GLC
When the time came to choose who would lead London Labour in GLC election, Livingstone put his name down, but was challenged by the moderate Andrew McIntosh, McIntosh beat Livingstone by 14 votes to 13
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1980 in Great Britain — Page 2
Explore 297 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1980.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1980
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 297 unique records.
297Unique records
2 of 8Page
26Named events on this page
22Named people on this page
6Places on this page
April
Joy Division
With Martin Hannett again producing, the band record their second album Closer Britannia Row Studios
Joy Division
With Martin Hannett again producing, the band record their second album Closer Britannia Row Studios
Joy Division
With Martin Hannett again producing, the band record their second album Closer Britannia Row Studios
Joy Division
With Martin Hannett again producing, the band record their second album Closer Britannia Row Studios
May
Iranian Embassy Siege
Metropolitan Police command hands final assault responsibility to the SAS.
Iranian Embassy Siege
Authorises final action as the Iranian Embassy siege reaches its end.
Iranian Embassy Siege
The SAS storms the Iranian Embassy and ends the hostage siege.
Operation Nimrod
Leads the SAS structure involved in Operation Nimrod.
Operation Nimrod
Commands the SAS assault that ends the Iranian Embassy siege.
West Ham FA Cup Victory
Manages second-tier West Ham United to a 1-0 FA Cup final victory over Arsenal.
Death of Deborah Curtis
Curtis hangs himself in the kitchen of his home; Deborah Curtis, his wife, discovers his body
Death of Ian Curtis
Curtis hangs himself in the kitchen of his home; Deborah Curtis, his wife, discovers his body
Joy Division
Curtis hangs himself in the kitchen of his home; Deborah Curtis, his wife, discovers his body
Publicly apologises to Saudi Arabia for the film Death of a Princess
Publicly apologises to Saudi Arabia for the film "Death of a Princess"
Saudi Arabia
Apologises to Saudi Arabia over the Death of a Princess broadcast dispute.
Birth of Steven George Gerrard
Birth of Steven George Gerrard
June
Goal Against Belgium
Scores England's goal with a lofted finish in the 1-1 European Championship draw with Belgium.
Economy of Great Britain
The British annual inflation rate stands at 21%, the first fall in two years
Inflation
The British annual inflation rate stands at 21%, the first fall in two years
Inflation
Sees inflation begin to fall after reaching very high levels.
G7
Attends the G7 summit in Venice.
Venice G7
Attends the Venice G7 summit with other major industrial leaders.
Joy Division
The posthumous single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is released
July
First Official Pulp Concert
Performs with Pulp at Rotherham Arts Centre in the band's first official concert.
Independent Nuclear Deterrent
Thatcher presents Trident as essential to the maintenance of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent
Trident
Announces the Trident decision to the House of Commons.
Trident
Francis Pym announces that Britain will purchase Trident.
Trident
The Thatcher Government decides to acquire the Trident missile system as the successor to Polaris
Moscow Olympics
Some British athletes compete in Moscow despite government boycott pressure.
Death of Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers dies in London aged 54.
John Lennon takes a cruise to
John Lennon takes a cruise to Bermuda, where his songwriting muse is rekindled
BP Nigeria
Faces Nigerian nationalisation of BP assets during diplomatic tension.
Foreign Policy Statement at London
Nigeria announces that it is nationalizing BP's assets in Nigeria
August
Ashes to Ashes
Releases Ashes to Ashes, revisiting Major Tom and becoming a major UK number one single.
Employment Act
Sees the Employment Act receive Royal Assent.
Employment Act
Begins the first stage of Conservative trade union law reform.
Clegg Commission
Completes the report on public sector pay comparability.
Clegg Commission
Receives the Clegg report on public sector pay comparability.
Economy of Great Britain
The Clegg Commission completes its report on pay comparability in the public sector
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.