to trade laws.

07/21/2020

Report says that the government ignored evidence of Russian meddling in the Brexit vote.

07/20/2020

UK suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong, meant as a rebuke t to China.

07/16/2020

The UK, US, and Canada accuse Russia of attempting to steal research on a COVID-9 vaccines cybernetically.

07/14/2020

UK announces that the country's mobile providers will be barred from buying 5G equipment from Huawei starting December 31 and will be required to remove it from their networks by 2027.

07/03/2020

Johnson offers British visas and refuge to all Hong Kongers who qualify, nearly three million. The visas could provide a path to citizenship.

06/25/2020

Labour leader Keir Starmer dismisses his shadow secretary of education for circulating an article deemed false.

06/25/2020

Labour leader Keir Starmer dismisses his shadow secretary of education for circulating an article deemed false.

06/23/2020

Government announces further relaxation of stay-at-home restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic. The UK has more than 305,000 cases and 42,000 deaths.

05/23/2020

Dominic Cummings, a controversial aide to Johnson, travels with COVID-19 to visit his parents. There is much outrage and calls for Cummings to resign.

05/15/2020

Little progress in talks between EU and UK on trade agreement.

05/04/2020

Deaths from COVID-19 rise to 30,000, the most in Europe.

05/04/2020

Widespread anger at China in the wake of its actions on COVID-19. US, Australia calling for an investigation of how the virus originated. Germany and the UK now rethinking use of Huawei electronics.

05/04/2020

Widespread anger at China in the wake of its actions on COVID-19. US, Australia calling for an investigation of how the virus originated. Germany and the UK now rethinking use of Huawei electronics.

04/16/2020

UK extends stay-at-home order for another three weeks.

04/06/2020

Johnson moved to an intensive care unit. He designates Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to stand in for him.

04/05/2020

Johnson hospitalized for COVID-19.

04/04/2020

Keir Stammer, civil rights lawyer and shadow Brexit minister, is elected head of Labour Party.

03/26/2020

Government introduces £9 billion economic program to support self-employed workers due to COVID-19.

03/20/2020

Government introduces £7 billion addition to the welfare system due to COVID-19.

03/18/2020

Government introduces £350 billion program to bolster the economy due to COVID-19.

03/11/2020

Bank of England reduces key interest rate in response to economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

03/02/2020

UK and EU begin trade talks.

02/17/2020

Storm Dennis causes flooding in Wales and England.

02/13/2020

Johnson shuffles cabinet, but in a surprise, finance minister Sajid Javid resigns.

01/29/2020

EU approves Brexit

EU accepts UK Brexit separation plan.

01/27/2020

UK says it will allow Chinese electronics company Huawei to supply parts of its new 5g network despite US opposition to any use of Huawei.

01/23/2020

Brexit receives royal assent, so it will become law on 12/31/20 whether there is a further agreement with the EUor not and despite negative votes in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

01/22/2020

EU exit passes parliament

Parliament passes Brexit agreement

01/21/2020

Welsh Assembly rejects Brexit agreement.

01/14/2020

France, Britain, and Germany begin process that would allow them to impose sanction on Iran for not following JPCOA. Iran argues that since the US has already broken the agreement, they are not liable. It is later revealed that Pres Trump threatened to impose new auto tariffs if they did not.

01/07/2020

Scottish parliament rejects Brexit agreement by detailing objections to it.

01/02/2020

China temporarily suspends crosslink between London and Shanghai stock exchanges in retaliation for the UK’s support of Hong Kong protestors.

12/12/2019

Conservatives gain majority

Voting in UK. Conservatives win substantial majority, paving the way for Brexit. EU expresses satisfaction that the situation can be resolved. Jeremy Corbyn vows to quit as leader of the Labour Party.

12/06/2019

Reddit social media platform announces that confidential UK documents about post-Brexit trade negotiations between the UK and the US were leaked on Reddit by a poster believed to be a Russian source. Labour has used the documents as evidence that the Conservatives are not telling the truth about Brexit.

