Events from the year 1963 in the
United Kingdom. This year sees changes in the leadership of both main political parties, the
Profumo affair and the rise of
The Beatles as well as the launch of the long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who.
January–April –
Winter of 1963: The UK experiences the worst winter since 1946–47. Low temperatures keep snow lying around until early-April in some areas.
14 February – The Labour Party elects 46-year-old
HuytonMP,
Harold Wilson as its new leader and
Leader of the Opposition.[2] Missing out in the leadership contest is
Cardiff South East MP
James Callaghan. Opinion polls are currently showing strong support for the Labour Party, with a general election due before the end of next year.[5]
16 February – Opinion polls indicate that in a general election Labour would defeat the Conservatives, who have governed since
1951.[6]
15 March – Ridge v. Baldwin, a landmark case in the law of
judicial review, is decided on appeal: a public official is held to be wrongfully dismissed because he had no notice of the grounds on which the decision was made, and no opportunity to be heard in his own defence.[7]
27 March – Chairman of
British Railways Dr.
Richard Beeching issues a report calling for
huge cuts to the UK's rail network.[8] This is expected to result in the closure of more than 2,000 railway stations as well as the loss of up to 68,000 jobs and the scrapping of some 8,000 coaches.[9]
30 April – The
Bristol Bus Boycott arises, due to the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ Black or Asian bus crews in the city of Bristol, and lasts for 4 months.
The
Rootes Group's new car plant at the town of
Linwood, Renfrewshire is opened by
The Duke of Edinburgh for the production of its new rear-engined mini-car – the
Hillman Imp – to compete against
BMC's
Mini.[13] It has an economical 875cc engine, and is expected to be developed into luxury Singer and sporty
Sunbeam variants in the near future.[14] It is the first new car to be produced in
Scotland for thirty years.
7–13 May – The last servicemen are released from
conscription as National Service ends.[15]
8 June – Profumo affair:
Stephen Ward is charged with living on immoral earnings.[20]
17 June – The Profumo affair has done the Conservative government no favours in the opinion polls, which continue to show that a Labour victory would be inevitable at a general election.[21]
12 July – Pauline Reade, 16, is reported missing on her way to a dance in
Gorton, Manchester, the first victim of the
Moors murders.
31 July – Water Resources Act provides for the regulation of water abstraction, principally through the establishment of regional river authorities.[22]
18 September – Rioters burn down the British Embassy in
Jakarta to protest against the formation of
Malaysia.
23 September – The
Robbins Report (the report of the Committee on Higher Education, chaired by
Lord Robbins) is published.[31] It recommends immediate expansion of universities, and that university places "should be available to all who were qualified for them by ability and attainment". Its conclusions are accepted by the government on 24 October.
25 September – The Denning Report on the
Profumo affair is published.
Police in
Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, begin a missing persons investigation following the disappearance of 12-year-old John Kilbride; he is the second victim of the
Moors murders.
30 November – After an unbroken 30-week spell at the top of the UK Albums Chart, The Beatles album Please Please Me is knocked off the top of the charts by the group's latest album With the Beatles (released on 22 November).
12 December
Kenya gains independence from the United Kingdom, with
Jomo Kenyatta as Prime Minister.[30]
21 December – First episode of the seven-part serial The Daleks broadcast in the Doctor Who series, introducing the alien
Daleks (revealed fully in the following week's episode).
The motorway network continues to grow with the opening of the first section of the
M4 in Berkshire, the
M6 between
Warrington and
Preston in Lancashire, and the
M2 in Kent.[39]
Economic growth for the year reaches a postwar high of 7.5% (slightly above the previous record of 7.2% in 1959), with GDP reaching 4.3% in the second quarter of the year.
^"Sindy doll 'set to be a Christmas hit'". National Newswire. Press Association. 6 July 2006.
^Gillian, Lesley (22 November 2003). "The return of a living doll: The new look Sindy will cause collectors to rethink". FT Weekend – Collecting. p. 8.
^Sindy: Every little girl's dream come true (Vinyl back cover). Pedigree Dolls Ltd. 1963.
