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February 2022 in United Kingdom, Politics and Government



1 February – Johnson travels to Kyiv for talks with President Zelensky, amid rising concerns over the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.

  • 2 February
    • The government publishes a white paper on its "levelling up" strategy, which aims to reduce the gap between rich and poor parts of the country by 2030. This includes a 40% increase in research and development spending for the North, Midlands, South West, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.[43][44]
    • COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: 534 coronavirus-related deaths are reported, the highest daily figure since February 2021.
  • 3 February
  • 4 February
    • Policy adviser Elena Narozanski becomes the fifth of Johnson's aides to resign within 24 hours.[53]
    • Peer Nazir Ahmed is jailed for sexual offences against children.[54]
  • 6 February – The Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marks the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne as Queen of the United Kingdom.[55]
  • 7 February
    • The football associations of the four nations of the United Kingdom and Ireland announce they have agreed not to bid for the 2030 World Cup, and will instead attempt a joint bid to host Euro 2028.[56]
    • Footage emerges of West Ham United player Kurt Zouma kicking and punching his pet cat. Essex Police announce they are liaising with the RSPCA and "urgent enquiries are ongoing".[57]
    • Police arrest two people after protesters shouting "traitor" surround Keir Starmer in Westminster.[58]
  • 8 February
  • 9 February
    • Ian Stewart, already convicted for the murder of children's author Helen Bailey, is sentenced to a whole-life order for the killing of his previous wife, Diane Stewart, six years earlier.[62]
    • The UK's terror threat level is lowered from severe to substantial, meaning a terror attack on British soil is considered "likely".[63]
    • Partygate: Another new photo of Johnson is leaked, this time appearing to show him next to a bottle of champagne, with a tinsel-wearing official and other staff members, apparently taken on 15 December 2020.[64]
    • The biggest breakthrough in fusion energy since 1997 is reported by Oxford's JET lab, with 59 megajoules produced over five seconds (11 megawatts of power), more than double the previous record.[65]
  • 10 February
    • Foreign Secretary Liz Truss meets her Russian counterpart in Moscow, Sergey Lavrov. Her visit, the first by a UK foreign secretary in four years, sees her urge Russia to "respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".[66]
    • At a visit to NATO in Brussels, Boris Johnson says that Europe faces "the most dangerous moment" in its "biggest security crisis" for decades. He tells reporters that he hopes "strong deterrence" and "patient diplomacy" can solve the crisis, but the stakes are "very high".[67]
    • Cressida Dick stands down as Met police commissioner after losing the confidence of Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, hours after stating she had no intention of resigning.[68]
  • 11 February
    • The UK records its fastest economic growth since 1941, with new figures showing a 7.5% rise in GDP during 2021. However, this follows the collapse of 9.4% during 2020.[69]
    • The Foreign Office advises UK nationals to leave Ukraine.[70]
  • 13 February – Defence Secretary Ben Wallace tells the Sunday Times that Russia is now "highly likely" to invade Ukraine and says there is a "whiff of Munich in the air", a reference to the appeasement of Germany during the late 1930s.[71]
  • 14 February – An inquiry begins into the Post Office scandal, the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history.[72]
  • 15 February – Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre reach an out-of-court settlement over her civil sex assault claim.[73]
  • 16 February
  • 17 February – The Met Office issues a rare red weather alert for parts of South West England and Wales ahead of the onset of Storm Eunice the following day.[76]
  • 18 February – Storm Eunice becomes one of the most powerful storms to hit the UK in decades, which includes the fastest wind gusts ever recorded in England, blowing at 122 miles per hour (196 km/h) on the Isle of Wight. Millions of people are urged to avoid travel and to stay indoors, with red weather alerts extended to southern and eastern England, and for the first time London. Three people are killed, and widespread damage is reported, which includes the iconic O2 Arena rooftop being partially blown away.[77][78]
  • 20 February – COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: The Queen tests positive for COVID-19. Buckingham Palace says she has "mild cold-like symptoms" but expects to continue "light duties" at Windsor over the coming week.[79][80]
  • 21 February
    • Storm Franklin becomes the third major storm to hit the UK in less than a week, bringing strong winds and widespread flooding.[81]
    • COVID-19 in the United Kingdom: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends an additional booster dose be offered to all adults over-75 and the most vulnerable over-12s in the spring.[82]
  • 22 February – In response to Russia's incursion into Ukraine, the UK announces sanctions on five Russian banks and three individuals.[83]
  • 24 February
    • As Russia escalates to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Johnson condemns Putin and promises "a massive package of sanctions" that will "hobble the Russian economy".[84][85]
    • The FTSE 100 and other markets around the world fall sharply, amid concerns over Russia and Ukraine. Oil prices exceed $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014.[86]
  • 25 February – All British airlines are banned by Russia from landing at its airports and from crossing its airspace, in response to the previous day's banning of Aeroflot from landing in Britain.[87]
  • 26 February
    • Chelsea F.C.'s Russian owner Roman Abramovich says he is "giving trustees of Chelsea's charitable foundation the stewardship and care" of the club.[88]
    • The UK and its allies commit to removing Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, as well as imposing measures on the Russian Central Bank and further restrictions on Russian elites.[89][90]
  • 27 February
    • Thousands of people gather in cities across the UK to show their support for Ukraine.[91]
    • BP announces it will offload its 19.75% stake in Russian state-owned oil firm Rosneft after Russia's "act of aggression in Ukraine".[92]
    • The FA announces that the England national football team will not play against Russia (at any level, age, men or women) for the foreseeable future.[93]
    • Liverpool wins the 2022 EFL Cup Final, defeating Chelsea 11–10 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time.[94] This is Liverpool's 9th League Cup trophy.
  • 28 February – The media regulator Ofcom launches 15 separate investigations into the Russian state owned television news channel RT UK for its coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

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