Oil Price Record
Brown's government confronts inflationary pressure as oil prices reach a record level.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
2008 in Great Britain — Page 2
Explore 165 historical events and records for Great Britain in 2008.
Historical records for Great Britain in 2008
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 165 unique records.
165Unique records
2 of 5Page
34Named events on this page
9Named people on this page
8Places on this page
July
Housing and Regeneration Act
The Act creates the Homes and Communities Agency and reforms social-housing regulation.
August
Credit Crunch
In one of the biggest losses in UK corporate history, RBS reports a pre-tax loss of œ692 million in the first half, after writing down œ5.9 billion on investments hit by the credit crunch
World Record
Member of Olympic team pursuit squad which breaks the world record in the heats with a time of 3:55:202, beating their Russian opponents comfortably to go through to the final ride-off for silver and gold
Gold Medal
On their way to winning the gold medal, the British Team pursuit break their own world record in a time of 3:53:314, beating their Danish competitors by 6.7 seconds
World Record
On their way to winning the gold medal, the British Team pursuit break their own world record in a time of 3:53:314, beating their Danish competitors by 6.7 seconds
West Ham United
West Ham United officially retire the number 6 shirt as a mark of respect 15 years after his death
September
Large Hadron Collider First Beam
Leads the project as the first proton beam successfully circulates around the full 27-kilometre Large Hadron Collider ring.
Death of Rick Wright
Death of Rick Wright
Gerrard Champions League Goals Against Marseille
Gerrard scores twice in Liverpool's comeback victory at Marseille during the Champions League group stage under Benítez.
Credit Crunch
Brown's Government supports the Lloyds TSB takeover of HBOS and removes competition obstacles because of the severe threat to financial stability.
Large Hadron Collider Incident
Sees an electrical connection failure cause serious damage in one Large Hadron Collider sector, forcing an extended repair programme.
Age of Irresponsibility Speech
Brown calls for an end to irresponsible behaviour in global financial markets.
Global Cooperation Speech
Brown argues that international cooperation is essential during the global financial crisis.
Credit Crunch
The Government takes Bradford and Bingley's mortgage business into public ownership while its deposits and branch network transfer to Abbey National.
HPV Vaccination Programme
The NHS introduces routine HPV vaccination for school-age girls to reduce future cervical-cancer risk through prevention of the principal cancer-causing virus types.
Leadership Challenge
Several Labour MPs publicly question Brown's leadership during the financial crisis.
October
Small Business Finance Proposal
Brown proposes additional European financing support for small businesses.
Bank Recapitalisation
Darling announces capital support, liquidity assistance and guarantees for the banking system.
Bank Rescue Framework
Brown outlines capital, liquidity and guarantee measures supporting the banking system.
Credit Crunch
Brown's Government promises protection for eligible British depositors in failed Icelandic banks as the collapse of Landsbanki and Kaupthing threatens UK savers.
Credit Crunch
Darling announces a major banking rescue combining capital injections, expanded central-bank liquidity and government guarantees for new bank debt.
Credit Guarantee Measures
The rescue plan includes guarantees intended to reopen medium-term bank funding.
Emergency Bank Rescue
Brown announces an emergency programme to recapitalise banks and guarantee funding.
Emergency Banking Plan
Brown unveils capital injections, debt guarantees and expanded liquidity support.
Criticism of Financial Risk-Taking
Brown condemns bankers whose excessive risks threaten households and the wider economy.
Cheltenham Literature Festival
Brown appears as a surprise guest at the Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Bank Capital Injection
The Government commits up to thirty-seven billion pounds to strengthen major banks.
Bank Recapitalisation Allocations
The Government announces capital support for RBS, HBOS and Lloyds TSB.
Bank Recapitalisation Programme
The Government announces detailed capital support for major British banking groups.
Bank Rescue Public Statement
Brown presents state intervention as necessary to protect savings, businesses and employment.
Credit Crunch
The Bank of England provides a short-term secured loan of up to 100 million pounds to stricken Icelandic bank Landsbanki "to help maximise the returns to UK creditors". The 37-billion-pound nationallization announcement is the first implementation of a rescue package for banks that was unveiled last week, which made available 50 billion pounds to inject cash into financial institutions in return for shares
European Bank Support Agreement
Brown joins European leaders coordinating bank recapitalisation and medium-term funding measures.
Financial Stability Address
Brown explains the Government's intervention to stabilise banks and protect the economy.
Implementation of Bank Rescue
The Government begins implementing its bank recapitalisation package.
Nationalization
The 37-billion-pound nationalization announcement is the first implementation of a rescue package for banks that was unveiled last week, which made available 50 billion pounds to inject cash into financial institutions in return for shares
Paris Financial Crisis Talks
Brown promotes coordinated European action to restore bank lending and confidence.
Public Stakes in Banks
Treasury support creates large public stakes in RBS and the Lloyds-HBOS group.
RBS and Lloyds Ownership Stakes
The recapitalisation plan gives taxpayers substantial ownership interests in rescued banks.
Rock of Stability Statement
Brown says the Government will provide stability during severe financial turbulence.
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.