1991 in the United Kingdom

none July 2021 February 2012 1991 Countries of the United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Popular culture 1991 British Grand Prix 1991 English cricket season Football: England Scotland 1991 in British television 1991 in British music 1991 in British radio UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 Events from the year 1991 in the United Kingdom. Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister – John Major (Conservative) Events January January – Tax-exempt special savings accounts (TESSAs) are introduced as a government concession to promote personal savings. 3 January – The UK expels all Iraqi diplomats from the country due to the Iraqi government's illegal annexation of Kuwait five months earlier.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/3/newsid_2492000/2492781.stm 1991: Britain expels Iraqi diplomats BBC News 1 February 2008 3 January 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080106121147/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/3/newsid_2492000/2492781.stm 6 January 2008 live 5 January – 27 people die as a result of gale-force winds across Britain.http://static.expressandstar.com/days/ Those were the days static.expressandstar.com 8 January – A train crash at Cannon Street station in London kills one person and injures over 500.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/8/newsid_4091000/4091741.stm 1991: One dead as train crashes into buffers BBC News 1 February 2008 8 January 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080108160834/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/8/newsid_4091000/4091741.stm 8 January 2008 live 11 January – As the recession deepens, 335 employees at the Peugeot car factory in Coventry are made redundant, while Ford is looking for up to 1,000 voluntary redundancies at its British factories. Thousands of jobs in the financial services sector are reportedly at threat, as the total UK unemployment figure is currently standing at nearly 1,800,000, but is expected to rise to well over 2,000,000 by the end of the year. 16 January – The final phase of the M40 motorway through Oxfordshire is opened, giving the West Midlands conurbation its first direct motorway link with London.https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199091/cmhansrd/1991-02-05/Writtens-1.html House of Commons Hansard Debates for 5 Feb 1991 publications.parliament.uk 17 January – The Gulf War begins, as the Royal Air Force joins Allied aircraft in bombing raids on Iraq.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/17/newsid_2530000/2530375.stm 1991: 'Mother of all Battles' begins BBC News 1 February 2008 17 January 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080101095702/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/17/newsid_2530000/2530375.stm 1 January 2008 live 18 January – In spite of the deepening recession, the Conservatives have climbed back to the top of the opinion polls, a MORI poll placing them five points ahead of Labour on 46%.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8280050.stm BBC News Poll tracker: Interactive guide to the opinion polls 29 September 2009 19 December 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091217050955/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8280050.stm 17 December 2009 live 19 January – It is announced that unemployment has reached more than 1.8 million, and experts warn that the figure will exceed 2 million later this year. 29 January – John Major resists calls from the Labour Party for interest rates to be cut in a bid to combat the recession. February 7 February – The Provisional Irish Republican Army launch a mortar attack against 10 Downing Street in London, blowing in all the windows of the cabinet room, during a session of the War Cabinet, but there are no injuries. 8 February – Heavy snow disrupts the country for a second time during the winter 1990–1991 season as Britain experiences a prolonged cold snap. 17 February – Barclays Bank is reported to be on the verge of axing more than 13,000 employees. 18 February – Bombings of Paddington and Victoria stations in London early this morning by the Provisional Irish Republican Army kill one person.Schmidt William E. 1991-02-19 2 Rail Terminals In Central London Hit By I.R.A. Bombs The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/19/world/2-rail-terminals-in-central-london-hit-by-ira-bombs.html 2021-06-12 2021-06-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20210613002020/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/19/world/2-rail-terminals-in-central-london-hit-by-ira-bombs.html live 21 February – English-born ballet legend Dame Margot Fonteyn dies of cancer aged 71 in Panama City. 26 February – English scientist Tim Berners-Lee introduces WorldWideWeb, the first web browser, while working at CERN in Geneva; the first website goes online on 6 August. 27 February – The National Institute of Economic and Social Research predicts that the recession will end this summer. 28 February – Iraq accepts a provisional ceasefire, and British troops halt their advance on Baghdad.Palmer Alan Palmer Veronica 1992 The Chronology of British History Century Ltd London 0-7126-5616-2 459 March 3 March – An Ipsos MORI poll shows that John Major is more popular with his voters than his Conservative government. 8 March – Ribble Valley, the tenth safest Conservative constituency in Britain, is won by the Liberal Democrats in a by-election (caused by the departure of David Waddington to the House of Lords). 10 March – The UK reportedly has the fastest pace in rising unemployment of all the European Community countries. 14 March – The Birmingham Six are freed from prison after 17 years when the Court of Appeal quashes their convictions over the 1974 pub bombings in Birmingham which killed 21 people and injured more than 160 others,https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/14/newsid_2543000/2543613.stm 1991: Birmingham Six freed after 16 years BBC News 1 February 2008 14 March 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125732/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/14/newsid_2543000/2543613.stm 7 March 2008 live a decision anticipated on 25 February by an announcement from Allan Green, Director of Public Prosecution.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/25/newsid_2516000/2516525.stm 1991: Birmingham Six on verge of freedom BBC News 2008-02-01 1991-02-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20080229011800/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/25/newsid_2516000/2516525.stm 2008-02-29 live 15 March – Unemployment is now above 2,000,000 for the first time in two years. The number of British workers employed in the manufacturing industry has fallen below 5,000,000 for the first time since records began. 19 March – Norman Lamont predicts 2% economic contraction for this year. 21 March – Education Secretary Kenneth Clarke announces plans to remove further education and sixth form colleges from local authority control. 23 March The Government launches its Citizen's Charter campaign.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/23/newsid_2531000/2531293.stm 1991: Tories launch 'citizen charter' BBC News 1 February 2008 23 March 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125758/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/23/newsid_2531000/2531293.stm 7 March 2008 live John Major announces abolition of the unpopular Community Charge ("poll tax"). On 23 April, the government confirms that it is to be replaced by a new Council Tax in 1993. 28 March – An inquest in Sheffield into the Hillsborough disaster records a verdict of accidental death on the 95 people who died as a result of the tragedy in 1989. Many of the victims' families criticise the verdict in open court, as many of them had been hoping for a verdict of unlawful killing (which is eventually obtained in 2016), or an open verdict, and for criminal charges to be brought against the police officers who patrolled the game.