The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales hears from Dodi Fayed's former assistant Melissa Henning that Diana, Princess of Wales voiced fears shortly before her death that someone was going to make an attempt on her and Fayed's life in a conspiracy that would be made to look like an accident.[7]
Mark Dixie, 37, is found guilty of the September 2005 murder of Surrey model Sally Anne Bowman, 18. He is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey, where the trial judge recommends that he serve at least 34 years before parole can be considered.[10]
25 February – The animated children's television series The Mr. Men Show first airs on Five.
26 February
Levi Bellfield, 38, is found guilty of murdering two women in London in sexually motivated attacks; the first in 2001, the second in 2004. He receives a life sentence with a recommendation that he should never be released.
27 February – 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake: An earthquake with an epicentre in Lincolnshire is felt across most of Britain, with several buildings suffering substantial damage.
March
7 March – The coroner at the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales announces that The Duke of Edinburgh will not be called into court to give evidence over the deaths that Mohammed Al Fayed is accusing him of ordering.[12]
2 April – An embryo that was a cross between a human and a cow survives a third straight day after being fertilised at Newcastle University. A director for embryonic stem cell laboratories at the Australian Stem Cell Centre says that the "99 per cent human" embryo could improve research within the field of human diseases. The Catholic Church of England and Wales however said that the creation was "monstrous" and that the later destruction of it was unethical.[16]
7 April – The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales records a verdict of accidental death, caused by the heavy drinking, drug abuse and speeding of her chauffeur Henri Paul, who died in the crash along with Diana and Dodi Fayed.[18]
8 April – Karen Matthews, the mother of kidnapped 9-year-old girl Shannon Matthews, is arrested for organising her daughter's kidnap.
Local elections are held in England and Wales. The governing Labour Party fall to third place in the popular vote on 24%, behind the Conservatives on 44% and the Liberal Democrats on 25%.
11 May – Manchester United secure their tenth Premier League title in 16 years with a 2–0 win at Wigan Athletic on the final day of the league season. Ryan Giggs, who scored one of United's goals, becomes the first player to win 10 English league titles.[21]
12 June – Halifax Town, who were in the Blue Square Premier League until their recent expulsion due to financial problems, go out of business after 97 years. They were members of the Football League for most of their history until 2002.[27]
July – Further bad news for the economy shows that it contracted by 0.1% in the second quarter of this year – ending 16 years of unbroken economic growth.[29]
11 July – 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election: Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis retains his seat with a 71.6% vote share.[30] A record 26 candidates contest the by-election.
18 July – The surge in Conservative support continues as the latest MORI poll puts them 20 points ahead of Labour on 47%. With an election due within the next two years and possibly next year, David Cameron is well on course to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. With an economic crisis beginning and fears of a recession and mass unemployment rising, it is widely expected that his popularity will continue to grow.[31]
8–24 August – Great Britain compete at the Olympics in Beijing. The team win 19 gold, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals and finish fourth in the medal table, the best performance for the Great Britain team in a century.[33]
17 August – A light aircraft approaching Coventry collides with a microlight, all five people on board the two aircraft are killed.
19 August – Following legal depositions at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Frank Chapman rules that Anthony Hall, charged with the 1961 murder of Jacqueline Thomas should not stand trial for the crime, and that the charge should be stayed because it was "just too long ago", and Hall would not receive a fair and balanced trial.[34]
21 August – The Home Office announces that an investigation will be launched after a consultancy firm lost the data of 84,000 prisoners and 43,000 criminals.
September
6 September – Eight people are killed when storms hit the UK causing flash flooding in many areas.
12 September – Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh is dismissed from her role as an assistant government whip after publicly announcing that she had written to Labour's General Secretary calling for a leadership contest at the forthcoming party conference.
14 September – Amid the financial crisis, rise in unemployment and threat of recession, the Labour government's popularity is reported to have fallen dramatically. In January, they had a lead of up to 10 points over the Conservatives in the opinion polls, but the latest Ipsos MORI poll puts them 16 points behind the Conservative Party, who now have a 45% approval rating.[35]
16 September – Minister of State for Scotland David Cairns resigns after writing to Prime Minister Gordon Brown requesting a leadership debate.
24 September – Labour's Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly resigns stating the need to spend more time with her family.
2 October – Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair announces his resignation with effect from 1 December 2008, citing a lack of support from new Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
3 October – Peter Mandelson returns to the Westminster cabinet as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform as part of a reshuffle following Ruth Kelly's resignation.
6 October – Footballer Luke McCormick, a former goalkeeper for Plymouth Argyle, is sentenced to seven years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving.[37]
13 October – The House of Lords vote against a measure in the Counter-Terrorism Bill that would have enabled the government to detain suspects for up to 42 days without charge.
14 October – Key Stage 3 SATs tests are scrapped. The national curriculum tests for 13–14-year-olds were first introduced in 1991.[38]
21 October – Nathaniel Rothschild accuses Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne of soliciting to party funds a donation from Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska when they were both guests of Mr Rothschild in Corfu in August 2008. The allegations appear in a letter written by Mr Rothschild to The Times newspaper and are denied by George Osborne.
24 October – The Office for National Statistics reveal that Britain's economy shrunk by 0.5% in the quarter from July to September – the first quarterly detraction since 1992.[40]
26 October
A severe storm in the Lake District causes extensive flooding while 2,500 runners were taking part in a fell race, but all participants are later accounted for.
A weak earthquake hits Hereford and Worcestershire, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale.
18 November – The names and contact details of more than 12,000 members of the far-right British National Party are published online by a disgruntled activist, breaching data protection laws.
27 November – Conservative Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green is arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. He is released on bail after questioning.
December
4 December
Karen Matthews, 32, is convicted of the kidnapping her 9-year-old daughter, Shannon, in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, on 19 February.
Lapland New Forest, a Christmas themed park in Dorset closes after scores of complaints about the poor quality of its attractions.[44]
16 December – Sean Mercer, 18, is found guilty of murdering 11-year-old Rhys Jones who was shot dead in Croxteth, Liverpool, in August last year. Mercer is sentenced to life imprisonment as the trial judge recommends that he serve at least 22 years before parole can be considered.[46]
18 December
Woolworths announce their 807 UK stores will close by 5 January 2009, putting some 27,000 people out of work.[47]
19 December – MFI cease trading, closing all 111 of its furniture stores and leaving its 1,400 workforce redundant. The furniture retailer had been in business since 1964, and had used the MFI name since 1971.[49]
27 December – The first wave of Woolworths store closures sees 200 stores shut their doors, with the closure to be completed in the new year unless a buyer for the company can be found in the next few days.[50]
Sales of new cars in Britain defy the deteriorating economic conditions, with well over 2.5 million sales this year compared to barely 2.4 million last year. The Ford Focus enjoys its tenth successive year as Britain's best selling new car.
^"Labour victorious in Glenrothes". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
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