March 2007 in Britain and Ireland

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This page deals with events in most English-speaking places of Europe. These are England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and Gibraltar.

March 31, 2007 (Saturday) Iranian seizure of British Navy personnel The United States rules out exchanging five Iranian officials seized in Irbil, Iraq, in January 2007 for the 15 Royal Navy sailors seized by Iran. (BBC) Iran's ambassador to Russia, Gholamreza Ansari, tells Russian TV channel Vesti-24, "It is possible that the British soldiers will go on trial for taking this illegal action." (BBC) March 30, 2007 (Friday) Iranian seizure of British Navy personnel A Royal Navy sailor identified as Nathan Thomas Summers appeared on Iranian TV, admitting to and apologizing for entering Iranian territory and his government's wartime actions in general. Tony Blair dismisses the statement as forced. (BBC) (Wikinews) Iran releases a second letter written by the only female captured sailor, Faye Turney, who also again apologises. There are numerous grammatical mistakes, suggesting it has been translated into English for Turney to copy. (BBC) (Full letter - BBC) Foreign ministers from the European Union have released a statement offering 'unconditional support' for Britain, urging the 'immediate and unconditional release' of the sailors, adding that the EU reserved the right to take 'appropriate measures' if Iran did not comply - although the exact measures were not mentioned. (BBC) (Wikinews) Network Rail (the replacement for Railtrack) is fined £4 million for health and safety breaches leading to the Ladbroke Grove rail crash, in which 31 people died. (Guardian) March 29, 2007 (Thursday) Iranian seizure of British Navy personnel The Iranian government "suspends" the release of Faye Turney, blaming the UK's "incorrect attitude". (BBC) (Wikinews) The United Nations Security Council issues a statement of its "grave concern" at the capturing, and calling for an "early resolution" including the release of the personnel. The statement is watered down from what the UK originally wanted following objections from Russia and South Africa. (BBC) (Wikinews) A letter calling for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq purportedly written by Faye Turney is released. (BBC) (Wikinews) The Home Office is to be split into two, with the Department for Constitutional Affairs being renamed the Ministry of Justice and taking control of probation, prisons and prevention of re-offending. The Home Office will continue to deal with policing, security, immigration and counter-terrorism. (BBC) (Independent) March 28, 2007 (Wednesday) Iranian seizure of British Navy personnel The Ministry of Defence has published exact co-ordinates of the location of the Royal Navy personnel when they were seized by Iran. According to this data the soldiers were 1.7 nautical miles within Iraqi waters at the time of their capture. (The Times) Iranian television shows footage of the captives, including an interview with Faye Turney where she says they had trespassed. (BBC) (Wikinews) Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki says that Faye Turney will be released by 29 March. (BBC) March 27, 2007 (Tuesday) Parents in the UK have started buying body armour for their children after several teenage murders in schools. (The Times) The Blair Government introduces legislation into the Parliament of the United Kingdom to facilitate a power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland between Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin. (BBC) Tony Blair says in a televised interview that if the 15 sailors and marines arrested by Iranian forces are not released then Britain will be forced to "move into a different phase" of operations. (BBC) (Wikinews) Northern Ireland MEP Jim Allister resigns from the Democratic Unionist Party following its decision to form a power-sharing Government with Sinn Féin. (Belfast Telegraph) (Wikinews) March 26, 2007 (Monday) Alan Johnston, a BBC News journalist, begins his third week in captivity, making him the longest-held foreign hostage since kidnappings began in Gaza. Reporters Without Borders urges the Arab League to make an appeal for his release at an upcoming summit. (MidEast Times), (RSF) Northern Ireland Peace Process: Members of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, led by Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, meet face-to face for the first time, and agree a timetable for implementing the St Andrews Agreement. (BBC) March 25, 2007 (Sunday) The UK says British requests for access to 15 Royal Navy personnel held by Iran have been denied. (BBC) March 24, 2007 (Saturday) The United Kingdom announces the withdrawal of all British Armed Forces serving as part of the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (BBC) March 23, 2007 (Friday) 15 Royal Navy servicemen operating in Iraqi waters are seized by Iranian authorities after inspecting a ship suspected of smuggling. (BBC News) (Wikinews) March 22, 2007 (Thursday) Three men are arrested, two at Manchester Airport and one in Leeds, in connection with the 7 July 2005 London bombings. (BBC) (Wikinews) March 21, 