12/05/2019

Conservatives hold lead in polls, despite controversy over report on Russian influence and fake websites about Labour constructed by Conservative allies. At NATO meeting, Johnson refuses to rule out a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020, a date set by the EU. The EU has offered to extend that date, but Conservatives reject that on principle.

12/05/2019

Conservatives hold lead in polls, despite controversy over report on Russian influence and fake websites about Labour constructed by Conservative allies. At NATO meeting, Johnson refuses to rule out a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020, a date set by the EU. The EU has offered to extend that date, but Conservatives reject that on principle.

11/22/2019

AU orders UK to end “colonial administration” of Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. A February opinion by a UN court said the islands belong to Mauritius.

11/10/2019

Reports that the government is suppressing a report on Russian influence in elections and that the Conservative Party has received donations from Russian sources. Nigel Farage says his Brexit Party will not contest the 317 districts where the Conservatives are running.

10/29/2019

New election called

Parliament agrees to a new election on 12/12.

10/28/2019

EU grants the UK a three-month extension, until 1/31, during which to pass Brexit bill pursuant to the Withdrawal Agreement.

10/28/2019

Parliament rejects new election, but Johnson says he will try again.

10/25/2019

EU agrees in principal on a delay of Brexit without deciding its criteria or length. It will reconvene on 10/28.

10/24/2019

Johnson says he will ask parliament to call new elections for December.

10/22/2019

The House of Commons passes the Brexit bill, called the Withdrawal Agreement, but rejects making a decision about the supporting legislation in the next three days, forcing a delay of the exit itself. The EU has indicated a willingness to allow a delay until January.

10/21/2019

Speaker of the House of Commons bars a second attempt at passing the Johnson Brexit bill on the basis of a tradition forbidding repetition of highly similar legislation.

10/19/2019

Parliament passes a law requiring that all the legislation needed for Brexit be passed before it is passed by parliament, effectively requiring Johnson to ask for a delay. He says he will not ask for a delay, despite the Benn Act requiring him to do so. Though he does not say that he will not write the letter asking for the delay. The EU seems not inclined to grant a further delay.

10/17/2019

EU and UK agree on Brexit

EU and UK agree on a Brexit deal, in which Northern Ireland will remain in a customs union with Britain, but will continue to apply limited EU internal market rules in order to avoid border controls with EU member Ireland. Ireland approves of the deal, the Northern Ireland DUP expresses dissatisfaction. The deal must be approved by the UK and EU parliaments.

10/16/2019

Constant negotiations as the last days before the EU meeting. There is no clear sense of a solution, though some optimism remains.

10/10/2019

After Johnson talks with Irish leader Varadaker, there is a sense of optimism among them and EU negotiators about a possible Brexit deal.

10/02/2019

UK announces new Brexit plan that would leave Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods, but withdraw from the customs union - resulting in new customs checks.The Northern Ireland Assembly would get to approve the arrangements first and vote every four years on keeping them.

09/24/2019

Supreme Court rules that prorogation of parliament was unlawful and parliament should reconvene immediately. Parliamentarians begin returning. Several politicians, including Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, call for Johnson to resign. The Labour Party resists calls to advocate remaining in the EU either in an election or a second referendum, holding to the goal of winning a new election and then renegotiating and then holding a second referendum. However, polls have Labour well behind the Conservatives and losing ground to the Liberal Democrats, who support remaining in the EU.

09/16/2019

Johnson’s negotiations with EU seem largely fruitless, although he expresses hope that a deal can be agreed.

09/12/2019

Northern Ireland courts dismisses case against prorogation in regard to Northern Ireland.

09/11/2019

Scottish high court of appeal rules that prorogation of parliament was unlawful but does not call for it to be rescinded. The UK government says it will appeal to the Supreme Court of the UK.

