July 2006 in Britain and Ireland

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

Days of the month

31 July 2006 (Monday)

• The official report into the death of Sgt Steven Roberts in Iraq finds that he was killed because he was not wearing the enhanced body armour which he had had to hand back four days earlier due to shortages (BBC News)
• A report by the Metropolitan police and Prison Service's anti-corruption unit suggests that a significant minority of prison staff in the UK are corrupt

BBC News

29 July 2006 (Saturday)

• England defeat Pakistan by an innings and 120 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford, as Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar end with figures of 11-76 and 8-93 respectively.

26 July 2006 (Wednesday)

• A BBC television programme alleges that Det Sgt John Davidson, formerly of the Metropolitan Police, was bribed by the father of one of the suspects to obstruct the case against those charged with murdering Stephen Lawrence in 1993. (BBC News)

24 July 2006 (Monday)

• The government announces plans to replace the Child Support Agency (BBC News)

23 July 2006 (Sunday)

• Two women are killed and 13 hurt when an inflatable art installation by artist Maurice Agis is blown 30 feet into the air in Chester-le-Street (BBC News)

22 July 2006 (Saturday)

• Thousands of people across the UK are joining demonstrations against Israeli attacks on Lebanon.(BBC NEWS)

21 July 2006 (Friday)

• Home Secretary John Reid announces criminal reforms, including that some offenders will lose their automatic right to be considered for parole halfway through life sentences, and that the prison capacity will be increased by 8,000 places. (BBC)

20 July 2006 (Thursday)

• The evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon begins, with HMS Bulwark taking evacuees to Cyprus. BBC
• The Commons standards committee finds that John Prescott broke rules for ministers in not immediately declaring his stay at an American businessman's (BBC)

19 July 2006 (Wednesday)

• OFCOM removes the retail price controls that had been imposed on Britain's dominant telephone company, the BT Group, for the last 22 years. (LSE) (Reuters) (BBC)

17 July 2006 (Monday)

• The Crown Prosecution Service announce that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any Metropolitan Police officers over the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Tube station in July 2005. BBC

15 July 2006 (Saturday)

• British troops in Afghanistan are undertaking their biggest operation since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. (BBC)

13 July 2006 (Thursday)

• The NatWest Three are extradited to the USA.
• A Harrier Jumpjet en route to the Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford crashes onto a road near Tackley in Oxfordshire. The pilot, who managed to eject before impact, was praised for his skill ensuring no loss of life occurred; the aircraft went down in a relatively populated area. (Reuters)

11 July 2006 (Tuesday)

• The body of Neil Coulbeck, a key witness in the NatWest Three case, is found in woodlands near his home in East London. He is believed to have committed suicide.

10 July 2006 (Monday)

• The United Kingdom government unveils a new terror alert status system, similar to the United States' Homeland Security Advisory System. It is currently at "severe" on a scale of low, moderate, substantial, severe and critical. (Associated Press)

6 July 2006

• A survey reveals that young people are for the first time spending more time looking at Internet sites than watching TV. (Daily Mail)

2 July 2006 (Sunday)

• David Beckham resigns the role of captain of the England national football team. (BBC)

1 July 2006

• England lose 3-1 on penalties to Portugal at the quarter final stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

British and Irish events by month

• 2007 in the United Kingdom: January February March April May June July
• 2006 in the United Kingdom: January February March April May June July August September October November December
• 2005 in the United Kingdom: January February March April May June July August September October November December
• 2004 in the United Kingdom: December

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