2003 in England

none 2003 Events from 2003 in England Incumbent Politics of England Monarch - Elizabeth II Prime Minister - Tony Blair Events 10 January – Ian Carr, a 27-year-old banned driver with a total of 89 previous convictions (including causing death by dangerous driving), admits causing the death by dangerous driving of a six-year-old girl in Ashington, Northumberland – a crime which sparks widespread public and media outrage across Britain.2003-01-10 Killer driver's 89 convictions en-GB http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2646033.stm 2023-08-05 14 January – Anti-terrorism detective Stephen Oake is murdered in Crumpsall, Manchester by Islamic terrorist Kamel Bourgass after being stabbed eight times while attempting his arrest.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1487755/The-bungled-raid-that-left-a-policeman-face-to-face-with-an-al-Qaeda-assassin.html The bungled raid that left a policeman face to face with an al-Qa'eda assassin Nigel Bunyan 13 April 2005 The Daily Telegraph 25 January – Central line underground train crashes into the tunnel wall at Chancery Lane tube station in London, injuring 34 people. 29 January – Sally Clark, a 38-year-old former solicitor from Cheshire, is released from prison after the Court of Appeal clears her of murdering her two sons, who are believed to have died of Cot Death.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/29/newsid_3412000/3412647.stm 2003: Solicitor cleared of killing sons BBC News 2008-02-13 2003-01-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20080201140345/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/29/newsid_3412000/3412647.stm 1 February 2008 live 31 January – One of the longest prison sentences ever issued in a British court for a motoring offence is handed down on killer driver Ian Carr, who received a 9 1 2-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving – his second conviction for the crime in 12 years.January 2025 medicmedic 15 February – In London, more than 2 million people demonstrate against the Iraq War, the largest demonstration in British history.Williams Hywel Cassell's Chronology of World History https://archive.org/details/cassellschronolo0000will registration London Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2005 0-304-35730-8 653–656 The Chohan family disappear from their home in London.2005-07-01 Chohan murders: Timeline http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4444527.stm 2025-05-17 en-GB 17 February - The London congestion charge, a fee levied on motorists travelling within designated parts of central London, comes into operation. 27 February - Rowan Williams enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury. 28 May – The UEFA Champions League Final at Old Trafford (home to Manchester United) with Juventus beating AC Milan in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw. 10 June – Soham Murders suspect Ian Huntley returns to Woodhill Prison after being treated for the effects of an overdose yesterday. 13 June – First Minister for Children appointed, Margaret Hodge.Charles Clarke Welcomes Margaret Hodge as Minister for Children Department for Children, Schools and Families 2003-06-13 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2003_0110 2011-01-28 15 June – The News of the World publishes an article in which Ian Huntley is photographed in his cell at Woodhill Prison. An undercover reporter had got a job in the prison and was being employed as Huntley's guard. 2 July – Chelsea F.C. are bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for £150million from current chairman Ken Bates, 21 years after he bought the club for £1.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3036838.stm BBC News Russian businessman buys Chelsea 2 July 2003 9 October 2011 10 August – Brogdale enters the UK Weather Records for the highest ever recorded temperature of 38.5 °C. The 2003 European heat wave makes this Britain's hottest summer for 13 years.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/10/newsid_3910000/3910801.stm 2003: Britain swelters in record heat BBC News 2008-02-13 2003-08-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125250/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/10/newsid_3910000/3910801.stm 7 March 2008 live 4 September – The Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham is officially opened by Sir Albert Bore. 18 September – Brent East by-election: Sarah Teather of the Liberal Democrats becomes MP for Brent East after 29 years of Labour control.Press Association 2003-09-19 Who is Sarah Teather? en-GB The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/sep/19/byelections.uk1 2023-08-05 0261-3077 29 October – Iain Duncan Smith resigns after just over two years as leader of the Conservative Party.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/29/newsid_3722000/3722714.stm 2003: Tory Party leader resigns BBC News 2008-02-13 2003-10-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125246/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/29/newsid_3722000/3722714.stm 7 March 2008 live 5 November – The Perch Garage murders in Cornwall.Morris Steven 2005-11-17 Robber brothers deny brutal murder of garage owners en-GB The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/nov/17/ukcrime.stevenmorris 2023-08-05 0261-3077 8 November – Sophie, Countess of Wessex gives birth to her and Prince Edward's first child, a baby girl.