March 2025
2 March
1 March
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet for talks at 10 Downing Street following Zelensky's visit to Washington the previous day.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chairs-statement-leaders-meeting-on-ukraine-london-2-march-2025
3 March
SNP MSP and deputy presiding officer Annabelle Ewing announces she will not seek re-election to Holyrood in 2026.
4 March
The Home Office launches an advertising campaign in Iraq aimed at discouraging people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard announces he will not seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament at the next election.
The Senedd votes 29–28 to approve the Welsh Government's £26bn budget for 2025–26 after Labour secured the support of Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds to achieve a majority.
https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-governments-26bn-budget-passes/
5 March
In his first major interview since leaving office, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expresses his regret at the use of the "Stop the boats" slogan, describing it as "too stark, too binary".
The UK government launches a consultation process on replacing the windfall tax on the profits of energy companies when it comes to an end in 2030.
SNP ministers Shona Robison and Fiona Hyslop announce they will stand down from Holyrood at the next Scottish election.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe criticises the party's leadership under Nigel Farage, describing it as a "protest party led by the Messiah".
6 March
UK officials say that around 20 countries, largely from Europe and the Commonwealth, are interested in joining a "coalition of the willing" to provide support to Ukraine.
Starmer attends a UK–Ireland summit in Liverpool alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin at which he says the two countries have "turned a page on the turbulent years" and are ready for a meaningful partnership.
Conservative peer Lord Hamilton apologises after saying the Jewish community should "pay for their own" Holocaust memorial because they have "an awful lot of money" during a House of Lords debate on plans for a memorial near Parliament.
7 March
Reform UK suspends MP Rupert Lowe from the party and refers him to police, alleging he has made "threats of physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf.
Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and city politician Derek Hatton are charged with bribery and misconduct relating to council contracts, along with 10 others.
Former Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart says that Mark Drakeford, the country's First Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, "dented people's confidence" in the UK government by saying successful aspects of the fight against COVID were Welsh Government policy and the unsuccessful were UK government policy.
8 March
Former national security adviser Mark Sedwill tells the BBC's The Week at Westminster the potential deployment of UK troops to Ukraine could last "many years".
9 March
10 March
Mike Amesbury confirms he will stand down as the MP for Runcorn and Helsby following his conviction for assault, triggering a by-election.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper rejects calls from the family of David Amess for a public inquiry into his murder.
Former Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire is introduced into the House of Lords.
Carol Beattie is appointed chief executive of the Scottish National Party after taking on the post in an acting role following the resignation of her predecessor, Murray Foote.
11 March
The Metropolitan Police launch an investigation into Rupert Lowe over allegations of making "verbal threats".
The Democracy and Boundary Commission has decided that all Senedd seats will have Welsh language only names from 2026.
Reform UK gains its first representative on Falkirk Council following the defection of ex-Conservative turned Independent councillor Claire Mackie-Brown.
Rupert Lowe promises to launch his own inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.
12 March
Keir Starmer says the UK will "keep all options on the table" regarding Donald Trump's steel and aluminium tariffs.
All 404 Labour MPs are summoned to Downing Street for a briefing on the spring statement.
Former First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, announces she will stand down from the Scottish Parliament at the 2026 election.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting calls for his former assistant Sam Gould to resign from Redbridge London Borough Council after he admitted to indecent exposure.
The requirement for a High Court judge to approve applications is dropped by the bill committee of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
South Kesteven councillor Rosemary Trollope-Bellew leaves Reform UK just 11 days after joining.
13 March
Keir Starmer announces that NHS England will be abolished in order to "cut bureaucracy".
First Minister of Scotland John Swinney holds talks with Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, at Bute House.
Chorley councillor Craige Southern is convicted of assault.
14 March
Labour chooses Karen Shore, the deputy leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council to contest the 2025 Runcorn and Helsby by-election.
A hearing at the Old Bailey sets a trial date of 29 June 2026 for Nathan Gill, who is accused of accepting bribes to make statements in the European Parliament that would have been beneficial to Russia.
The High Court rules that former Home Secretary Suella Braverman acted unlawfully by housing three asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield in Essex between July 2023 and February 2024, where they lived in "prison like" conditions.
17 March
King Charles III meets newly-appointed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Buckingham Palace.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage welcomes a further 29 councillors, who have defected to the party in recent weeks.
The Refugee Council report that almost 42,000 asylum seekers are waiting for an appeal hearing after the Home Office.
18 March
A crackdown on government-funded credit cards is announced, with plans to reduce the 20,000 estimated to be in circulation by 50%.