09/11/2019

Government report named Yellowhammer warns of severe disruptions from a no-deal Brexit including shortages of food and medicines, panic buying and public disorder.

09/09/2019

Parliament once again votes down motion for a snap election and is prorogued until 10/14. Legislation forcing the prime minister to ask for a further delay if no agreement is reached is given royal affirmation. The EU summit meeting is 10/17.

09/08/2019

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that it could not grant the UK a further extension unless the UK has a plan for further discussions.

09/05/2019

Parliament votes to prevent an election before the 10/31 deadline, extending he deadline to 1/31/20. The House of Lords must pass it. The government could provoke an election by bringing a no-confidence vote against itself.

09/03/2019

UN report says US, UK, and France may be complicit in possible war crimes by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.

09/03/2019

With Conservative defections, parliament votes to take control and vote on legislation that would block a no-deal Brexit. Johnson says he will call for new elections, which would require a two-thirds approval by parliament.

08/31/2019

Extensive maneuvering among liberals and some conservatives to block a no-deal Brexit. Johnson threatens to cast out renegade Conservatives, which would mean they could not run for office in a new election.

08/28/2019

At Boris Johnson’s request, the Queen suspends parliament from mid-September until 10/14. The action, called “proroguing” parliament, will prevent MPs from taking any action that would prevent a no-deal Brexit. EU leaders will meet 10/17.

08/26/2019

Corbyn and others opposed to a no-deal Brexit confer.

08/20/2019

Johnson increasingly vocal about the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit. Government announces that free travel will end when Brexit begins.

08/14/2019

UK releases Iranian tanker despite US request to detain it.

08/07/2019

EU said to reject any further discussions of the Brexit agreement. John McDonnell, shadow chancellor of Scotland, says that the Labour Party is not opposed to a second independence referendum in Scotland. The Labour Party would need a Scottish National Party component to form a government, but there are polls that suggest an independence vote would succeed.

08/01/2019

Liberal Democrat wins a seat in parliament in a by-election, reducing the Conservative’s majority to one.

08/01/2019

Liberal Democrat wins a seat in parliament in a by-election, reducing the Conservative’s majority to one.

07/25/2019

Johnson says he will consider eliminating the Irish backstop in the agreement and calls for it to be rewritten. The EU rejects the idea of rewriting the agreement. Johnson says he will take the UK out of the EU without a deal if necessary and will refuse to pay the exit fee.

07/19/2019

Iran seizes British tanker in Strait of Hormuz without immediately giving a reason. The ship is diverted toward Iran.

07/13/2019

Crew members of detained Iranian tanker are released in Gibraltar.

07/12/2019

Iran demands that UK release tanker seized on 7/4.

07/11/2019

UK accuses of Iran of trying to block a commercial tanker from leaving the Persian Gulf, which Iran denies. US Navy intervenes.

07/11/2019

UK ambassador to US Kim Darroch resigns after memos criticizing Trump are leaked and Trump refuses to deal with him. Boris Johnson, nearing leadership of Conservatives, supports Trump.

07/04/2019

UK detains Iranian oil tanker on suspicion that it was shipping oil to Syria in a breach of EU sanctions against Syria.

06/28/2019

Iran exceeds JPCOA levels of enriched uranium. All of it is low-enriched uranium, not weapons-grade. France, Germany, and the UK have initiated the “special purpose vehicle” (an SPV officially called INSTEX) that allows EU countries to circumvent US sanctions on sales to Iran.

05/28/2019

EU parliament voting results, Nigel Farage’s anti-EU Brexit Party gains seats, but not as many as the pro-Europe Greens and Liberal Democrats.

05/25/2019

May resigns

May says that she will resign but will remain as a caretaker prime minister until the party can choose a successor when it meets 6/7.

05/22/2019

A new party, the Brexit Party, led by Nigel Farrage, leader of the original Brexit campaign, is running strongly in EU elections in UK. It is virulently nationalistic and populist.

