2025 was another mammoth year for UK politics, as Labour battled Reform and Donald Trump loomed large over the world. We look back on the highs and lows of the year
Keir Starmer once promised to make politics less of a soap opera.
But 2025 served up another gripping instalment, with heroes, villains and at times scarcely believable plotlines. There were U-turns, resignations and tears, as Labour struggled with the transition from opposition to the grinding business of governing.
A new cast of characters came to the fore as Britain’s two-party system splintered. Reform surged in the polls and edged the Tories further to the side lines – but Nigel Farage was plagued by scandal as scrutiny of his record intensified.
The Green, reinvigorated by new leader Zack Polanski, seized ground on the left while Jeremy Corbyn‘s new outfit Your Party struggled to break free from its own chaos. And all the while Britain was buffeted by turbulence abroad.
READ MORE: Top minister says Keir Starmer will remain as PM and issues brutal Reform attack
The world watched from behind its hands as Donald Trump began his second term in the White House. The devastating conflict in Gaza ended in a fragile peace but the suffering continued to horrify the world. Vladimir Putin frustrated efforts to find a peace deal in Ukraine as the fourth anniversary of his illegal invasion approached.
Here we look at the highs and lows of another mammoth year.
January
Elon Musk waded into UK politics with a flurry of attacks on Keir Starmer over the grooming gangs scandal. The Government bowed to pressure and ordered a rapid investigation into the grooming and rape of young girls in England over several decades.
Rachel Reeves jetted to China to court investors but came under fire as global economic turmoil saw borrowing costs surge. Tulip Siddiq resigned as Treasury Minister amid pressure over an anti-corruption probe linked to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the deposed leader of Bangladesh
Donald Trump’s second presidency began with a lavish inauguration. The US President signed a raft of executive orders making sweeping changes to the economy, immigration and ripping up climate change policies.
February
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK took the lead in a YouGov poll for the first time. Health Minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked for sending offensive WhatsApps in a group for Manchester Labour politicians.
Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, was charged with taking Russian bribes when he was an MEP. Keir Starmer announced the UK would hike defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, funded by cuts to the foreign aid budget.
Mr Starmer met Donald Trump in the Oval Office for talks, where he wooed the US President with the offer of an unprecedented second state visit. His charm offensive revealed an unlikely bromance with the mercurial US President.
The next day, the world watched aghast as Mr Trump mounted an extraordinary attack on President Voldymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
March
Keir Starmer invited President Zelensky to No10 and embraced the Ukrainian President in the street outside. Ukraine’s allies rallied round, with around 20 countries volunteering to join a Coalition of the Willing to support a future peace deal.
Former Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit after being handed a suspended sentence for punching a man in a late-night brawl. The move triggered a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby. Former SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would step down as an MSP at the Holyrood elections in 2026.
Keir Starmer announced plans to NHS England to slash bureaucracy and reform the way the health service is run. Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement sparked a backlash over plans to cut disability benefits, which the Government’s own analysis warned would push 250,000 people into poverty
April
Donald Trump declared war on “foreign cheaters” with a Liberation Day tariff blitz, sending markets reeling.
Rishi Sunak named a bunch of Tory pals in his resignation honours, including a peerage for Michael Gove, and knighthoods for Jeremy Hunt and James Cleverly. Former Tory MP Craig Williams was among 15 people charged with betting offences after being accused of gambling on the date of the 2024 general election.
The UK Government seized control of Scunthorpe steelworks to stop it from closing, with Parliament recalled for a rare Saturday sitting.
Free breakfast clubs opened in the first 750 schools, ahead of a national rollout. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, aged 88.
May
Reform toppled Labour in the Runcorn by-election and swept to power in councils across England. Labour’s renationalisation of the railways began with South Western Railway is taken into public ownership
Robert Francis Prevost – to be known as Pope Leo XIV – becomes the first North American elected as to lead the Catholic Church.
The PM signed a US-UK trade deal to shield British businesses from the worst of the US President’s trade tariffs. The UK also agreed a deal with the EU to draw a line under years of Brexit battles.
Arson attacks took place at two properties and a car linked to the Prime Minister.
Mr Starmer took the fight to Reform in a speech accusing Mr Farage of “fantasy economics” that could “crash the economy” like Liz Truss. But he also faced criticism for echoing Enoch Powell by saying Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers” in a speech promising to slash net migration.
June
The PM said Britain’s armed forces will move to “war-fighting readiness” as he unveiled a blueprint for the nation’s defence. Labour committed to extend free school meals to 500,000 children in families receiving Universal Credit, in a major win for the Mirror ’s campaign.
Reform’s Zia Yusuf resigned and then came back after calling the party’s new MP Sarah Pochin’s call for a burka ban “dumb. Rachel Reeves U-turned on cuts to the winter fuel allowance cut, restoring the lifeline payment to millions of pensioners.
The Chancellor splashed cash on public services in her Spending Review but plans were overshadowed by the growing Labour rebellion on benefit cuts.
