Labour Leadership Campaign Launch
Starmer launches his campaign to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
2020 in Great Britain
Explore 85 historical events and records for Great Britain in 2020.
Historical records for Great Britain in 2020
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 85 unique records.
85Unique records
1 of 3Page
29Named events on this page
23Named people on this page
10Places on this page
January
Withdrawal Agreement Act
The European Union Withdrawal Agreement Act receives royal assent.
Brexit
The United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
February
1917 Awards
Wins Academy Awards recognition for the film 1917 though not Best Picture
March
COVID-19
Publishes the United Kingdom coronavirus action plan.
The Mirror and the Light
Publication of The Mirror and the Light.
Emergency Bank Rate Cut and TFSME
Mark Carney leads the Bank of England as Bank Rate is cut to 0.25 percent and a new Term Funding Scheme is introduced to support lending during the Covid-19 shock.
COVID-19
Advises the UK government on scientific aspects of the COVID-19 response.
Bank Rate Cut to 0.1 Percent
Andrew Bailey leads the Bank of England as Bank Rate is cut to 0.1 percent and the Monetary Policy Committee authorises an additional two hundred billion pounds of asset purchases.
COVID-19
Announces the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Furlough Scheme
Announces the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
COVID-19
Announces the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.
COVID-19
Announces he has tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19
Announces he has tested positive for COVID-19.
April
COVID-19
Sets a target to expand COVID-19 testing capacity.
Becomes Leader of the Opposition
Starmer assumes the constitutional role of Leader of His Majesty's Official Opposition.
Election as Labour Leader
Labour members elect Starmer as party leader.
COVID-19
Admitted to hospital after continuing COVID-19 symptoms.
Interstellar Comet Borisov Composition
Jewitt uses Hubble observations to help show that interstellar Comet Borisov contains unusually abundant carbon monoxide.
First Prime Minister's Questions
Starmer questions the Government at Prime Minister's Questions for the first time.
COVID-19
Oxford researchers begin human trials of the ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccine.
Oxford Vaccine
Oxford researchers begin human trials of the ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccine.
May
Death of Dave Greenfield
Dies after testing positive for COVID-19 during treatment for heart problems.
Golden Boot Premier League
Scores 23 goals for Leicester City to claim the Premier League scoring honour. The achievement reflects becoming the oldest outright Premier League Golden Boot recipient.
June
Premier League Title
Captains Liverpool to their first league title in thirty years.
July
Premier League Survival
A draw at West Ham ensures Aston Villa remains in the Premier League.
Beyond the Pale Album
Releases Beyond the Pale with JARV IS..., topping the UK Record Store Chart.
August
FA Cup Winner
Rob Holding delivered determined defending as Chelsea attempted to find an equaliser as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the 2020 FA Cup final at Wembley.
FA Cup Winner
Kieran Tierney supported Arsenal's defensive organisation and transitions down the left as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the 2020 FA Cup final at Wembley.
October
Nobel Prize
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of hepatitis C virus.
Nobel Prize
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for showing that black hole formation is a robust prediction of general relativity.
Tier Three Funding Dispute
Burnham challenges the Government's financial offer during negotiations over stricter coronavirus restrictions.
Response to Equality Commission Report
Starmer accepts the findings of the investigation into antisemitism within the Labour Party.
Suspension of Jeremy Corbyn
Labour suspends Jeremy Corbyn following his response to the equality investigation.
COVID-19
Announces a second national lockdown for England.
Death of Sean Connery
Death of actor Sean Connery.
Second Lockdown
Announces a second national lockdown for England.
December
Trade Agreement Negotiated
Concludes negotiations on the UK EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Trade and Cooperation Agreement
The UK and EU agree the Trade and Cooperation Agreement before the transition ends.
Transition Period Ends
The Brexit transition period ends and new UK EU trading rules begin.
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.