Events 2004 in the United Kingdom

1 events

1.1 january
1.2 february
1.3 march
1.4 april
1.5 may
1.6 june
1.7 july
1.8 august
1.9 september
1.10 october
1.11 november
1.12 december

events
january

1 january – papers released under thirty year rule reveal that, contrary believed @ time, princess margaret not have lost title nor civil list payments had married group captain peter townsend, divorced war hero, in 1950s.
3 january – bbc cancels appearance of coca-cola sponsorship credits in music charts on bbc 1 top of pops show, after criticism politicians , health campaigners promoting junk food , unhealthy drink products teenagers.
6 january

the coroner s inquest death of diana, princess of wales , lover dodi al-fayed officially opened.
the daily mirror publishes blacked out portion of letter wherein diana, princess of wales alleged trying kill her.


7 january – announced record of 2,600,000 new cars sold in united kingdom during 2003.
8 january – queen mary 2 christened elizabeth ii.
13 january

robin cook says british museum s parthenon marbles must returned greece.
57-year-old serial killer dr. harold shipman found dead in cell 1 day prior fifty-eighth birthday; suicide suspected.
the bichard inquiry events preceding soham murders formally opens.


14 january – 45-year-old sudanese man travelling washington dulles international airport dubai airport arrested en route @ london s heathrow airport on suspicion of carrying 5 bullets in coat pocket.
19 january – english court of appeal calls end prosecution of parents babies may have died of sudden infant death syndrome (cot death) in cases evidence contended expert testimony.
21 january – secretary of state defence publishes white paper delivering security in changing world, detailing wide-ranging reform of country s armed forces.
27 january – vote of scottish labour mps, constituents unaffected legislation, prime minister tony blair narrowly defeat rebellion in own party on higher education bill – highly controversial bill reform higher education funding in england, including introduction of increased , variable tuition fees – in house of commons 316 votes 311.
28 january – hutton inquiry circumstances of death of dr. david kelly published. taken of press condemn bbc s handling of david kelly affair , exonerate government; bbc s director-general, greg dyke, chairman of board of governors, gavyn davies, , journalist @ centre of controversy, andrew gilligan, resign. uk media in general condemns report whitewash.

february

1 february – media sources , victim support groups across britain condemn £11,000 payouts families of 2 girls murdered @ soham in august 2002 pittance . compensation paid out criminal injuries compensation authority.
3 february – foreign secretary jack straw announces independent inquiry, chaired lord butler, examine reliability of intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in iraq.
5 february/6 february – party of chinese cockle pickers caught tides @ night in morecambe bay, lancashire, drowning 23 people. 21 bodies recovered.
6 february – home office confirms maxine carr, convicted ian huntley concerning soham murders of 2001, released prison in next few days.
11 february – richard desmond, owner of daily express , daily star tabloids, confirms has made bid troubled daily telegraph.
15 february – government reported have drawn plans break bbc in wake of hutton inquiry.
19 february – foreign secretary jack straw announces 5 of 9 britons held without trial terror suspects @ guantanamo bay prison camp in cuba, along danish national, released.
21 february – prime minister tony blair comes under pressure british human rights groups , mps because of government s sweeping powers under anti-terrorism crime , security act, have allowed detention of fourteen foreign terrorist suspects in uk @ has been described britain s guantanamo bay .
24 february – british olympic association bans european 100 metre champion dwain chambers competing in olympic games life positive test designer steroid thg.
25 february – katharine gun, formerly employee of british spy agency gchq, has charge of breaching official secrets act dropped after prosecutors offered no evidence, apparently on advice of attorney general england , wales. gun had admitted leaking american plans bug un delegates newspaper.
26 february – clare short, former cabinet minister, alleges on bbc today radio programme british spies regularly intercept u.n communications, including of kofi annan, u.n secretary-general.
29 february – middlesbrough f.c. wins first trophy in 128-year history defeating bolton wanderers f.c. in football league cup final.

march

vauxhall launches fifth generation of popular astra family hatchback. available five-door hatchback, three-door sporthatch , five-door estate due later year.
11 march – support conservatives , labour equal @ 35% second time in 9 months, raising sceptre of hung parliament @ next general election expected within year. [1]
16 march – fifteen-year-old scottish boy kriss donald abducted, tortured , murdered pakistani gang in racially motivated attack in glasgow.
21 march – architect zaha hadid becomes first female recipient of pritzker prize.

