The Headlines of 2018
January
Rail passengers face their biggest price increase for five years, with average tickets rising in cost by 3.4%.
Storm Eleanor causes widespread disruption across the UK, with flooding and gusts of wind reaching 100 mph
Carillion, the UK's second-largest construction company, goes into liquidation with debts of £1,500,000,000.
Supermarket chain Iceland announces that it will end the use of plastic for its own-brand products by the end of 2023.
Sir Elton John announces that he is to retire from touring after nearly fifty years.
An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 and depth of 7.4 km hits South Wales, the biggest in the UK since the 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake
February
The UK's largest toy retailer, Toys "R" Us, goes into administration with a £15,000,000 VAT bill it is unable to pay.
One of the UK's biggest electronics retailers, Maplin, goes into administration after talks with potential buyers fail to secure a sale.
March
Plaid Cymru announces that if elected, they will hold an independence referendum for Wales by 2030.
The first scheduled direct flight from Australia to the UK—Qantas Flight QF9 from Perth—lands at London's Heathrow Airport after a seventeen-hour flight and 9,009 miles in the air.[82]
April
All firms with at least 250 employees are required to publish data about their pay differences between men and women.
The sugary drinks tax comes into force throughout the UK
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a baby boy at St Mary's Hospital, London who becomes fifth-in-line to the throne
May
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force.
June
The Met Office confirms that May 2018 was the warmest May since records began in 1910
A series of record-breaking wildfires begin burning across the United Kingdom.
The UK experiences the hottest weather of the year so far, with temperatures reaching up to 29.4 °C
The government throws out plans for the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay, claiming the £1.3 billion project is not good value for money.
Boris Johnson resigns as Foreign Secretary,[176] saying that the "dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt"
July
The Royal Air Force (RAF) marks its 100th anniversary with a flyby of 100 aircraft over London and South East England.
England finishes fourth at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, losing the third place play-off 2–0 to Belgium.
August
The Bank of England raises the baseline interest rate from 0.5 to 0.75%, its highest level since March 200
Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley steps in to buy department store House of Fraser for £90m, after the chain calls in administrators
A man is arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a car is driven into people and cyclists outside the Houses of Parliament, causing injuries to three of them, before crashing into security barriers
September
As part of the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, it becomes illegal to import non-directional halogen light bulbs into the United Kingdom.
A huge fire destroys part of the Littlewoods Pools building, one of the most famous landmarks in Liverpool.[
Two Russian nationals are named as suspects of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
21st Century Fox announces it will sell its 39% stake in Sky UK to Comcast, ending Rupert Murdoch's three decade association with the broadcaster
October
The government announces that heterosexual couples in England and Wales will be given the right to enter into civil partnerships rather than marriage.
The Wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank takes place at the St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
Storm Callum: Parts of Wales experience their worst flooding in 30 years
Facebook hires former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg as head of its global affairs and communications team.
Leicester City's owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is aboard his AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter when it crashes outside the King Power Stadium
November
The United Kingdom marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War,
British academic Matthew Hedges, jailed for spying in the UAE, is pardoned with immediate effect
December
The government confirms that it will not use the EU Galileo satellite system for defence or critical national infrastructure after Brexi
A major disruption to the O2 mobile network, caused by faulty software, leaves up to 32 million people without access
The NHS in England announces a ban on the sale of fax machines starting in January 2019,
A huge fire breaks out at Chester Zoo
Tolls for crossing the Severn Estuary between England and Wales are scrapped, 800 years after they were first introduced
Manchester United sack manager Jose Mourinho after two and a half years in charge
HMV goes into administration for the second time since 2013