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/28/newsid_2531000/2531015.stm 1991: Family anger at Hillsborough verdict BBC News 1 February 2008 28 March 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307130106/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/28/newsid_2531000/2531015.stm 7 March 2008 live April 3 April – Novelist Graham Greene dies aged 86 at his home in Vevey, Switzerland. 4 April Social services in the Orkney Islands are criticised for their handling of more than 100 children who have returned to their families after being taken away over allegations of child abuse.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/4/newsid_2521000/2521067.stm 1991: Orkney 'abuse' children go home BBC News 1 February 2008 4 April 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125843/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/4/newsid_2521000/2521067.stm 7 March 2008 live The Neath by-election in Wales, caused by the death of Labour MP Donald Coleman on 14 January, is held; Labour retains the seat, with the candidate, Peter Hain, receiving more than half of the vote. 8 April – The Football Association announces plans for a new "super league" of eighteen clubs to replace the Football League First Division as the highest division of English football. The move is attacked by smaller Football League clubs, who fear that they could go out of business if TV revenue is confined to the proposed super league. 18 April – Despite the continuing recession, the Conservatives are still top of the opinion polls as the latest MORI poll puts them two points ahead of Labour on 42%. The Liberal Democrats have trebled their showing in the last fifteen months, now gaining 15% of the vote. 19 April – George Carey is enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury. May 5 May – Hopes for a quick end to the recession are boosted by CBI predictions that a sharp recovery in business profits will begin shortly. 6 May – Arsenal are crowned champions of the Football League. 15 May – Manchester United win the European Cup Winners' Cup with a 2–1 win over FC Barcelona of Spain in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Mark Hughes scores both of their goals to give English clubs a winning return to European competitions after their five-year ban was lifted last year.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v8ZUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6652,764116&dq=lee+sharpe+manchester&hl=en Hughes destroys former club New Straits Times Malaysia 17 May 1991 24 2 December 2016 16 May Unemployment is now at 2,175,000 – the highest figure since late-1988. It is also above the European average for the first time since 1987. The Monmouth by-election in Wales, caused by the death of the sitting Conservative MP, Sir John Stradling Thomas on 29 March, is held; the Conservatives are defeated once again, and Labour gains the seat. Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the United States Congress during a 13-day royal visit in Washington, D.C.Address by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2013/2013-135-050/ 2021-06-12 history.house.gov 2021-05-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20210516161309/https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2013/2013-135-050/ live 18 May Helen Sharman becomes the first British person in space, flying with the Soyuz TM-12 mission.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/18/newsid_2380000/2380649.stm 1991: Sharman becomes first Briton in space BBC News 1 February 2008 18 May 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307014408/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/18/newsid_2380000/2380649.stm 7 March 2008 live Tottenham Hotspur win the FA Cup for a record eighth time with a 2–1 win over Nottingham Forest. Midfielder Paul Gascoigne, a multimillion-pound transfer target for Italian side Lazio, suffers cruciate knee ligament damage early in the game and is not expected to play again in 1991. 21 May – South Wales, which has some of the worst unemployment rates in Britain, receives a boost when the go-ahead is given for Japanese electrical company Sony to build a new factory in Bridgend that will create 1,400 jobs when it opens in 1993. 22 May – Nearly six months after the breakthrough in the Channel Tunnel service tunnel, the breakthrough in the North rail tunnel is achieved. On the same day, road links to the British terminal are improved when the final section of the M20 motorway is opened between Maidstone and Ashford, meaning that the tunnel's unbroken motorway link with London has already been completed an estimated three years before the first trains move between Britain and France.https://www.roads.org.uk/motorway/chronology/1991 Chronology Maps Roads.org.ukhttp://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcTunnelInfrastructure/ukcDevelopment/ukpHistory Our history 10 May 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100103073037/http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcTunnelInfrastructure/ukcDevelopment/ukpHistory 3 January 2010 24 May Labour tops a MORI poll for the first time this year, as they stand six points ahead of the Conservatives on 43%. Sutton Manor Colliery at Bold in the Lancashire Coalfield closes,Stephen Wainwright Sutton Manor Colliery, Part 2 (1960–1991) http://www.suttonbeauty.org.uk/sutton_manor_colliery.html 2011 Sutton Beauty & Heritage 14 July 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120310104029/http://www.suttonbeauty.org.uk/sutton_manor_colliery.html 10 March 2012 dead the last in Britain to use a steam winding engine. 27 May – Eric Heffer, Labour MP for Liverpool Walton, dies after a long battle against cancer, aged 69. 29 May – Economists warn that the economy is still in an "exceptionally steep" recession and that it could be another year before the first real signs of recovery become visible. June June – Kia, the Korean car company, begin importing cars to the United Kingdom for the first time; initially it will import only the Pride (a rebadged version of the Japanese Mazda 121), but at least one further model is expected to join it by 1994.http://www.compucars.co.uk/car-reviews/kia/review/?pride Kia Pride Review Covering 1991 – 2000 – CompuCars 15 October 2010 24 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100924105938/http://www.compucars.co.uk/car-reviews/kia/review/?pride dead 3 June – The British Army kill three IRA gunmen in Northern Ireland.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/3/newsid_2495000/2495753.stm 1991: IRA men shot dead by British army BBC News 1 February 2008 3 June 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080101174006/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/3/newsid_2495000/2495753.stm 1 January 2008 live 6 June Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock condemns John Major for high interest rates, as much as 17%, being charged on small businesses by banks. Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale Ltd decided in the House of Lords, foundational in English unjust enrichment law.Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale Ltd UKHL 1988 12 6 June 1991. 10 June – The National Gallery in London opens its new Sainsbury Wing to the public. 13 June – Unemployment reaches 2.25million, the lowest monthly rise reported this year. 14 June Two long-serving actors both die aged 83 on the same day: Dame Peggy Ashcroft in London, and Bernard Miles (Lord Miles) in Knaresborough.British theatre loses two titans The Times 15 June 1991 Julie Ann Gibson becomes the first woman to qualify as a pilot with the Royal Air Force.Gibson, Julie Ann 79 Rosanne Welch Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space Santa Barbara; Oxford ABC-Clio 1998 0-87436-958-4 registration https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo00rosa/page/79 19 June – Secretary of State for Employment Michael Howard announces a £230,000,000 plan to tackle rising unemployment. 