Crisis
Michael Heseltine resigns as a result of the Westland Helicopter crisis
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1986 in Great Britain
Explore 172 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1986.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1986
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 172 unique records.
172Unique records
1 of 5Page
32Named events on this page
17Named people on this page
11Places on this page
January
Resignation of Michael Heseltine
Announces his resignation after walking out of a Cabinet meeting during the Westland dispute.
Resignation of Michael Heseltine
Heseltine's Cabinet resignation becomes a major political consequence of the Westland dispute.
Resignation of Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine resigns from Cabinet during the Westland crisis
Westland Crisis
Resigns from the Cabinet during the Westland helicopter crisis.
Westland Crisis
Michael Heseltine resigns as Secretary of State for Defence during the Westland helicopter crisis.
Channel Tunnel
Mitterand & Thatcher agree to undertake the Channel building project
South Down By-Election Re-election
Wins the South Down by-election after Unionist MPs resign their seats to campaign against the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
President of Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
Crisis
Resigns over the Westland Affair
Crisis
Resigns over the Westland Affair
Resignation of Leon Brittan
Resigns over the Westland Affair
Resignation of Leon Brittan
Leon Brittan resigns
Seventh Star
Sings on Seventh Star, originally planned as a Tony Iommi solo project.
February
Treaty of Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel Treaty with France is signed
Single European Act
Signs the Single European Act expanding European integration and single market commitments.
March
Constitution of Great Britain
Signs the Australia Bill in severing constitutional ties with Britain
Constitution of Great Britain
Signs the Australia Bill in severing constitutional ties with Britain
Independence of Australia
Signs the Australia Bill in severing constitutional ties with Britain
Independence of Great Britain
Signs the Australia Bill in severing constitutional ties with Britain
Legislation
Signs the Australia Bill in severing constitutional ties with Britain
1st Colour Pictures
Today becomes the 1st national daily to carry colour pictures
European Community Debate
Speaks in a Commons debate on the European Community while continuing his long-standing opposition to supranational European integration.
Death of Ray Milland
Death of Ray Milland
April
Bombing of Libya
Agrees to President Reagan's request to use US aircraft based in Britain to bomb Libya. Agreed due to US support in the Falklands & Article 51 of the United Nations Treaty
Bombing of Libya
The US confirms that it will be using British bases to bomb Libya. Carried out by 16 F1-11s based in the UK on 5 terrorist targets
Bombing of Tripoli
The US uses Britain as a base to launch an 11 minute attack on Gadaffis HQ in Tripoli
European Communities Amendment Bill
Explains the Single European Act to the House of Commons while moving legislation needed to give its treaty changes effect in United Kingdom law.
Rangers Player-Manager Appointment
Becomes Rangers player-manager and begins a major rebuilding of the club.
May
Summit
3-6 May, attends the Tokyo G7 summit
Liverpool League and FA Cup Double
Wins the League and FA Cup Double in his first season as Liverpool player-manager.
Environment Secretary Appointment
Nicholas Ridley became Secretary of State for the Environment in the Thatcher government.
Secretary of State for the Environment
Appointed Secretary of State for the Environment
June
Invisible Touch
Sings on Invisible Touch, the band's most commercially successful studio album.
Every Beat of My Heart
Releases Every Beat of My Heart, including a title song reflecting Scottish family roots.
Sanctions
Attends an EC summit & opposes sanctions against South Africa
Summit Meeting
Attends an EC summit & opposes sanctions against South Africa
Labyrinth
Stars as Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth and contributes songs to the film soundtrack.
Six-Goal Golden Boot
Scores six goals for England and finishes as Mexico 1986's leading marksman.
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.