Editing United Kingdom (section)

=== 21st century ===
{{Main|Political history of the United Kingdom (1979–present)|Social history of the United Kingdom (1979–present)}}
[[File:Brexit Campaigners out side Parliament November 2016.jpg|thumb|right|Pro-[[Brexit]] campaigners outside Parliament in London in November 2016, after the [[Brexit referendum]]]]

The UK broadly supported the United States' approach to the "[[war on terror]]" in the early 21st century.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McSmith |first=Andy |date=5 July 2016 |title=The inside story of how Tony Blair led Britain to war in Iraq |work=Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-inquiry-tony-blair-george-bush-us-uk-what-happened-a7119761.html |access-date=17 February 2022 |archive-date=4 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704200931/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-inquiry-tony-blair-george-bush-us-uk-what-happened-a7119761.html |url-status=live }}</ref> British troops fought in the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]], but controversy surrounded Britain's [[Iraq War|military deployment in Iraq]], which saw the [[15 February 2003 anti-war protests|largest protest in British history]] in opposition to the government led by [[Tony Blair]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Tim |date=11 February 2023 |title='A beautiful outpouring of rage': did Britain's biggest ever protest change the world? |work=The Observer |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/11/slugs-iraq-war-london-protest-2003-legacy |access-date=5 June 2023 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406052000/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/11/slugs-iraq-war-london-protest-2003-legacy |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[2008 global financial crisis]] severely affected the UK economy.<ref name="Latest UK GDP data">{{cite web |date=20 December 2013 |title=Quarterly National Accounts – National accounts aggregates (ABMI Gross Domestic Product: chained volume measures: Seasonally adjusted £m, constant prices) |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/datasets-and-tables/data-selector.html?cdid=ABMI&dataset=qna&table-id=A2 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=28 July 2023 |archive-date=29 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929150429/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/datasets-and-tables/data-selector.html?cdid=ABMI&dataset=qna&table-id=A2 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Cameron–Clegg coalition]] government of 2010 introduced [[United Kingdom government austerity programme|austerity measures]] intended to tackle the substantial public deficits.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 November 2022 |title=What is austerity and where could 'eye-watering' cuts fall now? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/63304224 |access-date=28 July 2023 |archive-date=28 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728105646/https://www.bbc.com/news/63304224 |url-status=live }}</ref> Studies have suggested that policy led to significant social disruption and suffering.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Butler |first=Patrick |date=4 October 2022 |title=Over 330,000 excess deaths in Great Britain linked to austerity, finds study |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/05/over-330000-excess-deaths-in-great-britain-linked-to-austerity-finds-study |access-date=28 July 2023 |archive-date=28 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728105650/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/05/over-330000-excess-deaths-in-great-britain-linked-to-austerity-finds-study |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mueller |first=Benjamin |date=25 February 2019 |title=What Is Austerity and How Has It Affected British Society? |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/24/world/europe/britain-austerity-may-budget.html |access-date=28 July 2023 |archive-date=15 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915170233/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/24/world/europe/britain-austerity-may-budget.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A referendum on [[Scottish independence]] in 2014 resulted in the Scottish electorate [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|voting by 55.3 to 44.7%]] to remain part of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scottish independence referendum – Results |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides/results |access-date=18 February 2022 |website=BBC News |archive-date=18 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918212409/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/events/scotland-decides/results |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2016, 51.9 per cent of voters in the United Kingdom [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|voted to leave the European Union]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 June 2016 |title=In stunning decision, Britain votes to leave the E.U. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/britons-head-to-the-polls-for-historic-vote-on-eu/2016/06/23/0d466fb0-34a7-11e6-ab9d-1da2b0f24f93_story.html |access-date=24 June 2016 |first1=Griff |last1=Witte |first2=Karla |last2=Adam |first3=Dan |last3=Balz |archive-date=30 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130215030/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/britons-head-to-the-polls-for-historic-vote-on-eu/2016/06/23/0d466fb0-34a7-11e6-ab9d-1da2b0f24f93_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Brexit|UK left the EU]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 January 2021 |title=Brexit: New era for UK as it completes separation from European Union |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55502781 |access-date=18 February 2022 |archive-date=14 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114212309/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55502781 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 1 May 2021 the [[EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement]] came into force.<ref name="commission.europa.eu">{{Cite web |title=The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement |url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-non-eu-countries/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325155905/https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-non-eu-countries/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en |archive-date=25 March 2023 |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref>

[[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|The COVID-19 pandemic]] had a severe [[Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|impact on the UK's economy]], caused major [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the United Kingdom|disruptions to education]] and had [[Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|far-reaching impacts on society and politics]] in 2020 and 2021.<ref name="GOVUK">{{cite web |url=https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ |title=Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK |website=[[gov.uk]] |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=15 April 2020 |archive-date=14 April 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200414184317/https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Coronavirus and the impact on output in the UK economy: April 2020|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactonoutputintheukeconomy/april2020|access-date=2 August 2020|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|website=ons.gov.uk|archive-date=2 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802031859/https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/articles/coronavirusandtheimpactonoutputintheukeconomy/april2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Walker|first=Andrew|date=10 June 2020|title=Coronavirus: UK economy could be among worst hit of leading nations, says OECD|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52991913|access-date=2 August 2020|archive-date=18 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818031423/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52991913|url-status=live}}</ref> The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to use an approved [[COVID-19 vaccine]], developing [[Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine|its own vaccine]] through a collaboration between [[Oxford University]] and [[AstraZeneca]], which allowed the UK's vaccine rollout to be among the fastest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Landmark moment as first NHS patient receives COVID-19 vaccination |url=https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/12/landmark-moment-as-first-nhs-patient-receives-covid-19-vaccination/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225194320/https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/12/landmark-moment-as-first-nhs-patient-receives-covid-19-vaccination/|archive-date=25 February 2023|website=NHS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine approved |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oxford-universityastrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-approved |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225194442/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oxford-universityastrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-approved |archive-date=25 February 2023|website=UK Government}}</ref>