20 June – Murder of Harry Collinson: A local government officer is shot dead in a planning dispute in County Durham in front of media cameras.https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15576202.albert-dryden-shooting-still-haunted-day-saw-man-killed-cold-blood/ Albert Dryden Shooting: 'Still haunted by day I saw a man killed in cold blood' 2018-09-17 2026-05-25 Summers Mark The Northern Echo live 2024-04-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20240430123537/https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/15576202.albert-dryden-shooting-still-haunted-day-saw-man-killed-cold-blood/ 25 June – Nissan, the Japanese carmaker with a plant at Sunderland, starts "price wars" by reducing the cost of its cars in order to boost flagging sales brought on by the recession. 27 June – Criminal Procedure (Insanity and Unfitness to Plead) Act 1991 (coming into effect from 1992) provides that, if the accused in a criminal trial in England and Wales is found unfit to plead, then a trial of the facts before a jury may be held.The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 17185475 Commentary: UK Perspective on Competency to Stand Trial http://www.jaapl.org/content/34/4/466.long Tim Exworthy 2006 4 34 466–471 2026-05-22 28 June Seven months after her resignation as Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher announces that she will stand down as a Member of parliament at the next general election, which has to be held within the next twelve months.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/28/newsid_2520000/2520795.stm BBC News 1991: Thatcher to retire from Commons 28 June 1991 31 December 2009 The final breakthrough in the Channel Tunnel is achieved when the last section of clay in the South rail tunnel is bored away. July July South African-produced cars are imported to Britain for the first time, with the launch of the Sao Penza, a rebadged version of the Mazda 323. However, the brand and the car is not a success and imports end just 2 years later.Motoring Production of the Vauxhall Belmont compact saloon ends ahead of the launch of the third generation Astra range of hatchbacks and estates which goes on sale in the Autumn with saloon and convertible models arriving later. 3 July – Michael Shorey is convicted at the Old Bailey of the July 1990 murders of Elaine Forsyth and Patricia Morrison, two estate agents with whom he shared a basement flat in north London. He is sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment. The former EastEnders actress Sandy Ratcliff, who provided Shorey with an alibi for the night of the murders, is subsequently convicted of perjury.http://bufvc.ac.uk/tvandradio/lbc/index.php/segment/0006500436011 Michael Shorey sentenced to life British Universities Film & Video Council 4 July – The Liverpool Walton by election, caused by the death of the sitting Labour MP Eric Heffer on 27 May, is held; Labour holds the seat, with new MP Peter Kilfoyle gaining more than half of the vote. 5 July – The Bank of England closes down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International amid fraud allegations. Several local authorities in the UK lose millions of pounds in investments held with the bank.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/5/newsid_2495000/2495017.stm 1991: International bank closed in fraud scandal BBC News 1 February 2008 5 July 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307130053/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/5/newsid_2495000/2495017.stm 7 March 2008 live 8 July – Provisional Irish Republican Army members Nessan Quinlivan and Pearse McAuley, detained on charges of conspiracy to murder, shoot their way out of Brixton Prison in London.1991-07-08 2 Irishmen Shoot Their Way Out of a Prison in London https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/08/world/2-irishmen-shoot-their-way-out-of-a-prison-in-london.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20071114190004/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DA1338F93BA35754C0A967958260 2007-11-14 2017-12-18 The New York Times 2 Reuters 11 July – Labour MP Terry Fields joins the list of people jailed for refusal to pay the poll tax after he receives a sixty-day prison sentence. He is the first MP to be jailed for refusing to pay the controversial tax which was introduced early last year.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/11/newsid_2500000/2500365.stm 1991: Anti-poll tax MP jailed BBC News 1 February 2008 11 July 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125934/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/11/newsid_2500000/2500365.stm 7 March 2008 live 15 July – 17th G7 summit held in London. 16 July – A government survey of children's school reading reveals that Roald Dahl, who died eight months earlier, has now overtaken Enid Blyton as the most popular author of children's books. 17 July – The Ultimate steel roller coaster, Europe's longest, opens at Lightwater Valley theme park in North Yorkshire. 18 July – Economists warn that unemployment will reach 3,000,000 people (a level not seen since early-1987) by the end of next year. 19 July – Dean Saunders becomes the most expensive footballer to be signed by an English club when he joins Liverpool in a £2.9million transfer from Derby County. 21 July – Motor racing driver Paul Warwick, 21, is killed when his car crashes into a barrier during the fifth Formula 3000 race at Oulton Park. 23 July – The Ministry of Defence proposes the merger of 22 army regiments as part of a general reform programme. 24 July – Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont assures the House of Commons that the economic recovery will begin before the end of this year. August 8 August – Lebanon hostage crisis: John McCarthy, a British journalist held hostage in Lebanon for over five years, is freed.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/8/newsid_2492000/2492499.stm 1991: Beirut hostage John McCarthy freed BBC News 1 February 2008 8 August 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125941/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/8/newsid_2492000/2492499.stm 7 March 2008 live 12 August – Every job vacancy is being chased by 22 applicants, reports The Times. 16 August – The Bank of England declares that the worst of the current recession is now over. 23 August – Growing confidence over economic recovery has helped boost the Conservative government's popularity, as they return to the top of the MORI poll with a two-point lead over Labour putting them on 42%. 26 August – One Canada Square at Canary Wharf in London becomes the tallest building in the UK.https://www.canarydevelopment.com/one-canada-square/ One Canada Square 9 March 2021 12 January 2024 13 February 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230213231108/https://www.canarydevelopment.com/one-canada-square/ dead 30 August Scottish runner Liz McColgan becomes the first British gold medalist at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Rioting breaks out on the Ely council estate in Cardiff.https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/ely-bread-riots-erupted-over-21410496 The Ely Bread riots which erupted 'over a loaf of sliced' and saw hundreds clash with police for four nights – Wales Online 29 August 2021 September September – Gordon Roddick and A. John Bird launch The Big Issue, a then-monthly magazine to be sold by homeless people in response to growing number of rough sleepers on the streets of London.http://www.bigissue.com/History_34.php https://web.archive.org/web/20090301141303/http://www.bigissue.com/History_34.php dead 1 March 2009 The Big Issue History 1 March 2009 7 March 2018 3 September Following the recent outbreaks of violence in Leeds and Cardiff, rioting breaks out at Handsworth in Birmingham, Kates Hill in Dudley and Blackbird Leys in Oxford. Premiere of the BBC One television comedy 2point4 Children which stars Belinda Lang and Gary Olsen.http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/other/2point4childre_7776570.shtml BBC - Comedy Guide - 2 Point 4 Children 5 December 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20041205023042/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/other/2point4childre_7776570.shtml 5 December 2004 9 September – Rioting breaks out on the Meadow Well council estate on Tyneside, with local youths attacking police officers following the recent death of two local teenagers in a police pursuit. Racially motivated attacks on Asian owned shops also involve looting and arson. 