05/21/2019

There is great dissatisfaction among conservatives when May offers a new plan for Brexit that would include a vote in parliament on a second referendum.

05/17/2019

Labour and May break off negotiations. Labour leader Jeremy Corbin says the government is too unstable to negotiate with.

05/13/2019

Little evidence of progress in Brexit negotiations between May and Labour. Brexit minister Olly Robbins goes to Brussels to discuss possibility of change or addition to the agreement.

05/01/2019

May fires Minister of Defence Gavin Williamson for allegedly leaking details of a meeting about Huawei. He denies the charge.

05/01/2019

Assange convicted of evading bail and sentenced to fifty months in prison. He will still be considered for extradition to the US.

04/11/2019

Assange is arrested in London. He is wanted in the UK for failing to post bail in regard to an extradition request from Sweden that he face sexual assault charges. That case lapsed in 2017, but Scotland Yard now says that he has been arrested in connection with an extradition request from the US. Ecuador’s Pres Lenin Moreno has requested that he not be extradited to any country with the death penalty. Scotland Yard, which was invited into Ecuador’s London embassy by the ambassador, has said he would not be extradited to the US if he faced the death penalty, and the US has said that he faces jail time for computer intrusion.

04/10/2019

EU gives UK until 10/31/19 to agree on a severance agreement. The EU continues to rule out any renegotiation of the agreement.

04/08/2019

No progress in talks between May and Labour.

04/07/2019

May visits Merkel and Macron ahead of EU meeting on 4/9.

04/02/2019

May says she will ask the EU for an extension for Brexit agreement and that she will confer with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to find an agreement acceptable to the Labour Party, which can then pass parliament.

04/01/2019

Parliament votes down all proposed alternatives to May’s Brexit agreement.

03/29/2019

Parliament rejects withdrawal agreement.

03/28/2019

Parliament separates third vote on May’s Brexit into two bills. One is called the withdrawal agreement, which outlines the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, and will be considered on 3/29/19. The second, called the political declaration, concerns the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU.

03/27/2019

May says she will step down if her Brexit agreement passes. Parliament rejects all alternative next steps, including a new referendum, various versions of Brexit, and no deal.

03/25/2019

Parliament votes to take control of the Brexit process, scheduling a series of “indicative votes” on various options, including a “softer Brexit,” a customs union with the EU, and another referendum. Parliament will also vote on delaying the deadline from 3/29 to 4/12.

03/21/2019

EU agrees to extend deadline for Brexit to May 22 if May’s agreement is approved by parliament next week and until April 12 if it is not.

03/18/2019

Speaker of parliament John Bercow, who rules on procedural issues, cites a standing rule that bars a third reintroduction of a bill unless it is substantially different from any previous bills. This seems to bar May’s planned third vote on her Brexit plan.

03/14/2019

Parliament votes to extend deadline for Brexit by at least three months. The EU would have to agree to such an extension. It also votes overwhelmingly against a second referendum on Brexit, on condition that they approve May’s exit agreement. There will be a third vote on that by 3/20. If the exit agreement fails, May will still ask the EU for an extension.

03/13/2019

Parliament votes against leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

03/12/2019

Parliament votes down May’s Brexit agreement by a substantial majority. There will be a vote on 3/13 on whether to exit the EU without a deal, and a vote on 3/14 on whether to delay the exit.

03/11/2019

May says that she has received legally binding guarantees from the EU that the Irish border will remain open and subject to EU regulations only temporarily. A “legally binding joint instrument” allows the UK to challenge the EU in court if it tried to apply the Irish backstop indefinitely and if successful suspend it. A “joint agreement” calls for all trade deals to be agreed on by 12/20, which would obviate the need for the backstop, and also allow the UK to unilaterally end the backstop if there is no trade deal.

