1996 in the United Kingdom

This year is noted for the Dunblane Massacre, the divorces of the Duke and Duchess of York and of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the birth of Dolly the sheep.

1996 in the United Kingdom
Other years
1994 | 1995 | 1996 (1996) | 1997 | 1998
Constituent countries of the United Kingdom
England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales
Popular culture

Events from the year 1996 in the United Kingdom.

Incumbents

Events

January

February

March

  • 13 March – A gunman kills sixteen children, a teacher and himself in the Dunblane massacre. The killer is quickly identified as 43-year-old former scout leader Thomas Hamilton. It is the worst killing spree in the United Kingdom since the Hungerford massacre in 1987.
  • 20 March – Home Secretary Michael Howard unveils plans to give courts the power to hand down heavier prison sentences, including sending burglars to prison for at least three years after a third offence and all drug dealers to prison for at least six years. The plans spark controversy, with some critics pointing out that it will increase the prison population by at least 20%.
  • 22 March – The European Union prohibits exports of British beef as a result of the BSE crisis.
  • 29 March – Three British soldiers are sentenced to life imprisonment in Cyprus for the abduction, attempted rape and manslaughter of Danish woman Louise Jensen. The three soldiers are Allan Ford from Birmingham, Justin Fowler from Falmouth and Jeffrey Pernell from Oldbury.

April

May

June

  • 8 June – The European Football Championships begin in England, with the host nation drawing 1–1 with Switzerland in the opening game.
  • 13 June – The parliament of Guernsey, Channel Islands, votes to legalise abortion 86 years after it was outlawed.
  • 15 June – A bombing takes place in Manchester.
  • 16 June – Launch of The Planet on Sunday, a new Sunday tabloid focusing on environmental issues. Publication of the newspaper ceases after one edition because the owner is unhappy with its content.[10][11]
  • 19 June – The government selects the Greenwich Peninsula site on the banks of the River Thames as the location for the Millennium Dome exhibition which is set to open for the year 2000.
  • 21 June – The latest MORI poll shows the Conservatives on 31%, their best showing for three years, but they are still 21 points behind Labour with just under a year to go before the next general election is due to be held.[1]
  • 26 June – England's hopes of being European champions of football for the first time are ended with a penalty shootout defeat to Germany after a 1–1 draw in the semi-final.
  • 30 June – Germany wins the European Championship final with a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic at Wembley.

July

August

  • 14 August – Unemployment has fallen to 2,126,200 – its lowest level since the summer of 1991.
  • 28 August – The Prince and Princess of Wales complete their divorce proceedings after fifteen years of marriage. Their separation was first announced nearly four years ago.[9] The former Princess of Wales loses her title of Royal Highness and assumes the title, Diana, Princess of Wales.

September

October

November

December

  • 7 December – Sir John Gorst, 68-year-old Conservative MP for Hendon North in London, resigns the party whip, leaving the Conservative Party without a majority in the House of Commons.
  • 10 December
  • 18 December – Unemployment has fallen below 2,000,000 for the first time in almost six years, four years since it peaked at nearly 3,000,000 during the recession. Despite the strong economic recovery and falling unemployment, the Conservatives are still trailing behind Labour in the opinion polls, a stark contrast to their performance at the last election, where they retained power despite Britain being in recession.

Undated

  • Remaining provincial branches of the Bank of England, at Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol, are closed.[18]
  • Lawyer and politician John Taylor is made a Life Peer as Baron Taylor of Warwick,[19] the first black Conservative peer.
  • More than 4% of the UK population (some 2,500,000 people) now have internet access.
  • New car sales in the United Kingdom are above 2,000,000 for this year, a level last seen in 1990.

Publications

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Full date unknown

Deaths

See also

References

  1. "Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls". BBC News. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  2. "Passenger train operating companes: who bought what". Railway Magazine: 20. April 1997.
  3. "1996: First GM food goes on sale in UK". BBC News. 5 February 1996. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  4. "1996: Arms-to-Iraq report published". BBC News. 15 February 1996. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  5. "1996: Bomb blast destroys London bus". BBC News. 18 February 1996. Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  6. Wolmar, Christian (22 February 1996). "Wrong kind of snow in tunnel..." London: The Independent. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  7. "Politics 97". BBC. 1997. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  8. "British Election Panel Study, 1992–97". CREST. Archived from the original on 16 February 2001. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  9. Penguin Pocket on This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
  10. Fowler, Rebecca (20 June 1996). "Why The Planet fell to earth". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  11. Izatt, Janet (17 May 1996). "Planet on Sunday due to go into orbit in June". PR Week. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  12. "Durham Cricket History". Durham Cricket.
  13. "1996: Handguns to be banned in the UK". BBC News. 16 October 1996. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  14. "Obituary: Barry Porter". The Independent. London. 4 November 1996. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1996". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  17. "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1996". Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  18. "Bank of England Branch Banks". Bank of England. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  19. "Lord Taylor of Warwick". www.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  20. McKinney, David (10 January 1996). "Obituary: Norrie McCathie". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  21. Shaw, Phil (7 November 1996). "Football: Tommy Lawton dies at age of 77". The Independent. London. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
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