Brits were warned to prepare for war on home soil by the national security strategy. Meanwhile, Mr Starmer joined Nato leaders in pledging to raise defence spending to 3.5% by 2035 as the alliance sought to keep Mr Trump on side.
The bill to legalise assisted dying passed its Commons stages.
July
The Government was forced to gut its welfare reforms after a massive Labour revolt. Ms Reeves wiped away tears during Prime Minister’s Questions, forcing aides to quell rumours about her future.
Tory stalwart Norman Tebbitt, a close ally of Margaret Thatcher, died aged 94. Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn set up Your Party, which was immediately beset by infighting.
Donald Trump held talks with Mr Starmer at his Scottish golf course, where he ranted against green energy and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The Prime Minister said the UK would formally recognise a Palestinian state if Israel failed to meet strict conditions.
A major data breach which led to thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK was revealed after an injunction was finally lifted.
August
Reform dominated the headlines with draconian promises on immigration as a wave of protests took place outside asylum hotels. Mr Farage’s plans later unravelled as he rowed back on deporting women and children.
Rushanara Ali resigned as homelessness minister after criticism of her handling of rent hikes at a property she owned. The UK said more seriously ill children will be evacuated from Gaza to receive treatment on the NHS.
Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin in Alaska for talks on a potential ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Nottinghamshire County Council’s Reform leader Mick Barton bans journalists from speaking to his party.
September
Keir Starmer promised a “second phase” of his Government with a shake-up in Downing Street. Zack Polanski was elected as the new leader of the Green Party.
Angela Rayner admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her Hove flat, and later quit, forcing the PM to carry out a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle. Former top Tory Nadine Dorries defected to Reform on the eve of its conference, but the gathering was overshadowed by Ms Rayner’s resignation.
Peter Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador after fresh revelations about his links to notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Donald Trump arrived in the UK for a second state visit.
Hillsborough families celebrated as a law to end state cover-ups was finally introduced. Nigel Farage faced questions about the purchase of his constituency home in Clacton.
Former Liberal Democrat leader Ming Campbell died aged 84.
Andy Burnham triggered speculation about his leadership ambitions at Labour conference but faced a backlash from MPs. Mr Starmer said the next election was a two-way fight with Reform for the “soul of Britain”.
The UK formally recognised Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly. Plans to bring in digital ID were brought forward.
October
Michelle Mone-linked firm PPE Medpro was ordered to pay back £122million for supplying non-compliant gowns during the pandemic.
Politicians paid tribute to three people killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur.
Kemi Badenoch made a raft of promises on axing stamp duty, scrapping the climate change act and bringing in mass deportations at a half-empty Tory conference.
Keir Starmer travelled to Egypt for the signing of the US-led Gaza peace plan.
MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum warned the security services face a “new era” as Russia, China and Iran fuel a dramatic rise in threats posed by foreign states. A row erupted over the collapse of a case against two men accused of spying for China.
Lucy Powell won the race to be Labour’s deputy leader after Angela Rayner resigned. Ms Reeves apologised for breaking housing rules when renting out her family home.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles.
November
Rachel Reeves set hares racing ahead of the highly anticipated Budget with a speech hinting she would bring in a manifesto-busting hike to income tax. A botched bid by No10 to shore up the Prime Minister triggered a briefing war against Wes Streeting.
Leaked reports revealed Ms Reeves had ditched plans to put up income tax in the Budget. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood unveiled an overhaul of human rights laws to speed up deportations, in the biggest asylum system shake-up since the Second World War.
The BBC apologised to Donald Trump over a misleading edit of his 2021 Capitol Hill speech.
Nigel Farage’s former classmates made allegations of racism against him from his school days, which he denied. Reform’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, was handed a 10 and half year prison sentence for taking Russian bribes
The Chancellor put up taxes in the Budget and scrapped the controversial two-child benefit limit – but the whole document was accidentally leaked by the Office for Budget Responsibility ahead of the speech.
The Covid Inquiry said Boris Johnson ’s failure to swiftly bring in restrictions cost thousands of lives. A US-Russia peace plan was condemned for being too favourable to Moscow.
December
OBR boss Richard Hughes resigned after the leak of Budget documents. Your Party adopted its temporary name permanently at a conference plagued by chaos and walkouts.
The Chancellor’s Covid fraud tsar said most of the £10.9billion lost to fraud and error will never be recovered. The Employment Rights Bill finally became law after opposition from Tory and Lib Dem peers, guaranteeing stronger workers rights for millions.
Left-winger Andrea Egan was elected as general secretary of Unison, one of Labour’s key backers, in a blow to Keir Starmer. Resident doctors took part in a five-day walkout after talks with the Government broke down.
Nearly 40 Labour MPs threatened to rebel over plans to scrap jury trials for all but the most serious crimes. The Electoral Commission issued a warning over potential local election delays due to an overhaul of local government.