Long to reign over us - 2000s

This post covers the key events in the 2000s which I included in my presentation on the 70 years of HM The Queen's reign to the Sunniside History Society earlier this month.

2000

The Millennium Bug failed to happen

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother celebrates her 100th birthday

David Copeland is found guilty of causing the three nail bomb attacks in London last year. He is sentenced to life imprisonment and the trial judge recommends that he should serve at least thirty years before being considered for parole

2001

Foot and Mouth disease outbreak occurs

Tony Blair leads Labour to 2^nd landslide general election win. William Hague resigns as Conservative Leader and is replaced by Iain Duncan Smith

On 13^th September The Queen orders the Changing of the Guard ceremony to be paused for a two-minute silence, followed by the playing of the American national anthem in tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks two days earlier in the USA

UK takes part in the invasion of Afghanistan

2002

Princess Margaret dies

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother dies aged 101

The Queen's Golden Jubilee is celebrated across the country 

2003 

UK takes part in invasion of Iraq after claims of weapons of mass destruction in the country.

President Vladimir Putin becomes the first Russian head of state to make a state visit to Britain since Tsar Alexander II in 1874

Iain Duncan Smith resigns as Conservative leader, replaced by Michael Howard

2004

The government announces plans to prohibit smoking in most enclosed public places (including workplaces) within the next three years 

150 UK citizens are among thousands killed by the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami 

2005

Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles

Labour under Blair win a 3^rd election in a row but with majority cut to 66

Michael Howard resigns as Conservative leader and is replaced by David Cameron

Terror attacks take place on the London Underground

2006

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 80th birthday

The BBC announces that Grandstand, its flagship sports TV programme, will be phased out within the next year after nearly 50 years on air

Home Secretary John Reid attacks the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown for being 'presumptuous' and 'disloyal' for openly campaigning to replace Tony Blair as Prime Minister

The British government pays off the Anglo-American loan made in 1946

2007

Tony Blair resigns as Labour leader, replaced by Gordon Brown who becomes PM

London announced as venue for the 2012 Olympics

A smoking ban came into effect in all enclosed public places in England

Northern Rock bank obtains an emergency loan from the Bank of England 

Gordon Brown confirms that there will be no early General Election, prompting the media to call him 'Bottler Brown'

Final switching off of the analogue signal for UK terrestrial tv

2008

Northern Rock bank was nationalised by the government at the start of the financial crisis

The inquest into the death of Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, hears that there is "not a shred of evidence" that The Duke of Edinburgh or MI6 ordered her death

Boris Johnson defeated Ken Livingstone in the election for London Mayor

Economy contracts as the financial crisis expands

The government announced a bank rescue package worth some £500 billion as a response to the financial crisis 

Woolworths announced their 807 UK stores will close

MFI closed all 111 of its stores

2009

Lloyds completes takeover of HBOS which was later found to have made a loss of £11 billion in 2008

Share price of RBS collapses 67% in one day. The company then had to be nationalised

MP expenses scandal breaks

Whitelee Wind Farm, the largest onshore wind farm in Europe, officially opens in Scotland

November was the wettest month on record with average rainfall of 21cm