02/26/2019

UN court orders UK to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The UK had taken the islands from Mauritius before independence in 1968 and evicted all the inhabitants so that a military base could be cconstructed on Diego Garica, the largest of the islands. The base is now leased to the US, for whom it is a key base for military operations in the Middle East.

02/26/2019

UN court orders UK to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The UK had taken the islands from Mauritius before independence in 1968 and evicted all the inhabitants so that a military base could be cconstructed on Diego Garica, the largest of the islands. The base is now leased to the US, for whom it is a key base for military operations in the Middle East.

02/25/2019

UK puts political wing of Hezbollah on its terrorist list.

02/23/2019

May delays parliament vote on Brexit, perhaps as late as 3/12/19.

02/21/2019

There are reports that as many as twenty-five Conservatives will vote against a no-deal Brexit in opposition to May.

02/21/2019

France and UK say they will pull troops out of Syria is the US removes its troops.

02/21/2019

EU says that it expects May to ask for a three-month delay in the Brexit deadline and that it would agree to that.

02/08/2019

After receiving some support for an addendum to the Brexit agreement, May travels to Ireland to discuss Brexit with Varadaker, who has said he would not negotiate separately from the EU. He also travels to Northern Ireland to discuss the situation with them. The Labour Party proposes that the UK form a permanent customs union with the EU that would have a say in future EU trade deals, a much closer arrangement than the government’s proposed Brexit.

02/07/2019

May arrives in Brussels for further talks with EU, after talks with Northern Ireland leaders that were unproductive. Prospects for a change in the agreement with the EU seem dim.

02/04/2019

UK, Germany, Portugal, and Spain recognize Gaidó as leader of Venezuela.

01/30/2019

EU rejects renegotiating Brexit agreement.

01/29/2019

May wins vote directing her to renegotiate Brexit deal with the EU to change the Irish backstop details. Macron says there can be no further negotiation. Legislators also pass a bill that would prevent a no-deal Brexit and allow more time for negotiation.

01/29/2019

May wins vote directing her to renegotiate Brexit deal with the EU to change the Irish backstop details. Macron says there can be no further negotiation. Legislators also pass a bill that would prevent a no-deal Brexit and allow more time for negotiation.

01/21/2019

May proposes a new Brexit plan, although it is largely the same as the plan that failed.

01/16/2019

May survives no-confidence vote, calls for all MPs to contribute to building a new plan for Brexit. Scottish National Party, Wales’ Plaid Cymru, and the Green Party call for Labour to join them in demanding a new referendum, which they are calling the People’s Vote.

01/15/2019

Vote on Brexit fails by a large margin, 432 to 202. May has until 1/21 to offer a new plan for leaving the EU, but she is unlikely to be able to do so. Labour leader Jeremy Corbin calls for a confidence vote on 1/16. EU officials say they will make no changes to the agreement already negotiated. The UK is scheduled to end its relationship with the EU on 3/29/19.

01/08/2019

Parliament passes on a bill that would restrict the government’s actions in the event there is no deal when the UK leaves the EU. The bill proposes to forbid raising some kinds of taxes and other financial moves, unless parliament has explicitly authorized the change. The vote on Brexit is now scheduled for 1/15.

01/03/2019

A poll of some Conservative Party members shows a majority opposed to Brexit plan.

12/19/2018

UK begins plans for an economic separation from Europe without any agreement, in case the proposed agreement fails in parliament.

12/18/2018

May sets date for parliamentary vote on Brexit January 9.

12/14/2018

At EU summit, May fails to get assurances that the EU will limit the Northern Ireland backstop.

12/12/2018

May easily survives a vote of no confidence among the Conservative Party members. It is not clear what this means for the parliament vote on Brexit, but May will attempt to gain support from the EU in a summit 12/13.

12/10/2018

Facing defeat in parliament, May postpones vote on Brexit. She travels to Europe for discussions with leaders there, although the specifics are not clear. Most in the EU see no point in further negotiations.

12/10/2018

EU court rules that the UK can rescind its exit from the union without agreement from EU members.