19 March
King Charles III and Queen Camilla pay an official visit to Northern Ireland, which includes a private meeting with the First and Deputy First Ministers.
20 March
Private WhatsApp messages are revealed in which Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accuses Rupert Lowe of "damaging the party just before elections" following a Daily Mail article in which he described Reform as being a "protest party" led by "the Messiah".
In a post on social media, Mr Lowe said the alleged leaked messages "prove that he [Mr Farage] kicked me out of the party and launched this malicious witch hunt because I dared to ask reasonable questions of Reform".
"His visceral hatred of me is evident, particularly following the Daily Mail interview," Mr Lowe continued
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell appears before Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with embezzlement, while his estranged wife, former Nicola Sturgeon, is told she will face no further action in the police investigation into SNP finances.
Kemi Badenoch launches the Conservative local election campaign at an event in Buckinghamshire.
Jo Coburn announces her departure from the BBC and as host of the programme BBC Politics Live.
21 March
SNP MSP Fergus Ewing announces he will not stand for the party at the 2026 Holyrood election, but may run as an independent.
Leaked messages deepen the row between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe.
Rachel Reeves pledges no "tax and spend" in her spring statement.
22 March
The UK government is reported to be considering establishing "return hubs" for failed asylum seekers in the Balkans.
23 March
Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirms plans to reduce government running costs by 15% by the end of the decade.
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, dismisses Starmer's plan for an international peacekeeping force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine as "a posture and a pose".
25 March
The UK government confirms it is ending a contract with Stay Belvedere Hotels to provide places for asylum seekers after an audit identified concerns about the firm's performance.
A report by Jacqueline Perry KC finds "credible evidence" Rupert Lowe and his staff mistreated two female team members in ways that "seem to amount to harassment".
Laurence Fox is charged with a sexual offence after allegedly sharing an intimate image of television star Narinder Kaur without her consent.
26 March
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the March 2025 United Kingdom spring statement to the House of Commons.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spring-statement-2025
Key Policy Areas:
* Increased defense spending, with a move towards 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, and ambitions to increase to 3% in the next parliament.
* Significant investments in capital infrastructure, including transport and housing.
* Measures aimed at boosting skills and employment, particularly in the construction sector.
* Changes to welfare spending, and changes to disability benefits, including PIP and Universal Credit.
* Plans for public service reform, supported by a Transformation Fund.
28 March
Matthew Doyle announces he is stepping down as Downing Street Director of Communications.
Sinn Féin councillor Cathal King is suspended for two months from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council by the Northern Ireland Local Government Commission for Standards for being drunk in charge of a car.
Alba Party leadership election
How can it be equitable that one demographic group is systematically denied a procedural safeguard available to others? This appears to contradict fundamental principles of fairness and equality under the law
The phrase "two-tier justice" has become central to a significant controversy surrounding the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. Here's a breakdown of the situation:
* The Core Issue:
* The Sentencing Council issued new guidelines that recommend judges and magistrates "usually" obtain a pre-sentence report for offenders from ethnic, cultural, or faith minorities, as well as other groups like young adults and women.
* This guidance aims to address potential disparities in sentencing and ensure that judges have a comprehensive understanding of an offender's background.
* The "Two-Tier" Accusation:
* Critics, including some politicians, have argued that these guidelines create a "two-tier" justice system, where individuals from certain backgrounds receive preferential treatment.
* They contend that it could lead to unequal sentencing, with some offenders being less likely to receive custodial sentences based on their background.
* The Sentencing Council's Position:
* The Sentencing Council defends its guidelines, stating that they are based on evidence of disparities in sentencing outcomes and aim to ensure fairness.
* They highlight that the purpose of the guidelines are to insure that judges have all of the relevant information before sentencing, and that this will help to make for more fair sentencing.
* Political Fallout:
* This issue has ignited a political debate, with calls for the government to intervene and overrule the Sentencing Council.
* There have also been calls for the abolition of the sentencing council.
How can it be equitable that one demographic group is systematically denied a procedural safeguard available to others? This appears to contradict fundamental principles of fairness and equality under the law
29 March
BBC News reports that Amanda Spielman, who was chief inspector of Ofsted at the time Ruth Perry committed suicide following a poor Ofsted assessment, has been nominated for a peerage by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
Three Bolsover District Councillors resign from the Labour Party in protest at Keir Starmer's leadership, and will sit as independents.
30 March
PM Keir Starmer causes online discussion by his non action in X. Public frustration, with users criticising Starmer for prioritising religious celebrations over national holidays, amid ongoing debates about his engagement with British Muslim communities and perceived neglect of Christian traditions.
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