april

19 april – tony blair announces change in government policy: there referendum on proposed eu constitution.
28 april – landmark office building 30 st mary axe ( gherkin ) in city of london, designed norman foster, opens.

may

10 may – maxine carr released prison new identity after serving half of sentence perverting course of justice.
11 may – stockline plastics factory explosion: 4 people die in explosion @ factory in glasgow.
14 may – piers morgan dismissed editor of daily mirror after newspaper published fake pictures of iraqi prisoner abuse.
19 may – fathers 4 justice stage protest in house of commons @ prime minister s question time throwing purple powder @ tony blair.
22 may – manchester united beat millwall 3-0 in fa cup final.
27 may – mp leicester south, jim marshall dies, triggering by-election.
31 may – debut of children s animation series peppa pig (produced astley baker davies) on channel 5 television.

june

2 june – josé mourinho, portuguese coach led fc porto uefa champions league title on 26 may, named new manager of chelsea f.c. on three-year contract.
6 june – sixtieth anniversary of d-day. last minute pressure forces first minister of scotland jack mcconnell attend commemorations. rhodri morgan, first minister of wales takes flak not doing same.
10 june

european, local , regional elections take place. labour lose many council seats.
a rebranding of football league sees division 1 become football league championship, division 2 become league 1 , division 3 become league two.


11 june – incumbent ken livingstone announced winner of election mayor of london.
14 june – results of 2004 european elections announced. united kingdom independence party (ukip) main gainers, increasing 3 12 meps.
16 june – liverpool f.c. appoint spaniard rafael benítez new manager.
21 june – football league club wimbledon, relocated milton keynes south london last autumn, renamed milton keynes dons reflect new location.
24 june – england knocked out of uefa euro 2004 portugal on penalties.

july

2 july

an openly gay cleric, jeffrey john installed dean of st albans.
a court rules humberside police authority must suspend chief constable, david westwood, in accordance home secretary (david blunkett) s demands.


6 july – queen unveils memorial fountain diana, princess of wales.
8 july – marks , spencer overheads turn down takeover bid retail tycoon philip green.
12 july – chancellor of exchequer gordon brown announces massive loss of 100,000 civil service jobs in uk; savings put frontline services such health , education.
13 july

the public administration committee of house of commons recommends massive changes british honours system including scrapping knighthoods , renaming order of british empire order of british excellence .
the countryside agency publicises new countryside code in advance of right roam coming effect in september across england , wales.
the house of lords makes hostile amendment constitutional reform bill retain name of office of lord chancellor.


14 july – butler inquiry releases s report, mildly criticising government in use of intelligence relating weapons of mass destruction in iraq.
15 july – leicester south , birmingham hodge hill by-elections held. hodge hill by-election won labour, party loses leicester south seat 37-year-old liberal democrat parmjit singh gill, indian sikh party s first ethnic minority mp.
18 july – north yorkshire police launch murder hunt after 27-year-old twin sisters claire , diane sanderson found dead in flat in camblesforth, near selby.
19 july – government announces backing crossrail project.
20 july – government publish results of review council tax in england.
23 july – tony blair announces peter mandelson become britain s new european commissioner.

august

1 august – university of surrey roehampton becomes roehampton university.
9 august – west bromwich albion f.c. terminate contract of striker lee hughes sentenced 6 years in prison after being found guilty of causing death dangerous driving, having killed 56-year-old man in collision near coventry on 22 november 2003.
13–29 august – great britain participates in 2004 summer olympics in athens winning total of 9 gold, 9 silver , 12 bronze medals.
16 august – boscastle flood of 2004: flash floods destroy buildings , wash cars out sea in cornwall.
28 august – kelly holmes wins second gold medal @ 2004 summer olympics.

september

13 september – fathers 4 justice campaigner dressed batman breaches security @ buckingham palace.
15 september – parliament suspended after pro-hunt campaigners break house of commons.

october

1 october – tony blair announces intention resign prime minister of united kingdom if labour win next general election, not have stand possible fourth term in position.
7 october – british hostage ken bigley, of liverpool, beheaded militants in iraq.
9 october – scottish parliament building in edinburgh, designed enric miralles, opened.
19 october – british aid worker margaret hassan taken hostage in iraq.