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/8/newsid_3724000/3724342.stm 2003: Royal baby born prematurely BBC News 2009-03-18 2003-11-08 16 November – David Davis, the new Shadow Home Secretary, calls for a return of the death penalty for murderers found guilty of the most horrific murders; citing Moors Murderer Ian Brady and Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe as criminals whose crimes would meet the criteria.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3274245.stm BBC News Tories' Davis backs death penalty 16 November 2003 9 October 2011 18 November – Passage of the Local Government Act 2003 including the repeal in England, Northern Ireland and Wales of controversial Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 which prevented local authorities from "promoting homosexuality". Section 28 had already been repealed in Scotland in 2000. 22 November – England are rugby world champions after defeating Australia 20-17 after extra time.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/22/newsid_3747000/3747398.stm 2003: England win Rugby World Cup BBC News 2008-02-13 2003-11-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125056/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/22/newsid_3747000/3747398.stm 7 March 2008 live 26 November – The final Concorde to fly touches down for the last time in Filton, Bristol where it was welcomed by the Duke of York 9 December – The M6 Toll motorway opens, giving the United Kingdom its first toll motorway and providing a northern by-pass for the congested section of the M6 motorway through the West Midlands conurbation. 10 December Anthony J. Leggett wins the Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov and Vitaly Ginzburg "for pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids".https://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2003/ The Nobel Prize in Physics 2003 2008-01-27 Peter Mansfield wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with Paul Lauterbur "for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging".https://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2003/ The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2003 2008-01-27 The Court of Appeal overturns two murder convictions against 40-year-old Wiltshire woman Angela Cannings, who was wrongly convicted of murdering her two baby sons in April last year. Mrs Cannings, who has a surviving daughter, always maintained that her sons were both Cot Death victims.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_3762000/3762944.stm 2003: Mother cleared of murdering babies BBC News 2008-02-13 2003-12-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125301/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_3762000/3762944.stm 7 March 2008 live 12 December – Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones receives a knighthood from the Prince of Wales (now Charles III). 16 December – The Government announces plans to build a new runway at Stansted Airport in Essex and a short-haul runway at Heathrow Airport sparking anger from environmental groups. 17 December Ian Huntley is found guilty of the Soham Murders and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey. A High Court judge will later decide on the minimum number of the years that he will have to serve before being considered for parole. His ex-girlfriend Maxine Carr is found guilty of perverting the course of justice and receives a jail term of three-and-a-half years, but she will be freed on licence (under a new identity to protect her from reprisal attacks) in May 2004 as she has already served 16 months on remand.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/17/newsid_3985000/3985667.stm 2003: Ian Huntley guilty of Soham murders BBC News 2008-02-13 2003-12-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307125219/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/17/newsid_3985000/3985667.stm 7 March 2008 live Home Secretary David Blunkett orders an inquiry into how the police vetting system failed to prevent Ian Huntley from getting a job in a school, after it was revealed at the end of his murder trial that he had been suspected in the past of crimes including underage sex, rape, indecent assault and burglary.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3320187.stm Blunkett launches Huntley inquiry 2009-03-18 BBC News 2003-12-17 26 December – A policeman dies and two others are injured after being shot by a man they were questioning about a suspicious BMW car in Leeds, West Yorkshire. 31 December – David Bieber, a 37-year-old former American marine, is arrested on suspicion of the Boxing Day police shootings in Leeds.2004-12-02 The popular athlete turned killer en-GB http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/3700770.stm 2023-08-05 Births 29 January – Jarell Quansah, English footballer 3 September – Harvey Davies, English footballer 9 December – Chris Sze, Malaysian footballer See also 2003 in Northern Ireland 2003 in Scotland 2003 in Wales References collapsed *England Category:Years of the 21st century in England Category:2000s in England Category:2003 in Europe Category:2003 by country England