12 September – Unemployment has hit 2,400,000 – the highest level since the spring of 1988 – completing a 50% rise in just over a year. However, the rate of rising unemployment is slowing down and retail sales are improving. 13 September – Further rioting breaks out in Tyneside. 14 September – George Buckley, Labour MP for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire, dies aged 56. 15 September – A poll shows that Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock is a liability to his party, who are now behind John Major's Conservative Party in the opinion polls. 17 September – Neil Kinnock hits out at claims that he is to blame for his party falling behind in the opinion polls, sparking speculation that John Major will call a general election within the next two months. 19 September – Robin Leigh-Pemberton, governor of the Bank of England, says that he is confident the recession is now over in Britain. 20 September – Richard Holt, Conservative MP for Langbaurgh in Cleveland, dies suddenly aged 60. 24 September – Lebanon hostage crisis: Kidnappers in Beirut release expatriate ex-Battle of Britain pilot Jackie Mann after over two years in captivity.2015-11-13 Fisk Robert Robert Fisk Beirut hostage war hero dies https://www.independent.co.uk/news/beirut-hostage-war-hero-dies-1581687.html https://web.archive.org/web/20240204061741/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/beirut-hostage-war-hero-dies-1581687.html 2024-02-04 subscription live 2021-06-12 The Independent LondonAssociated Press 1995-11-14 Jack Mann 81; Was Beirut Hostage The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/14/world/jack-mann-81-was-beirut-hostage.html 2021-06-12 0362-4331 2021-06-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20210613002022/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/14/world/jack-mann-81-was-beirut-hostage.html live October October – Vauxhall launches the third generation of its popular Astra with hatchback and estate models with the saloon and convertible models arriving later. 2 October – Just over two weeks after Neil Kinnock was damned by a poll as a "liability" to the Labour Party, the leader and his MPs are celebrating after they overtake the Conservatives by two points in the opinion polls. 9 October – A Sumo tournament is hosted at the Royal Albert Hall in London.Penguin Pocket On This Day Penguin Reference Library 0-14-102715-0 2006 11 October – John Major outlines his vision of a "classless" Britain at a Conservative Party conference at Blackpool, where his predecessor Margaret Thatcher voices her support for him. 16 October – The ITV franchise auction results are announced and many notable names will go off the air, including Thames Television, TVS, TSW, TV-am and ORACLE Teletext. The changes will take effect at midnight on 1 January 1993. 17 October – The smallest monthly rise in unemployment since last November is cited by the government as an "unmistakable" sign that the recession is drawing to a close. 18 October – Labour's hopes of election success are boosted by the latest MORI poll, which shows them six points ahead of the Conservatives on 45%.http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId%3D103 Ipsos MORI | Trend | Voting Intention in Great Britain: 1976–present 4 April 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120923031349/http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=103 23 September 2012 19 October – Canadian singer Bryan Adams makes history when his hit single power ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", which features in the film Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves (released on 14 June this year, and starring Kevin Costner) enters its fifteenth successive week at #1 in the UK singles charts. It loses its position on 27 October after a record sixteen weeks, displaced by U2's "The Fly". 22 October – Leonora Knatchbull, the five-year-old daughter of Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne and his wife Penelope, dies after a one-year battle with kidney cancer. She was also a great-grandchild of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was murdered by the IRA in 1979. She is buried at Romsey Abbey on 26 October.http://www.mountbattenofburma.com/page33.html Norton, 8th Lord Brabourne Mountbattenofburma.com 4 February 2011 2009 23 October – In the legal case of R v R decided on appeal, the Law Lords unanimously decide that spousal rape is a crime in England and Wales, overturning the principle established by Chief Justice Hale in 1736.Rob Jerrard Marital Rape http://www.rjerrard.co.uk/law/articles/rape.htm 22 November 1991 4 February 2011 Internet Law Book Reviews https://web.archive.org/web/20110606011153/http://www.rjerrard.co.uk/law/articles/rape.htm 6 June 2011 dead 29 October – Hopes that the recession is drawing to a close are boosted by CBI findings, which show that manufacturers are now more optimistic than at any time in the past three years. November November Computer retailer PC World opens its first branch, in Croydon (London).PC World http://www.shoplaptop.co.uk/retailers/pc-world.html shoplaptop 27 October 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111117000147/http://www.shoplaptop.co.uk/retailers/pc-world.html 17 November 2011 dead Alan Sked forms the Anti-Federalist League, a political party aiming to field election candidates opposed to the Maastricht Treaty.About UKIP http://www.torbayukip.co.uk/about%20ukip.htm Torbay UK Independence Party 27 October 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120325130834/http://www.torbayukip.co.uk/about%20ukip.htm 25 March 2012 dead 5 November – Robert Maxwell, owner of numerous business interests including the Daily Mirror newspaper, is found dead off the coast of Tenerife; his cause of death is unconfirmed, but reports suggest that he may have committed suicide.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/5/newsid_2514000/2514649.stm 1991: Publisher Robert Maxwell dies at sea BBC News 1 February 2008 5 November 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307130026/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/5/newsid_2514000/2514649.stm 7 March 2008 live 7 November – By-elections are held in Hemsworth, Kincardine and Deeside and Langbaurgh, caused by the deaths of their respective MPs George Buckley of Labour, and Conservatives Alick Buchanan-Smith and Richard Holt. Labour holds Hemsworth under Derek Enright, while the Liberal Democrats gain Kincardine and Deeside from the Conservatives. The Conservatives also lose the Langbaurgh constituency to Labour, with 35-year-old Indian-born candidate Ashok Kumar becoming the new MP. 9 November – First ever controlled and substantial production of fusion energy achieved at the Joint European Torus in Oxfordshire.http://www.jet.efda.org/documents/jetpressrelease/press-release-1991.html JET Achieves Fusion Power Press Release 1 February 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927181952/http://www.jet.efda.org/documents/jetpressrelease/press-release-1991.html 27 September 2007 dead 14 November – British and American authorities announce indictments against two Libyan Intelligence Service officials in connection with the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 at Lockerbie in 1988.New Charges in Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-charges-in-pan-am-flight-103-bombing-122120 2021-06-12 Federal Bureau of Investigation 2021-06-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20210618053212/https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-charges-in-pan-am-flight-103-bombing-122120 live 15 November – Britain's hopes of economic recovery are dealt with a major blow when shares on the Wall Street Stock Exchange fall by 120 points. 