12/09/2018

EU court rules that the UK can rescind its exit from the union without agreement from EU members.

12/06/2018

Ecuador says that Julian Assange can leave its UK embassy after an agreement with the UK not to extradite him to any country that would seek the death penalty.

12/04/2018

Parliament finds the government in contempt for the first time in history over failing to publish the legal advice it received about Brexit. The government says it will release the report.

12/04/2018

Parliament finds the government in contempt for the first time in history over failing to publish the legal advice it received about Brexit. The government says it will release the report.

11/25/2018

EU agrees to Brexit deal proposed by UK.

11/22/2018

Spain objects to the proposed EU-UK agreement in regard to Gibraltar, saying that trade between the UK and Gibraltar and Spain must be negotiated between Spain and the UK.

11/20/2018

Conservative rebellion against May fades away, and she avoids a no-confidence vote. She will meet with the EU for final consultations on 11/25/18.

11/15/2018

Brexit Minister Dominique Raab and another cabinet minister resign in protest over Brexit agreement. Pound drops 2% over uncertainty on the outcome.

11/14/2018

UK cabinet approves plan for withdrawal. It must now be approved by the European Parliament and then the UK parliament.

11/12/2018

Intense negotiations to create an acceptable Brexit agreement in the prime minister’s office, as there are increasing demands for a new referendum and sharp criticism of current plans by Conservative parliamentarians.

11/12/2018

French Pres Macron proposes a joint military force for Europe. Europe already has the European Intervention Initiative (EI2), aimed at creating a unified military force capable of taking coordinated action abroad. Finland joins the group, which includes France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

11/11/2018

Erdogan says that recordings of the killing of Khashoggi was issued to Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Canadian PM Trudeau says that Canada has also heard the tapes. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that France has not heard the tapes and US Secretary of State Pompeo has not said he has heard the tapes.

10/31/2018

Following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on 10/30 and US Secretary of Defense on 10/27, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt calls for a ceasefire in the Yemen war.

10/20/2018

Large march in London calling for a new vote on Brexit.

10/18/2018

EU cancels November summit meeting on Brexit due to lack of progress. May says she is open to extending the transition period some months.

10/15/2018

Brexit talks break down again over Northern Ireland border. The backstop agreement was the problem. The EU is believed to be seeking further reassurances that its internal market will be protected and that additional customs and regulatory checks will continue without a physical border. The Northern Ireland Democratic Union Party has rejected any checks on goods moving between it and Great Britain.

10/09/2018

EU says that talks on Brexit have progressed and could be settled shortly.

10/09/2018

Brexit talks edging closer to resolution that would keep the UK in the customs agreements temporarily. Other trade relations between the UK and the EU would for the most part have to be worked out in more detail. The Irish border remains a point of contention. The Democratic Unionist Party, an ally of May’s government, has insisted that Northern Ireland be treated the same as the rest of the UK. However, after DUP leader Arlene Foster meets with EU negotiator Michel Barnier, she indicates a willingness to compromise.

10/04/2018

UK exposes Russian hacking attacks on Western democracies.

09/25/2018

Labour Party conference votes overwhelmingly in favor of a second Brexit vote.

09/25/2018

US announces substantial sale of military materiel to Taiwan, likely to anger China.

09/24/2018

Germany rejects UK plan for EU exit. Overall, leaders are increasingly worried that there will be no clear plan. In the UK, there are increasing calls for a second vote on Brexit, but May remains firm that she will not call for one.

09/10/2018

Conservative leader says that at least 80 party members will vote against May’s Brexit plan, now called the Chequers plan.

07/24/2018

May says she will take personal control of Brexit talks with the EU.

07/24/2018

May says she will take personal control of Brexit talks with the EU.

07/17/2018

An amendment that would limit the time to negotiate Brexit and shift to negotiating a customs union fails by only six votes, and the government Trade Bill passes.

