2023 In Politics: From Doomed Pledges To The Rise And Fall Of Top Political Players

Many hoped 2023 would be a calmer and more harmonious affair than the chaos of the previous year, which saw three Prime Ministers in three months, the death of the Queen, war in Europe, and a cost of living crisis.

However, it became clear very quickly in 2023 that the turbulent times in British politics that have been seen over the last few years are far from over.

Here are the major political moments of 2023:

4 January – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave a speech outlining the government’s five pledges for the year, which were to then set much of the narrative for political discourse in 2023: Halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists, and stop the boats. So far he has met only one: inflation.

11 January – Andrew Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, posted a tweet comparing Covid-19 vaccines to The Holocaust. He then had the Conservative Party whip removed for spreading misinformation. In April he was expelled from the party permanently and later joined the Reclaim Party, becoming their first and only MP, but has since resigned from the party.

16 January – The UK government announced it would block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill due to concerns about how it would affect UK-wide equality law. The Scottish government then tried to challenge this with a judicial review, but it was rejected by the judge.

29 January – Nadhim Zahawi was sacked as Chair of the Conservative Party after an inquiry found he had committed a "serious breach of the ministerial code" over his tax affairs.

8 February – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the UK for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, addressing parliamentarians in Westminster Hall and then visiting King