16 November – Two IRA bombers die in St Albans, Hertfordshire, when a bomb explodes prematurely. 18 November – Lebanon hostage crisis: Terry Waite, an Anglican Church envoy held hostage in Lebanon, is freed after four-and-a-half years in captivity.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/18/newsid_2520000/2520055.stm 1991: Church envoy Waite freed in Beirut BBC News 1 February 2008 18 November 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307130022/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/18/newsid_2520000/2520055.stm 7 March 2008 live 22–23 November – The Communist Party of Great Britain votes to abandon its Marxist–Leninist constitution and reform itself as Democratic Left.Communist Party is Now Democratic Left Aberdeen Press & Journal 1991-11-25 9CPGB: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/sections/britain/history.htm 2021-06-12 marxists.org 2021-08-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20210812173414/https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/sections/britain/history.htm live 23 November – Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of rock band Queen, announces that he is suffering from AIDS, following lengthy media speculation about his health. He dies the following day aged 45 at his home in London from related bronchopneumonia.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/24/newsid_2546000/2546945.stm 1991: Giant of rock dies BBC News 1 February 2008 24 November 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307130057/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/24/newsid_2546000/2546945.stm 7 March 2008 live 25 November – The Court of Appeal quashes the convictions of Winston Silcott, Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite for the murder of PC Keith Blakelock in the Broadwater Farm riot at Tottenham, North London, six years ago. Raghip and Braithwaite are released from prison, but Silcott remains imprisoned for a separate murder. 26 November – Julin Bristol, the last UK nuclear test, takes place at the Nevada Test Site.http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Uk/UKArsenalDev.html History of the British Nuclear Arsenal Nuclear Weapon Archive 2002 13 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20101219193650/http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Uk/UKArsenalDev.html 19 December 2010 live 27 November Freddie Mercury is cremated after a funeral service held at West London Crematorium.Zoroastria Funeral for Queen's Star http://teletext.mb21.co.uk/gallery/oracle/main2.shtml mb21 Teletext Then and Now 27 November 1991 27 October 2011 The government announces that joyriders who are found guilty should face a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment as well as unlimited fines and unlimited automatic driving bans. Joyriding (recklessly driving stolen cars) has recently surged across Britain, with almost all of those involved being children and teenagers.Joyriding http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITN/1991/11/27/BSP271191016/?s=joyrider&st=0&pn=3 27 November 1991 27 October 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110719185651/http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//RTV/2007/02/16/RTV248507/ 19 July 2011 28 November – First performance of Alan Bennett's play The Madness of George III in London. December 1 December – Thousands of British shops, including retail giants Asda and Tesco, defy trading laws, and open their doors on a Sunday in a bid to boost trade that has been badly hit by the ongoing recession. 5 December – The Robert Maxwell business empire goes into receivership with debts in excess of £1,000,000,000, exactly one month after Robert Maxwell's death. The Daily Mirror reports that Maxwell had wrongly removed £350,000,000 from its pension fund shortly before he died.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/5/newsid_2528000/2528991.stm 1991: Maxwell business empire faces bankruptcy BBC News 1 February 2008 5 December 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125937/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/5/newsid_2528000/2528991.stm 7 March 2008 live 6 December – At Birmingham Crown Court, John Tanner is convicted of the murder of Rachel McLean on 14 April in Oxford and sentenced to life imprisonment.Blackpool Evening Gazette, 6 December 1991 10 December – Ronald Coase wins the Nobel Prize in Economics "for his discovery and clarification of the significance of transaction costs and property rights for the institutional structure and functioning of the economy".http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1991/index.html The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1991 1 February 2008 12–15 December – Concentration of vehicle exhausts in London causes an estimated 160 deaths.Exhaust pollution 'killed 160 in four days': London smog caused a 10% rise in the death rate Steve Connor The Independent 22 June 1994 18 May 2021 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/exhaust-pollution-killed-160-in-four-days-london-smog-caused-a-10-rise-in-the-death-rate-steve-connor-reports-1424465.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/exhaust-pollution-killed-160-in-four-days-london-smog-caused-a-10-rise-in-the-death-rate-steve-connor-reports-1424465.html 1 May 2022 subscription live London 16 December – Stella Rimington is announced as the first female director general of MI5.https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1992/jan/13/prime-minister Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) 13 January 1992 Hansard 7 April 2008 19 December – Unemployment is now above 2,500,000 for the first time since early-1988.http://www.newsint-archive.co.uk/pages/S.asp?pubsel=TIM&SrchText=Unemployment&edn=&DateFromDD=01&DateFromMM=Jan&DateFromYY=1991&page=&SortOrder=Asc&SortOrder=asc&SortOrder=asc&SortOrder=asc&SortSpec=&DateToDD=31&DateToMM=Dec&ResultListMax=200&Submit1=Search&source=thetimes&DateToYY=1991&byline=&head=&Collection=NI%C2%A7%3D&Caption=&SortField=SDate&SortField=Pub&SortField=EDN&SortField=Page&ST=NS&Site=ALL&ResultCount=20&BackDD=Day&summreqd=yes&QueryText=%28Unemployment%29+%3CAND%3E+%28PUB%3DTIM%29+%3CAND%3E+%28%28SDate%3E%3D1%2F1%2F1991%29+%3CAND%3E+%28SDate%3C%3D12%2F31%2F1991%29%29&BackMM=Month&indexkey=32E4349342710574851E190&advsrch=0&BackYY=Year&_P=7&ResultMaxDocs=200& May 2020 InternetArchiveBot yes 23 December – Following the death of Freddie Mercury, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" returns to the top of the British singles charts after sixteen years, with the proceeds from the rerelease being donated to the Terence Higgins Trust. 