2007 (Wednesday) Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announces his 2007 Budget. Major points include a cut in the basic income tax rate from 22p to 20p, the abolition of the lower 10p income tax rate, and a 2p cut in corporation tax. (BBC) Two British sailors die and a third is injured as a result of an accident on the nuclear submarine HMS Tireless in the Arctic Ocean. (BBC) (Wikinews) March 20, 2007 (Tuesday) UK Secretary of State for Defence Des Browne orders the military to destroy dumb cluster bombs that lack self-destruct mechanisms in order to avoid harming civilians. (AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer) European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana says that the EU is doing all it can to find Alan Johnston, the BBC Gaza correspondent who has been missing for 8 days. (BBC) March 16, 2007 (Friday) British coroner Andrew Walker finds that the death of soldier Matty Hull in the 190th Fighter Squadron, Blues and Royals "friendly fire" incident was "unlawful and criminal". (AP via CNN) (BBC) (Wikinews) The U.S. Department of State rejects this ruling. (BBC) March 15, 2007 (Thursday) The BBC issues a plea for information on the whereabouts of its Gaza correspondent, Alan Johnston, who has been missing for three days and is believed by Palestinian security officials to have been kidnapped. (BBC) March 14, 2007 (Wednesday) The Government wins support of the House of Commons to update the Trident missile system. There was a significant revolt within the Labour Party with two PPSs Stephen Pound and Chris Ruane resigning. (UK Telegraph) March 13, 2007 (Tuesday) Five British Embassy workers kidnapped in Ethiopia twelve days ago have been set free in neighbouring Eritrea. (The Times) (Wikinews) A draft Climate Change Bill is published in the United Kingdom, outlining a framework for achieving a mandatory 60% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. (BBC) March 12, 2007 (Monday) Nigel Griffiths resigns as the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons over the proposed expansion of the Trident missile program. (The Scotsman) The BBC's correspondent in the Gaza Strip, Alan Johnston, who is the only foreign reporter from a major media organisation based in Gaza, is kidnapped. All the main Palestinian militant groups have called for his release. (BBC) (Wikinews) March 11, 2007 (Sunday) The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the new generation Skynet 5 military satellite system is launched successfully from Kourou in French Guiana at 22:03 GMT. (BBC) March 10, 2007 (Saturday) The launch of the European Space Agency's latest Ariane 5 mission from French Guiana, carrying a platform for the Skynet 5 military satellite system for use by the UK's Ministry of Defence, is postponed due to a minor technical failure (BBC) March 9, 2007 (Friday) Results from the Northern Ireland Assembly election show the DUP and Sinn Féin making gains, and ensuring that in order for direct rule to cease both parties must agree to cooperate in a powersharing Executive. (BBC) (Wikinews) March 7, 2007 (Wednesday) Reform of the House of Lords: In a House of Commons vote a majority of MPs express support for a fully elected House of Lords. A smaller majority support an 80% elected, 20% appointed chamber. Other options with a lower elected component are rejected. The proposals were put forward by Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, who describes the votes as "a historic step forward". (BBC) (Telegraph) The 2007 elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly begin. The election is being conducted using the single transferable vote applied to six seater constituencies, each of which corresponds to a UK parliamentary seat. (BBC) Jonathan Evans is announced as the next Director-General of MI5. Evans is currently Deputy Director-General and will take over in April following the retirement of Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller. (BBC) March 5, 2007 (Monday) Al-Qaeda has threatened to kidnap or kill Prince Harry during his upcoming tour of duty in Iraq. (Reuters via Yahoo News) (Wikinews) A search party in Ethiopia finds the vehicles belonging to five Britons kidnapped in the country. (BBC) March 4, 2007 (Sunday) Two British soldiers serving with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization International Security Assistance Force force in Afghanistan are killed in Helmand province during clashes with Taliban forces. (BBC) A memorial service is held at St Mary's Church in Dover to mark the 20th anniversary of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. (BBC) March 2, 2007 (Friday) 2007 UK petrol contamination: Following the finding of silicon in unleaded petrol, Morrisons and Tesco have suspended sales in South East England forecourts. (BBC) The Attorney General for England and Wales, Lord Goldsmith, obtains an injunction from the High Court preventing the BBC from broadcasting an item about investigations into the alleged cash for honours political scandal. (BBC)

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• 2004 in the United Kingdom: December

(For earlier events in Britain and Ireland, see November 2004 and preceding months)