07/16/2018

As a ninth Conservative resigns over May’s Brexit plan, there are increasing calls for a new referendum, but May rejects the possibility.

07/09/2018

Foreign Minister Boris Johnson resigns, also in protest over May’s plan for Brexit.

07/09/2018

Jeremy Hunt, health cabinet secretary, is named Foreign Minister.

07/07/2018

May’s plan, called the Chequers plan, would mandate the UK working with EU, establish cooperative agreements, ends annual payments to the EU, and create a joint institutional framework. It essentially allows for nearly all possibilities to be negotiated. It allows for an essentially open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland but ends free movement of people across its borders.

07/06/2018

David Davis, cabinet secretary for Brexit and Steve Baker, junior Brexit minister, resign in protest over PM May’s proposal for the UK to remain in a free-trade zone with the EU and maintain EU trading rules for goods and agricultural products.

06/25/2018

With formal approval by the Queen, law covering UK exit from the EU becomes official, although there is a strong movement for a new vote in the UK on Brexit.

06/12/2018

House of Commons passes an amendment that would let parliament vote on any Brexit deal by 11/18. The house of Lords is expected to pass it. The deal avoids a complete failure of the Brexit bill, but gives parliament a meaningful part to play in the negotiations.

06/11/2018

May appeals for unity to save Brexit, with a series of votes upcoming.

06/08/2018

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says the UK backstop plan can only apply to Northern Ireland, not the UK as a whole, and questions the usefulness of temporary arrangements.

06/07/2018

Rumors of disagreement within May’s cabinet over Brexit. After Brexit Secretary David Davis threatens to resign over “backstop” plan, May agrees to a 12/21 cut-off date for it.

06/06/2018

May considering a proposal that would keep the UK adhering to EU customs rules indefinitely after it leaves the union, called a “backstop” plan, in order to break the impasse with the EU on Ireland and other trade issues. Pro-Brexit supporters are enraged.

06/04/2018

UK and France pledge to continue to conduct naval operations in the South China Sea to put pressure on China and its militarization of disputed islands there.

05/24/2018

EU and UK trade barbed comments over UK’s most recent proposal on Ireland, which included a “fallback” proposal if they cannot agree on a withdrawal plan soon.

05/15/2018

Scottish parliament votes on EU exit bill. Although the outcome can be disregarded by the UK government, it is a defeat for the May administration.

05/11/2018

Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin agree to meet on 5/18 to discuss the JPCOA and the withdrawal of the US from it. They also agreed to work to have other signatories remain in the agreement, especially France, the UK, and China.

05/01/2018

Government offers two plans for relationship with EU. A “highly streamlined” arrangement that would minimize customs checks using new technologies, in which for instance, companies could pay duties on a monthly schedule. The second is a “customs partnership,” in which there are no customs checks and the UK would collect duties for the EU.

04/30/2018

House of Lords passes a motion to give parliament the power to direct the government on any aspect of Brexit, including negotiations and keeping the UK in the EU indefinitely. The bill will go to the House of Commons for approval.

04/29/2018

Home Secretary Amber Rudd resigns over mistreatment of Caribbean immigrants, known as the Windrush generation, who were brought to the UK to help rebuild after World War II. She revealed last week that May had encouraged her to increase deportation of immigrants, which has caused some outrage.

04/13/2018

US, France, and the UK bomb chemical weapons and research facilities in Hama, Homs, and outside Damascus, a response to Syria’s recent chemical weapons attack on rebels and civilians in Douma. Syria says that the facilities were evacuated before the bombing on advice from Russia. France and Russia are said to be in communication.

03/26/2018

Eighteen countries join UK in unusual diplomatic rebuke to Russia for the murder of Sergei Skripal. US expels sixty Russian diplomats, the largest number ever. Other countries expelling diplomats are: Albania, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.

03/18/2018

UK and EU agree to a 21-month transition period for Brexit, beginning 3/2019. The question of the Irish border remains unresolved, among other issues, and the agreement is not binding until agreement on a final withdrawal treaty, also 2019.