27 December – The last MORI poll of 1991 shows that Labour are six points ahead of the Conservatives with 44% of the vote. 29 December – A quarterly opinion poll shows that Neil Kinnock and Labour are three points ahead of John Major and the Conservatives, sparking hope for Labour that they will win the next general election (which has to be held within five months) or at least the election will result in a hung parliament for the first time since 1974. Undated The economy remains rooted in the recession which began last year.The Hutchinson Factfinder Helicon 1999 1-85986-000-1 665 Despite the deepening recession, inflation has been substantially decreased to 5.9%.http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99-020.pdf Inflation: The Value of the Pound 1750–1998 House of Commons Library 2026-05-22 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060219130455/http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp99/rp99-020.pdf 2006-02-19 Wayback Machine The National Curriculum assessment ("standard attainment tests" or SATs) is first carried out, at Key Stage 1 in primary schools in England. Scout Groups may admit girls to all their sections. Despite the onset of the recession and a sharp fall in new car sales (with fewer than 1,600,000 new cars being sold in 1991 compared to the record of more than 2,300,000 in 1989), Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK's car plant at Sunderland returns a profit for the first time, making £18,400,000 this year. It currently makes only the Primera family saloon and hatchbacks there, but from August next year it will be joined by the new version of the smaller Micra.http://www.qashqaiclub.co.uk/sunderland_History.htm Qashqai Club – Nissan Sunderland 10 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120511040246/http://www.qashqaiclub.co.uk/sunderland_History.htm 11 May 2012 dead Sea defences at Mappleton in Holderness are built.Lollino Giorgio Manconi Andrea Locat Jacques Huang Yu Artigas Miquel Canals Engineering Geology for Society and Territory – Volume 4: Marine and Coastal Processes 12 August 2014 Springer 978-3-319-08660-6 11 https://books.google.com/books?id=WPZEBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 en Publications Martin Amis's novel Time's Arrow. Beryl Bainbridge's novel The Birthday Boys. Iain M. Banks' short story collection The State of the Art. Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. Louis de Bernières' novel Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord. Brian Keenan's autobiographical account of more than four years as a hostage in Lebanon An Evil Cradling. Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels Reaper Man and Witches Abroad. Births January thumb|100px|Pixie Lott 2 January Ben Hardy, actor Danny Miller, actor 12 January – Pixie Lott, singer 13 January – Genevieve Gaunt, actress 15 January – Danny Addy, professional footballer 18 January – Matthew Kane, actor 19 January – Tommy Fleetwood, professional golfer 20 January Tom Cairney, professional footballer Jolyon Palmer, professional racing driver, motorsport commentator, and columnist 21 January – Ben Bowns, professional hockey player 22 January – Alex MacDowall, professional racing driver 24 January – Nadene Caldwell, professional footballer 25 January – Fergus Bell, professional footballer 26 January – Nico Mirallegro, actor 29 January – Hugh Grosvenor, aristocrat, billionaire and businessman February thumb|100px|Ed Sheeran 2 February Lloyd Ashley, footballer Chris Baker, high jumper 7 February – Holly Clyburn, golfer 11 February – Georgia May Foote, actress 17 February Ed Sheeran, singer/songwriterChase's Calendar of Events 2020: The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months https://books.google.com/books?id=6dKpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA135 24 September 2019 Rowman & Littlefield 978-1-64143-316-7 135 Bonnie Wright, actressBonnie Wright Biography https://www.empireonline.com/people/bonnie-wright/ 7 November 2018 Empire 18 February – Henry Surtees, racing driver (died 2009) 20 February – Jocelyn Rae, English-Scottish tennis player 21 February – Joe Alwyn, actor and model 24 February – Hannah Clowes, gymnast 26 February Calum Butcher, footballer Toby-Alexander Smith, actor March thumb|100px|Matthew Briggs 6 March – Matthew Briggs, English-born Guyanese professional footballer 10 March Kadeena Cox, Paralympic Sprinter and CyclistGB Paralympic team for Rio – who's in? BBC Sport https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/35621008 9 January 2022 Usman Khan, Islamic terrorist and perpetrator of the 2019 London Bridge stabbing (died 2019)https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/london-bridge-suspected-attacker-stoke-3595210 London Bridge terrorist was from Stoke-on-Trent – police confirm Tom Burnett 30 November 2019 StokeonTrentLive 11 March Tammy Beaumont, professional cricketer Jack Rodwell, professional footballer 14 March – Jake Ball, professional cricketer 17 March – Daisy Head, actress 22 March – Ashley Eastham, professional footballer 26 March – Andrea Atzeni, Italian-born jockey 27 March – Chloe Marshall, ModelChloe Marshall http://jagmodels.com/model_page.php?id=19 jagmodels.com 29 October 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130812172721/http://jagmodels.com/model_page.php?id=19 12 August 2013 dead March – Elliot Barnes-Worrell, actor April thumb|100px|Frank Dillane 3 April – Mitch Austin, American Football player 5 April – Nathaniel Clyne, footballer 7 April – Anne-Marie, singerhttps://heatworld.com/entertainment/music/anne-marie-singer-facts/ Anne-Marie: Everything you need to know about the 'Lonely' singer 3 March 2020 9 March 2020 Emma Dodds 14 May 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200514071520/https://heatworld.com/entertainment/music/anne-marie-singer-facts/ dead 8 April – Liam Boyce, footballer 9 April – Liam Williams, rugby union player 19 April – Steve Cook, footballer 20 April – Marissa King, gymnast 21 April Frank Dillane, actorhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/next-gen-fall-tv-10-817493 Next Gen Fall TV: 10 Stars Poised for Breakouts The Hollywood Reporter 28 August 2015 2 December 2015 Lacey O'Connell Michael Rose Sandberg Bryn Elise Stanhope Kate Goldberg Lesley Max Chilton, racing driver 23 April – Nathan Baker, footballer 26 April Nathan Buck, cricketer Will Heard, singer/songwriter 27 April – Rebecca Ryan, actresshttp://www.holby.tv/rebecca-ryan/ Rebecca Ryan holby.tv 21 November 2018 en-US 12 January 2019 29 April – Adam Smith, footballer 30 April – Moses Boyd, jazz drummer May thumb|100px|Jack Brereton 3 May – Carlo Acutis, England-born Italian Catholic computer programmer, beatified (died 2006 in Italy) 6 May Harry Pinero, media personality Siobhan Williams, actress 13 May Jen Beattie, footballer Jack Brereton, politician 14 May – Chantelle Cameron, boxer 17 May – Ashley Bryant, decathlete 22 May – Kyle Bartley, footballer 26 May – Samuel Ross, fashion designer, creative director and artistSamuel Ross – Continuous study of fashion design, installation art, sculpture & living space. https://www.samuel-ross.com/ 2021-04-03 www.samuel-ross.com 30 May Elijah Baker, actor, writer and director Callum Booth, footballer June thumb|100px|Jesy Nelson thumb|100px|Oliver Stark 3 June – Nicky Clark, footballer 8 June – Qasim Akhtar, actor 11 June – Daniel Howell, YouTuber, radio presenterHowell, Dan @danisnotonfire https://twitter.com/danisnotonfire/statuses/344526503574388736 Twitter 9 August 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20131001204757/https://twitter.com/danisnotonfire/statuses/344526503574388736 1 October 2013 thanks to everyone celebrating my 22nd year into the countdown of death! dead 13 June Lyndon Arthur, boxer Ryan Mason, football player and manager 14 June – Jesy Nelson, singer/songwriter 15 June – Sam Billings, cricketer 16 June – Joe McElderry, singer 17 June – Staz Nair, actor and singer 21 June Jake Ball, rugby player Georgina Hagen, actress and singer 22 June – Katie Jarvis, actress 24 June – Yasmin Paige, actress 26 June – Josh Charnley, footballer 27 June Dan Osborne, television personality Oliver Stark, actor 28 June Will Stevens, racing driverhttps://www.driverdb.com/drivers/will-stevens/ Will Stevens DriverDB 28 April 2015 