UK Year in Review

In 2015 the UK saw an unexpected general election result, the birth of a second royal baby and ended with the Britain entering a bombing campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria. Our reporter Catherine Drew in London, takes a look back at the year.



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The spring of 2015 saw the newest addition to the British Royal Family, as the duke and duchess of cambridge welcomed their second child. Princess Charlotte became fourth in line to the throne behind her older brother prince george.

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Royalists camped out at the hospital for days hoping to catch a glimpse of the arrival. One of them was 80 year old Terry Hut who sports a union jack suit for such occasions.

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the Royal birth came just 5 days before Britain headed to the polls for a General Election in early May…which saw the end of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition and against all the polls, the Conservatives win a majority with David Cameron continuing as Prime Minister.

Against all the opinion polls, the Conservatives won a majority with David Cameron continuing as Prime Minister.

a collapse for the opposition Labour party, saw the departure of leader Ed Miliband and the rise of Scotland's National Party, which with 56 MPs, booted out the Liberal Democrats as the third political party. Leader Alex Salmond was jubilant as the results came in.

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”The Scottish lion has roared this morning across the country (cheers)"

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Labour’s troubles weren’t over. Left winger Jeremy Corbyn was far from the first choice of his fellow MP’s for the job of leader to replace Ed Miliband…..but the leftwing veteran won with the strong support of Labour party members.

This put the party in turmoil, particularly at the end of 2015 as the UK debated whether to extend it’s existing air campaign against the so called Islamic State in Iraq to include Syria, in the wake of the November terrorist attacks in Paris.

During a day long debate in the british parliament, Well known pacifist Jeremy Corbyn argued against strikes…


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“Public opinion is moving increasingly against what I believe to be an ill thought out, rush to war.”


However 66 Labour MP’s voted with the ruling conservatives and others to pass the measure after Prime Minister David Cameron made the case that Britain’ could not to outsource it’s security to other countries taking on the Islamic State in Syria.

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“The House should be under no illusion. These terrorists are plotting to kill us and radicalise our children right now.” . They attack us because of who we are, not because of what we do.”




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David Cameron has ruled out the prospect of UK military boots on the ground in Syria, and is warning this is likely to be a long campaign.

Another campaign sure to come to prominence in 2016 is the looming referendum on Britain’s future membership within the European Union which is to be held before the end of 2017.

David Cameron is trying to renegotiate Britain’s membership terms, principally so the UK can try to control immigration from Eastern european countries. He’s warned he will urge UK voters to leave the block if he can’t get meaningful reforms which include a limit on welfare benefits payments to EU citizens working in Britain in a bid to dissuade people from moving to the UK. However EU leaders say that will discriminate against it’s citizens

TAKE SOUNDUP; CAMPAIGNS

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Both pro and anti EU groups have already been active in campaigns which are sure to kick into high gear across 2016, even before it’s known whether David Cameron has successfully negotiated his reforms and without a date for the referendum being set.

Catherine Drew, sign off, London