Public Accounts Committee Membership
Begins service on the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee while also entering the Treasury as Financial Secretary.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1979 in Great Britain — Page 2
Explore 273 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1979.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1979
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 273 unique records.
273Unique records
2 of 7Page
36Named events on this page
22Named people on this page
6Places on this page
May
Prime Minister of Great Britain
Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain, 1st term
Thatcher Government Begins
Continues in Parliament as Margaret Thatcher forms a Conservative government.
Appointment
Appointed Secretary of State for Environment.
Appointment as Defence Secretary
Appointed Secretary of State for Defence as Margaret Thatcher formed her first government, beginning a cabinet tenure that continued until his January 1981 transfer.
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Geoffrey Howe is appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on 5 May 1979.
Departure from Treasury
Healey leaves the Treasury after Labour loses the general election.
Home Secretary of Great Britain
Appointed Home Secretary
Love Song Chart Entry
Love Song enters the Official Singles Chart and becomes the Damned's first UK Top Twenty hit.
Shadow Cabinet
Healey becomes Shadow Chancellor after Labour loses the general election.
Shadow Treasury Return
Healey returns to the opposition front bench as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Financial Secretary of Treasury
Nigel Lawson is appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 6 May 1979.
1979 FA Cup Final Opening Goal
Scores Arsenal's opening goal in the 3-2 FA Cup final victory over Manchester United.
Price Commission
The Price Commission is abolished
Housing and Local Government
Speaks in the Commons on housing and local government shortly after taking office.
Lodger
Releases Lodger, completing the Berlin trilogy with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti.
Lodger
Co-produces Lodger, completing Bowie's Berlin trilogy with Brian Eno.
Ministerial Responsibilities
Answers a parliamentary question on the responsibilities of the Department of the Environment.
Treaty of Accession
Carington signs for Britain as Foreign Secretary at the ceremony admitting Greece.
Treaty of Accession
Maitland signs on Britain's behalf as its senior permanent representative to the European Communities.
Election
Following the electoral defeat, Livingstone told Socialist Organiser that the blame lay solely with the "Labour Governments policies" and the anti-democratic attitude of Callaghan and the Parliamentary Labour Party, calling for greater party democracy and a turn towards a socialist platform
Election
Standing as Labour candidate for Hampstead, Livingstone is defeated by the incumbent Conservative, Geoffrey Finsberg
Election
Enters no 10 quoting St Francis, "where there is discord, may we bring harmony"
Parliamentary Private Secretary
Appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher at the time she became Prime Minister
Socialist Organiser
Following the electoral defeat, Livingstone told Socialist Organiser that the blame lay solely with the "Labour Governments policies" and the anti-democratic attitude of Callaghan and the Parliamentary Labour Party, calling for greater party democracy and a turn towards a socialist platform
June
Direct European Elections
Oversees Commission preparations for the first direct elections to the European Parliament.
European Parliament Elections
Presides over the Commission during the first direct European Parliament elections.
1st Channel Crossing
Pedals the flying "Gossamer Albatross" over the English Channel
Public Sector Land
Answers a parliamentary question concerning public-sector land.
Speech
Makes maiden speech in the House of Commons
The Kids Are Alright Film
Directs the documentary The Kids Are Alright.
Babylon's Burning Top Ten
Babylon's Burning enters the Official Singles Chart and reaches number seven.
Wildlife Policy
Answers a parliamentary question concerning wildlife policy within his departmental responsibilities.
Budget
Attends the European Council & forwards the case for reducing Britains contributions
Planning Inquiries
Answers a parliamentary question on the operation of planning inquiries.
Stranglehold Chart Entry
Stranglehold enters the Official Singles Chart and reaches number twenty-six.
Inner City Policy
Answers a parliamentary question on inner-city policy.
Local Authority Expenditure
Addresses Commons questions on local-authority expenditure.
Local Authority Representatives
Answers Commons questions concerning relations with local-authority representatives.
Urban Partnership Schemes
Addresses Commons questions on urban partnership schemes.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.