George Webster, actor 30 June – David Witts, actor July thumb|100px|Diana Vickers 2 July – Jordan Bowery, professional footballer 6 July – Ashley Lloyd, actor and dancer 8 July – Jamie Blackley, Manx-born actor 13 July – Martin Joseph Ward, professional boxer 15 July Nathan Aspinall, professional darts player Lennox Clarke, professional boxer Josh Cook, professional racing driver 16 July – Andros Townsend, professional footballer 21 July – Blanco White, singer/songwriter 24 July – Jacob Banks, Nigerian-born singer/songwriter 30 July – Diana Vickers, singer August thumb|100px|Alice Barlow 4 August – Lucinda Dryzek, actress 8 August – Tony Clay, actor 9 August – Alice Barlow, actress and singer 10 August – Michael Dapaah, rapper and comedian 15 August – Ellen Gandy, swimmer 16 August – Tom Bristow, professional rugby player 18 August – George Atkins, professional cyclist 22 August – Joe Arundel, professional footballer 24 August – Chris Brookes, professional wrestler 25 August – Luke Ayling, professional footballer 26 August – Tommy Bastow, actor and musician 29 August – Ryan J. Brown, screenwriter September thumb|100px|Damson Idris 1 September – Rhys Bennett, professional footballer 2 September Lucy Armstrong, composer Damson Idris, actor and producer 5 September – Skandar Keynes, actor 6 September – Drew Cheshire, professional footballer 8 September – Joe Sugg, YouTuber 11 September – Luke Hubbins, professional footballer 13 September – Sonny Bradley, professional footballer 20 September – Izzy Christiansen, professional footballer 24 September – Owen Farrell, professional rugby player 26 September – Charlotte Spencer, actress October thumb|100px|Leigh-Anne Pinnock 1 October – Gus Kenworthy, British-born, American Olympic freestyle skier, actor, and YouTuber 2 October – Gordon Reid, Scottish wheelchair tennis player 4 October – Leigh-Anne Pinnock, singer/songwriter 9 October – Danny Ansell, professional footballer 10 October – Kate Avery, professional long-distance runner 14 October Andrew Butchart, Olympic runner Shona McGarty, actress 25 October – Omar Beckles, professional footballer 28 October – Lucy Bronze, professional footballer 29 October Grant Hall, professional footballer Toby Tarrant, radio broadcaster November thumb|100px|Emma Blackery 1 November – Rachael Letsche, trampoline gymnast 2 November – Holly Bradshaw, Olympic pole vaulter 4 November – Michael Jacobs, professional footballer 6 November – George Bowerman, professional footballer 8 November Elinor Crawley, actress Daniel Middleton, YouTuber 11 November – Emma Blackery, singer/songwriter, YouTube Vlogger, record producer, and author 21 November Nathan Cameron, professional footballer Lewis Dunk, professional footballer 22 November – Kadeen Corbin, professional netball player 28 November – Scott Allan, professional footballer 30 November – Ryan Bowman, professional footballer December thumb|100px|Louis Tomlinson 4 December – Aiden Grimshaw, singer 6 December – Rachel Daly, footballer 11 December – Rebecca Chin, Paralympic rower 15 December – Joe Collister, professional footballer 16 December – Charlie Clare, professional rugby player 18 December – Marcus Butler, model and YouTuber 19 December – Declan Galbraith, singer 24 December – Louis Tomlinson, singer-songwriterOne Direction Members, Songs, & Facts Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/One-Direction#ref1213437 www.britannica.com 9 January 2022 en 30 December – Eddie Battye, professional footballer Full date unknown Sheila Atim, Ugandan-born actress, singer, composer, and playwright Deaths January 2 January – Sydney Caine, educator and economist (born 1902) 3 January – Doris Zinkeisen, theatrical designer (born 1898) 8 January Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) (born 1960) Henry Rainsford Hulme, nuclear physicist (born 1908) 10 January – Bob Wallis, jazz musician (born 1934) 11 January Charles Mozley, artist (born 1914)The Independent Obituary – Charles Mozley 20 January 1991 Sir Alec Rose, sailor (born 1908) 14 January Duncan Black, economist (born 1908) Donald Coleman, politician (born 1925) 15 January – Bob Stirling, rugby union player (born 1919) 16 January – Nicholas Mansergh, historian (born 1910) 20 January – Alfred Wainwright, author and illustrator (born 1907) 21 January – John Bicknell Auden, geologist (born 1903) 23 January – Herbert Fröhlich, physicist (born 1905, German Empire) 29 January – Joan Gilbert, broadcaster (born 1906)Averill June Joan Gilbert https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-independent-joan-gilbert-the-indep/161257039/ The Independent 25 12 February 1991 21 December 2024 Newspapers.com 30 January – Rhys Lloyd, Baron Lloyd of Kilgerran, politician (born 1907) February thumb|135px|Margot Fonteyn 5 February – Sir Lawrence Gowing, artist (born 1918) 8 February Daphne Jackson, nuclear physicist (born 1936) Evan Luard, politician (born 1926) 13 February – Ron Pickering, sports commentator (born 1930) 17 February – Sir Francis Pearson, politician and colonial administrator (born 1911) 18 February – Fulke Walwyn, jockey (born 1910) 20 February – Sir George Clark, 3rd Baronet, Northern Irish politician (born 1914) 21 February Dorothy Auchterlonie, poet and academic (born 1915) Dame Margot Fonteyn, ballet dancer (born 1919) 22 February – Eric Hosking, photographer (born 1909) 24 February – Stewart Morris, Olympic sailor (born 1909) March thumb|135px|Jack Meyer thumb|135px|Sunday Wilshin 1 March – Katherine Blake, actress (born 1921 or 1923) 2 March – Mary Howard, novelist (born 1907) 3 March – William Penney, Baron Penney, mathematician (born 1909) 4 March Michael Hardwick, author (born 1924) Kenneth Lindsay, politician (born 1897) 5 March Sir Brian Batsford, politician (born 1910) Ian McLellan Hunter, screenwriter (born 1915) 7 March – John Harris, novelist (born 1916) 9 March – Jack Meyer, cricketer and educationalist (born 1905) 10 March – Mildred Eldridge, artist (born 1909) 12 March – R. H. C. Davis, historian (born 1918) 13 March – Donald Kaberry, Baron Kaberry of Adel, politician (injuries received in Carlton Club bombing) (born 1907) 14 March – Margery Sharp, novelist and playwright (born 1905) 15 March – Robin Hill, biochemist, discoverer of the Hill reaction (born 1899) 16 March – Rowland Baring, 3rd Earl of Cromer, central banker and diplomat (born 1918) 17 March – Carl Aarvold, lawyer (born 1907) 19 March – Sunday Wilshin, actress and radio presenter (born 1905) 20 March – David Marshall Lang, historian (born 1924) 24 March – Maudie Edwards, actress and singer (born 1906) 27 March Ralph Bates, actor (born 1940) Alfredo Campoli, violinist (born 1906, Italy) 31 March – A. W. Lawrence, archaeologist (born 1900) April thumb|135px|Graham Greene 3 April Graham Greene, author (born 1904); died in Switzerland Sir Alan Stewart Orr, barrister (born 1911) 5 April Gerald Blake, television director (born 1928) Eve Garnett, writer and illustrator (born 1900) William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, Army officer, politician and VC recipient (born 1909) 11 April – Bernard Taylor, Baron Taylor of Mansfield, politician (born 1895) 16 April – David Lean, film director and producer (born 1908) 17 April – Michael Pertwee, screenwriter (born 1916) 18 April Martin Hannett, record producer (born 1948) Sir Austin Bradford Hill, epidemiologist and statistician, creator of the Bradford Hill criteria (born 1897) 19 April – Judy Gunn, actress (born 1915) 20 April – Steve Marriott, singer, musician (Small Faces and Humble Pie) (born 1947); house fire 22 April – Jack Kid Berg, boxer (born 1909) 26 April – Henry Lipson, physicist (born 1910) 28 April – Stan Turner, English footballer (born 1926) May 1 May – Charles Sutherland Elton, zoologist and animal ecologist (born 1900) 2 May – Susan Fassbender, singer (born 1959); suicide 4 May – Bernie Winters, actor and comedian (Mike and Bernie Winters) (born 1930) 