2013 in England explained

Events from 2013 in England

Events

January

• 3 January – The Met Office reports that 2012 was the wettest year on record for England.^[1]
• 4 January – Mark Cahill, a 51-year-old former pub landlord from West Yorkshire becomes the first person in the UK to receive a hand transplant.^[2]
• 10 January – April Casburn, a senior detective with the Metropolitan Police is found guilty of trying to sell information on the investigation into phone hacking to the News of the World, the newspaper at the centre of the scandal.^[3]
• 16 January – A helicopter crash in central London kills two people and injures 13 others.^[4]
• 22 January – A death sentence handed to British citizen Lindsay Sandiford by an Indonesian court for drug smuggling is condemned by the UK government.^[5]
• 30 January – Tony McCluskie is found guilty of the March 2012 murder of his sister, the actress Gemma McCluskie and jailed for life with a recommendation he serve a minimum term of 20 years.^[6]

February

• 1 February – Metropolitan Police detective April Casburn is jailed for fifteen months.^[7]
• 4 February – Former government Minister Chris Huhne pleads guilty to perverting the course of justice over claims he caused his ex-wife to accept speeding points he had incurred. He also announces his intention to resign his House of Commons seat.^[8]
• 5 February – The House of Commons votes 400 to 175 in favour of a vote on the bill to legalise gay marriage in England and Wales.^[9]
• 7 February – Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove confirms that plans to replace the General Certificate of Secondary Education with a new English Baccalaureate qualification have been abandoned.^[10]
• 28 February – The Eastleigh by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of Chris Huhne, sees the Liberal Democrats hold the seat despite a UKIP surge that pushes the Conservatives into third place.^[11]

March

• 14 March – Labour Party peer Lord Ahmed is suspended from the party after claiming a conspiracy by Jewish-owned media organisations was responsible for his imprisonment for dangerous driving.^[12]
• 26 March – A 14-year-old girl is found dead by police at a house in the Atherton area of Greater Manchester, where four "out of control" dogs are subsequently put down. Police have not confirmed the cause of death, but say her injuries are consistent with those of a dog attack.^[13]

April

• 1 April – Government reforms of the NHS in England have come into force with GP-led groups taking control of local budgets and a new board, NHS England, now overseeing the day-to-day running of services.^[14]

May

• 22 May – Off duty British soldier Lee Rigby murdered by two Muslim converts in a terror attack in Woolwich, London.^[15]

July

• 12 July – The funeral of murdered fusilier Lee Rigby take place in Bury, attendees include Prime Minister David Cameron.^[16]

November

• 21 November – Former non-executive chairman of the Co-operative Bank Paul Flowers is arrested by police in with a drugs supply investigation, having been exposed agreeing to buy cocaine and methamphetamine by the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Flowers is also suspended from the Labour Party and Methodist Church as a result of the allegations.^[17]

Deaths

• 1 January – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Cricket journalist (Test Match Special) (born 1945)
• 8 April – Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of the United Kingdom (1979–1990) (born 1925)^[18]
• 29 June – Jean Kent, actress (born 1921)^[19]

See also

• 2013 in Northern Ireland
• 2013 in Scotland
• 2013 in Wales

Notes and References

1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20898729 Met Office: 2012 was UK's second wettest year on record
2. News: Gallagher . James . UK's first hand transplant operation . BBC News . BBC . 4 January 2013 . 4 January 2013.
3. News: April Casburn guilty of leak to News of the World offer . BBC News . BBC . 10 January 2013 . 10 January 2013.
4. News: London helicopter crash: Two die in Vauxhall crane accident. BBC. BBC News. 16 January 2013. 16 January 2013.
5. News: Government condemns Sandiford death penalty . Channel 4 News . ITN . 22 January 2013 . 23 January 2013.
6. News: EastEnders' Gemma McCluskie death: Brother faces murder trial. BBC News. BBC. 28 September 2012. 28 September 2012.
7. News: Dominic Casciani . April Casburn jailed for News of the World leak offer . BBC News . BBC . 1 February 2013 . 1 February 2013.
8. News: Chris Huhne admits perverting the course of justice . BBC News . BBC . 4 February 2013 . 8 February 2013.
9. News: Craig . Jon . Gay Marriage: MPs Back Bill In Commons Vote . British Sky Broadcasting . Sky News . 5 February 2013 . 7 February 2013.
10. News: Planned switch from GCSEs to Baccalaureate in England "abandoned" . BBC News . BBC . 7 February 2013 . 7 February 2013.
11. News: Eastleigh by-election: Lib Dems hold on despite UKIP surge . BBC News . BBC . 1 March 2013 . 1 March 2013.
12. News: Labour peer Lord Ahmed suspended after "Jewish claims" . BBC News . BBC . 14 March 2013 . 15 March 2013.
13. News: 'Dog attack' girl found dead in Atherton house . BBC News . BBC . 26 March 2013 . 27 March 2013.
14. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21964568 NHS structure changes come into force
15. http://www.smh.com.au/world/muslim-convert-duo-guilty-of-murder-of-uk-soldier-lee-rigby-20131220-hv6iv.html Muslim convert duo guilty of murder of UK soldier Lee Rigby
16. News: Lee Rigby: Military funeral for killed soldier. 12 July 2013. BBC News. 12 July 2013.
17. Web site: Ex Co-op Bank Chairman Paul Flowers Arrested. Sky News.
18. Web site: Margaret Thatcher Biography & Facts . Encyclopedia Britannica . 24 November 2020 . en.
19. Web site: Jean Kent . https://web.archive.org/web/20160510223452/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f4a7a3c . dead . May 10, 2016 . BFI . 29 June 2021 . en.