The biggest stories of 2023: Mystery disappearances, the Coronation and the start of the Israel-Hamas war

28 December 2023, 21:40

The past year has been full of many ups and downs, from King Charles' coronation to Hamas' brutal attack on Israel. Take a look back at some of the biggest stories of 2023.

Nicola Bulley

Nicola Bulley, 45, a mother-of-two, went missing at the start of the year, sparking a huge missing person case.

She was found in the River Wyre on February 19, about a mile from where she vanished while walking her dog in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, on January 27.

A review was commissioned by the College of Policing to examine the effectiveness of Lancashire Police’s response during the Nicola Bulley case, which saw unprecedented levels of mainstream and social media interest.

Budget

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his 'back to work' Budget in March.

He said the UK would avoid ‘technical recession’ in 2023 as the economy 'proved doubters wrong'.

In a boost for people with young children or those looking to start a family, the Chancellor announced 30 hours of free childcare per week for all children older than nine months.

Mr Hunt also said he would increase the pensions annual tax-free allowance from £40,000 to £60,000 and will abolish the Lifetime Allowance - previously set at £1.07m.

Mass walkouts

In line with the spring Budget was one of the biggest walkouts of the year, with hundreds of thousands of workers taking industrial action.

Those striking included teachers, university lecturers, civil servants, junior doctors, London Underground drivers and journalists.

It came after the single biggest day of industrial action for more than a decade came in February.

Walkouts continued throughout the year, despite several unions coming to agreements with the government.

In December, Aslef members walked out, with C2C and Greater Anglia being among the companies to take action.

Junior doctors also announced strikes heading into the new year.

Humza Yousaf replaces Nicola Sturgeon

Humza Yousaf was named the new leader of the SNP after winning the contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon.

It came after Ms Sturgeon announced she was standing down after more than eight years as Scotland's First Minister.

Mr Yousaf succeeded in the voting run-off with 26,032 votes, or 52.1%.

King Charles' coronation

King Charles was formally crowned at a star-studded ceremony at Westminster Abbey, as thousands gathered in central London to celebrate the historic event.

Twelve newly commissioned pieces of music were performed as part of the Coronation, showcasing musical talent from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

The ceremony was held as well-wishers lined the street in the capital, bringing swathes of central London to a standstill.

It was followed by a spectacular fly-past by The Red Arrows on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Titan sub

In June, five people died after the Titan sub, which was taking the group to the Titanic's wreckage, catastrophically imploded.

The victims included OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, UK billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul Henry Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.

Crews spent five days hunting the missing sub down before they discovered debris on the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic.

Rush had claimed that the trip was "safer than crossing the street", with his company coming under fire following the incident.

Graphic explains how Titan submersible imploded

Heatwaves

Throughout summer, Europe battled with extreme weather conditions, with a deadly heatwave sweeping across the continent and reaching record-breaking temperatures.

Several wildfires broke out amid the Cerberus heatwave, with multiple people dying in Italy.

The UK also saw scorching temperatures, with the hottest day of the year being recorded in September. Temperatures soared to 33.5C in Kent on September 10.

Lucy Letby

Lucy Letby was found guilty of killing seven babies in her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

She was also found guilty of the attempted murders of six others.

The former nurse is one of the UK's most prolific child killers of modern times.

RAAC

Several school buildings and classrooms in England were forced to close due to them being made with concrete prone to collapsing.

The government had been aware of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in schools since 1994, and had been discussing the risks with schools since 2018.

Fears grew after a June report found that risk of injury or death from a school building collapse was "very likely and critical".

Daniel Khalife on the run

Police launched a manhunt for Daniel Khalife after he escaped Wandsworth prison in September.

Khalife was believed to have used strapping to attach himself to the bottom of a van while working in the kitchen of the Category B prison.

The ex-soldier, who was accused of terror offences and spying, was caught after four days on the run.

Hamas launches attack on Israel

On October 7, Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 240 hostages.

The group hit Nova music festival - which coincided with the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah - with gunmen flying in on paragliders.

The Israel-Hamas conflict is still going on as a result, with Israel vowing to continue the war until it destroys Hamas' military capabilities and returns all hostages.

A temporary ceasefire was recently put in place whereby both sides exchanged hostages.

Suella Braverman sacked and David Cameron returns

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman was fired after accusing the Metropolitan Police of 'bias' ahead of a pro-Palestine demonstration on Armistice Day.

She was widely blamed over the weekend after a series of 'right-wing counter-protesters' attacked police and tried to reach the pro-Palestine march.

More than 140 people were arrested as counter-protesters attacked police.

Braverman launched a accused Rishi Sunak of a "betrayal of your promise to the nation" in a blistering parting shot.

She told him he "manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of these key policies".

James Cleverly replaced the axed Home Secretary while Sunak brought David Cameron back as Foreign Secretary.

Gaynor Lord

Gaynor Lord went missing in December after leaving work in Norwich.

CCTV footage had shown the 55-year-old hurrying through the streets just hours before her belongings were found dumped in a park.

Police divers found a body in the River Wensum and later confirmed it was her.

A post-mortem examination said there was no indication of any third-party involvement and that early indications were consistent with drowning.