6 May – Wilfred Hyde-White, actor (born 1903) 8 May – Ronnie Brody, actor (born 1918) 14 May – Joy Batchelor, animator, screenwriter, director and producer (born 1914) 15 May – Ronald Lacey, actor (born 1935) 17 May G. Evelyn Hutchinson, economist (born 1903) Harry Rée, academic (born 1914) 18 May – Muriel Box, film director and screenwriter (born 1905) 22 May – Stan Mortensen, footballer (born 1921) 25 May – Lorne MacLaine Campbell, Army brigadier-general (born 1902) 26 May – Wilfred Roberts, politician (born 1900) 27 May – Eric Heffer, politician (born 1922) 29 May – Henry Walston, Baron Walston, politician (born 1912) 31 May Robert Schlapp, physicist (born 1899) Angus Wilson, novelist and short story writer (born 1913) June thumb|135px|Peggy Ashcroft thumb|135px|Bernard Miles, Baron Miles 5 June – Evelyn Boucher, actress (born 1902) 8 June – Bertice Reading, actress and singer (born 1933, United States) 11 June John Vallier, pianist (born 1920) Michael Wall, playwright (born 1946) 12 June – Alexander Baring, 6th Baron Ashburton, businessman and politician (born 1898) 14 June Dame Peggy Ashcroft, actress (born 1907) Bernard Miles, Baron Miles, actor and director (born 1907) 15 June – Arthur Lewis, economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1915) 16 June – Vicki Brown, singer (born 1940) 18 June Ronald Allen, actor (born 1930) Bill Douglas, film director (born 1934) 20 June Gerald Priestland, broadcaster (born 1927) Sir Isaac Wolfson, 1st Baronet, businessman and philanthropist (born 1897) 21 June – Ivor Salter, actor (born 1925) 23 June – Cyril Aldred, historian (born 1914) 24 June – Sir James Fawcett, barrister and maternal grandfather of Boris Johnson (born 1913) 25 June – Colin Atkinson, cricketer and schoolmaster (born 1931) 27 June – George MacLeod, soldier and Presbyterian minister (born 1895) 30 June – Pamela Stanley, actress (born 1909) July thumb|135px|Bernard Waley-Cohen 2 July Don Houghton, television screenwriter and producer (born 1930) David Howarth, author and boat builder (born 1912) 3 July – Sir Bernard Waley-Cohen, businessman and Lord Mayor of London (1960–1961) (born 1914) 6 July – Thorley Walters, character actor (born 1913) 8 July – Geoff Love, composer (born 1917) 9 July – Frank Carr, sailor and founder of the Maritime Trust (born 1903) 17 July – Harold Butler, English cricketer (born 1913) 21 July Jasmine Bligh, television presenter (born 1913) Paul Warwick, racing driver (born 1969); killed while racing 23 July – Peter Kane, flyweight boxer (born 1918) 24 July – Freddie Brown, English cricketer (born 1910) 27 July – Martin Attlee, 2nd Earl Attlee, politician and son of Clement Attlee (born 1927) 30 July Tom Bridger, racing driver (born 1934) Arthur Rook, dermatologist (born 1918) August thumb|135px|Vince Taylor 6 August Arthur Pentelow, actor (born 1924) Max Rostal, violinist (born 1905, Austria-Hungary) 10 August – Jessie Robins, actress (born 1905) 11 August – Alan Spenner, bass player (born 1948) 12 August – Edward George Bowen, CBE, physicist (born 1911) 13 August – John Sommerfield, writer and left-wing activist (born 1908) 17 August – Lorna Hill, children's author (born 1902) 18 August – David Gale, actor (born 1936) 19 August – Xan Fielding, author, journalist and traveller (born 1918) 23 August – Innes Lloyd, television producer (born 1925) 26 August – John Petts, artist (born 1914) 28 August – Vince Taylor, rock singer (born 1939) 29 August – Dallas Adams, actor (born 1947) 30 August Cyril Knowles, English footballer (born 1944) Alan Wheatley, actor (born 1907) 31 August – Gerry Davis, television scriptwriter (born 1930) September 8 September – Gordon Gunson, footballer (born 1904)https://www.lfchistory.net/Players/Player/Profile/646 PLAYERS - GORDON GUNSON LFCHistory.net 15 December 2022 December 15, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221215151318/https://www.lfchistory.net/Players/Player/Profile/646 live 12 September – Sir Ewan Forbes, 11th Baronet, nobleman, doctor and farmer (born 1912) 13 September – Robert Irving, orchestral conductor (born 1913) 16 September Ernest Davies, politician and journalist (born 1902) Carol White, actress (born 1943) 17 September – John Tocher, trade unionist and communist activist (born 1925) 18 September – Harry Sandbach, academic (born 1903) 19 September – Sir Theodore McEvoy, RAF air marshal (born 1904) 21 September – Gordon Bashford, car designer (born 1916) 24 September – Peter Bellamy, singer (born 1944); suicide 27 September Roy Fuller, poet (born 1912) Joe Hulme, footballer and cricketer (born 1904) 28 September – Ellic Howe, author (born 1910) October thumb|135px|Andrzej Panufnik 2 October – Peter Heyworth, music critic and biographer (born 1921, United States) 5 October – Martin Ennals, human rights activist (born 1927) 6 October – Elaine Burton, Baroness Burton of Coventry, politician (born 1904) 12 October – Taso Mathieson, racing driver and author (born 1908) 13 October Donald Houston, actor (born 1923) Hugh Molson, Baron Molson, politician (born 1903) 17 October – J. G. Devlin, actor (born 1907) 20 October – Clifford Last, English-born Australian sculptor (born 1918) 22 October – Joy Harington, actress, writer, producer and director (born 1914) 23 October – Job Stewart, actor (born 1934) 25 October – John Stratton, actor (born 1925) 27 October George Barker, poet (born 1913) Sir Andrzej Panufnik, composer and musician (born 1914, Poland) 29 October Sir Cyril Black, politician (born 1902) Donald Churchill, actor and playwright (born 1930) Sir Nigel Poett, Army general (born 1907) November thumb|135px|Freddie Mercury 3 November – Raymond Blackburn, politician (born 1915) 5 November – Robert Maxwell, media proprietor (born 1923, Czechoslovakia) 8 November – Dave Rowbotham, singer (born 1958); murdered by unknown hand 10 November – Marjorie Abbatt, toy-maker and businesswoman (born 1899)10.1093/ref:odnb/49549 Abbatt, Marjorie 11 November – Nellie Halstead, athlete (born 1910) 14 November – Tony Richardson, film director (born 1928) 17 November – Eileen Agar, painter and photographer (born 1899, Argentina) 18 November Reg Parlett, artist (born 1904) J. P. Stern, literary scholar (born 1920, Austria) 24 November Anton Furst, production designer (born 1944); suicide in the United States Freddie Mercury, singer (Queen) (born 1946)Freddie Mercury Biography, Parents, Songs, & Facts Britannica https://www.britannica.com/biography/Freddie-Mercury www.britannica.com 9 January 2022 en December thumb|135px|Gordon Pirie 3 December – Alex Graham, cartoonist (born 1918) 4 December – Cliff Bastin, English footballer (born 1912) 5 December – Jack Trevor Story, novelist (born 1917) 6 December Rodney Ackland, actor, playwright and screenwriter (born 1908) Mimi Smith, nurse, secretary and aunt of John Lennon (born 1906) Richard Stone, economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913) 7 December Dame Judith Hart, politician, first woman Paymaster General (born 1924) Gordon Pirie, long-distance runner (born 1931) 12 December – Ronnie Ross, jazz saxophonist (born 1933) 14 December John Arlott, journalist, author and cricket commentator (born 1914) Robert Eddison, actor (born 1908) 15 December – Ray Smith, actor (born 1936) 16 December – H. C. Casserley, railway photographer (born 1903) 18 December – George Abecassis, racing driver (born 1913) 19 December – Paul Maxwell, actor (born 1921) 20 December John Brian Harley, cartographer (born 1932) Samuel Rabin, artist and Olympic wrestler (born 1903) 21 December – Colin Douglas, actor (born 1912) 28 December – Sir Alfred Dudley Ward, Army general (born 1905) 29 December – Dora Gordine, sculptor (born 1895, Russian Empire) 31 December – Christopher Steel, composer (born 1938) See also 1991 in British music 1991 in British television List of British films of 1991 References 30em 1991 Category:Years of the 20th century in the United Kingdom United Kingdom