03/16/2018

Russia expels 23 UK diplomats and close the British Consulate in St. Petersburg.

03/16/2018

Foreign minister Boris Johnson says that there is strong evidence that Pres Putin personally decided to use a nerve agent to kill Skripal in the UK.

03/15/2018

Jeremy Corbin being criticized for his half-hearted support of the government’s position on the Skripal murder.

03/14/2018

With no response from Russia about the Skripal murder, UK expels 23 Russian diplomats, halts high-level communication with the Russian government, among other steps.

03/12/2018

Skripal poisoning creates international crisis

Government lays blame for the murder of a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal and his daughter (visiting from Moscow) on Russian government and threatens retaliation for what it calls an act of war.

03/08/2018

EU offers UK limited trade deal, with no special provisions for financial services, something the UK had asked.

03/05/2018

Irish PM Varadker rejects May’s suggestion of a border beween Northern Ireland and Ireland on the model of the US and Canada, saying it is too hard a border arrangement.

02/28/2018

EU proposes that Northern Ireland remain in the customs union fully, in order to match its regulations with Ireland. The UK rejects the proposal.

02/25/2018

Labour Party revises stance on Brexit, calls for close economic ties with the EU. It may be a strategy designed to create a negative vote in parliament that would require new elections.

02/23/2018

As interest in a new referendum on the EU grows, PM May calls meeting of top ministers to decide on whether Brexit should be a complete break or a more balanced agreement in which the UK adheres to some EU regulations and practices.

02/16/2018

UK Independence Party ousts leader Henry Bolton after his girlfriend posts racist texts about Prince Harry’s fiancée Megan Markle.

02/15/2018

Notpetya cyberattack

US and UK accuse Russia of causing devastating worldwide cyberattack NotPetya and threaten “international consequences.”

02/05/2018

EU requests that UK decide whether or not it will remain in the EU customs union. PM May’s position is increasingly uncertain. A wing of the Conservative Party wants firmer leadership on Brexit and may try to replace her.

01/08/2018

May shuffles cabinet. Some ministers balk and one quits in protest, but primary ministers remain in place.

01/01/2018

US, UK, and Norway warn South Sudan against further violations of the cease fire.

12/15/2017

EU and UK agree on principles that will allow negotiations to continue to the next step.`

12/13/2017

Conservatives join with Liberals to force a vote by parliament on the final construction of the exit from the EU.`

12/08/2017

EU, UK agree on next step in Brexit with compromise over Ireland-Northern Ireland border

UK announces a compromise on the Ireland-Northern Ireland border that satisfies EU negotiators. It will allow a free border between the two and “the UK will maintain full alignment with those rules of the internal market and the customs union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 agreement" establishing peace in Northern Ireland. It is not clear how this satisfies the objections of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, but the party has accepted the language. The UK also agrees to continue payments to the EU until 2020, and EU citizens in the UK will retain all their EU rights.

12/05/2017

Negotiations on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland break down, a few days before an EU deadline for an agreement. The Democratic Unionist Party rejected a compromise that would allow Northern Ireland to write its own border laws (continuing the procedures in place when in the EU), insisting that the UK and Northern Ireland have the same laws.

11/17/2017

EU demands UK compromise on Brexit talks by the beginning of December.

11/14/2017

UK parliament begins up-or-down debate on Brexit legislation. Negotiations with EU continue to be stalled.

11/09/2017

UK international development minister Priti Pratel quits over secret meetings with Israeli PM Netanyahu during her vacation suggesting aid be sent to Israeli military, compounding government’s difficulties.

11/01/2017

UK defense minister steps down after admitting to sexual harassment in the past.

12/-0001

UK to join Indo-Pacific trade bloc, its largest trade deal since leaving the EU.

12/-0001

New election called

Parliament agrees to a new election on 12/12.