^Committee on Higher Education (23 September 1963), Higher education: report of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister under the Chairmanship of Lord Robbins 1961–63, Cmnd. 2154, London: HMSO
Events from the year 1963 in the
United Kingdom. This year sees changes in the leadership of both main political parties, the
Profumo affair and the rise of
The Beatles as well as the launch of the long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who.
January–April –
Winter of 1963: The UK experiences the worst winter since 1946–47. Low temperatures keep snow lying around until early-April in some areas.
14 February – The Labour Party elects 46-year-old
HuytonMP,
Harold Wilson as its new leader and
Leader of the Opposition.[2] Missing out in the leadership contest is
Cardiff South East MP
James Callaghan. Opinion polls are currently showing strong support for the Labour Party, with a general election due before the end of next year.[5]
16 February – Opinion polls indicate that in a general election Labour would defeat the Conservatives, who have governed since
1951.[6]
15 March – Ridge v. Baldwin, a landmark case in the law of
judicial review, is decided on appeal: a public official is held to be wrongfully dismissed because he had no notice of the grounds on which the decision was made, and no opportunity to be heard in his own defence.[7]
27 March – Chairman of
British Railways Dr.
Richard Beeching issues a report calling for
huge cuts to the UK's rail network.[8] This is expected to result in the closure of more than 2,000 railway stations as well as the loss of up to 68,000 jobs and the scrapping of some 8,000 coaches.[9]
30 April – The
Bristol Bus Boycott arises, due to the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ Black or Asian bus crews in the city of Bristol, and lasts for 4 months.
The
Rootes Group's new car plant at the town of
Linwood, Renfrewshire is opened by
The Duke of Edinburgh for the production of its new rear-engined mini-car – the
Hillman Imp – to compete against
BMC's
Mini.[13] It has an economical 875cc engine, and is expected to be developed into luxury Singer and sporty
Sunbeam variants in the near future.[14] It is the first new car to be produced in
Scotland for thirty years.
7–13 May – The last servicemen are released from
conscription as National Service ends.[15]
8 June – Profumo affair:
Stephen Ward is charged with living on immoral earnings.[20]
17 June – The Profumo affair has done the Conservative government no favours in the opinion polls, which continue to show that a Labour victory would be inevitable at a general election.[21]
12 July – Pauline Reade, 16, is reported missing on her way to a dance in
Gorton, Manchester, the first victim of the
Moors murders.
31 July – Water Resources Act provides for the regulation of water abstraction, principally through the establishment of regional river authorities.[22]
18 September – Rioters burn down the British Embassy in
Jakarta to protest against the formation of
Malaysia.
23 September – The
Robbins Report (the report of the Committee on Higher Education, chaired by
Lord Robbins) is published.[31] It recommends immediate expansion of universities, and that university places "should be available to all who were qualified for them by ability and attainment". Its conclusions are accepted by the government on 24 October.
25 September – The Denning Report on the
Profumo affair is published.
Police in
Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, begin a missing persons investigation following the disappearance of 12-year-old John Kilbride; he is the second victim of the
Moors murders.
30 November – After an unbroken 30-week spell at the top of the UK Albums Chart, The Beatles album Please Please Me is knocked off the top of the charts by the group's latest album With the Beatles (released on 22 November).
12 December
Kenya gains independence from the United Kingdom, with
Jomo Kenyatta as Prime Minister.[30]
21 December – First episode of the seven-part serial The Daleks broadcast in the Doctor Who series, introducing the alien
Daleks (revealed fully in the following week's episode).
The motorway network continues to grow with the opening of the first section of the
M4 in Berkshire, the
M6 between
Warrington and
Preston in Lancashire, and the
M2 in Kent.[39]
Economic growth for the year reaches a postwar high of 7.5% (slightly above the previous record of 7.2% in 1959), with GDP reaching 4.3% in the second quarter of the year.
^"Sindy doll 'set to be a Christmas hit'". National Newswire. Press Association. 6 July 2006.
^Gillian, Lesley (22 November 2003). "The return of a living doll: The new look Sindy will cause collectors to rethink". FT Weekend – Collecting. p. 8.
^Sindy: Every little girl's dream come true (Vinyl back cover). Pedigree Dolls Ltd. 1963.
^Committee on Higher Education (23 September 1963), Higher education: report of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister under the Chairmanship of Lord Robbins 1961–63, Cmnd. 2154, London: HMSO