november

4 november – referendum held in north east england on establishment of elected regional assemblies. majority of voters said no plans.
6 november – ufton nervet rail crash: 7 people killed when train derailed car deliberately left on level crossing in berkshire.
15 november – children act clarifies official responsibilities children, notably bringing local government functions children s welfare , education under authority of local directors of children s services.
16 november

the government announces plans prohibit smoking in enclosed public places (including workplaces) within next 3 years.
it reported margaret hassan dead after family receive video recording supposedly showing being killed.


18 november – parliament passes hunting act 2004 banning fox hunting in england , wales.
20 november – launch of swift gamma-ray burst mission, joint united states, uk , italian-developed spacecraft, designed study gamma-ray bursts.
28 november – wales millennium centre in cardiff opened.

december

ford launches second generation of s best-selling focus family car launched in september 1998.
2 december – david bieber, 38-year-old former united states marine, found guilty of murdering pc ian broadhurst in leeds on boxing day last year. sentenced life imprisonment, , trial judge recommends should never released prison. after conviction, revealed bieber wanted in connection 1995 murder in florida. revealed had entered uk using alias nathan wayne coleman – discovered child had died in infancy in 1968.
14 december – millau viaduct in france, designed british architect norman foster, opened.
15 december – david blunkett resigns home secretary after three-and-a-half years in role.
20 december – northern bank robbery in belfast, £26,500,000 stolen.
26 december – significant number of britons among thousands of people killed tsunami in indian ocean. victims killed in countries including indonesia , thailand.




^ record uk car sales during 2003 . bbc news. 7 january 2004. retrieved 10 april 2011. 
^ 2004: serial killer shipman found hanged . bbc news. 13 january 2004. archived original on 7 march 2008. retrieved 13 february 2008. 
^ williams, hywel (2005). cassell s chronology of world history. weidenfeld & nicolson. pp. 656–660. isbn 0-304-35730-8. 
^ mcguinness, ross (16 march 2009). metro . pp. 30, 31. 
^ carrell, severin (9 november 2006). 3 jailed life race murder of schoolboy . guardian. london. retrieved 22 april 2010. 
^ penguin pocket on day. penguin reference library. 2006. isbn 0-14-102715-0. 
^ 30 st mary axe . emporis. retrieved 7 july 2010. 
^ factory explosion kills 4 (bbc)
^ 2004: angry dads hit blair purple flour . bbc news. 19 may 2004. archived original on 7 march 2008. retrieved 13 february 2008. 
^ chelsea appoint mourinho . bbc news. 2 june 2004. retrieved 18 september 2010. 
^ league gets revamp . bbc news. 10 june 2004. retrieved 18 september 2010. 
^ liverpool appoint benitez . bbc news. 16 june 2004. retrieved 18 september 2010. 
^ wimbledon change name . bbc news. 21 june 2004. retrieved 18 september 2010. 
^ archived copy . archived original on 12 may 2010. retrieved 2010-12-18. 
^ 2004: second gold kelly holmes . bbc news. 28 august 2004. archived original on 7 march 2008. retrieved 13 february 2008. 
^ hunt brawl in commons , telegraph . daily telegraph. london. retrieved 19 april 2008. 
^ 2004: british hostage feared dead in iraq . bbc news. 7 october 2004. archived original on 7 march 2008. retrieved 13 february 2008. 
^ 2004: british aid worker kidnapped in iraq . bbc news. 19 october 2004. archived original on 7 march 2008. retrieved 13 february 2008. 
^ 2004: british aid worker kidnapped in iraq . bbc news. 19 october 2004. archived original on 12 february 2009. retrieved 22 january 2009. 
^ gilliland, ben (16 january 2009). science & discovery . metro. 
^ 2004: blunkett resigns on visa accusations . bbc news. 15 december 2004. archived original on 7 march 2008. retrieved 13 february 2008. 
^ timeline: northern bank robbery . bbc news. 7 january 2005. retrieved 24 march 2009. 
^ 2004: thousands die in asian tsunami . bbc news. 26 december 2004. archived original on 28 december 2008. retrieved 22 january 2009.