MARCH

A terror attack near the Houses of Parliament kills five people and leaves 50 other injured. The perpetrator, Khalid Masood, used his car to strike pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before running towards parliament and stabbing a police officer to death. Masood was shot dead by armed officers. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon signs a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May formally asking for powers to hold a second Scottish independence referendum. It comes after the Scottish Parliament voted by 69 to 59 in favour of seeking permission for another referendum. Prime Minister Theresa May accuses First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of “tunnel vision” and rejects her timetable for a second referendum on Scottish independence. With a letter signed by Prime Minister Theresa May hand delivered to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, the UK formally invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. Ms May says the occasion ought to encourage those who voted leave and remain to “come together.” The Democratic Unionist Party narrowly remain Northern Ireland’s largest party after edging Sinn Fein by a single seat in snap elections. However, more than three weeks go by before a deadline to form a new power-sharing executive passes without a successful conclusion. Sinn Féin’s Martin Mcguinness, Northern Ireland’s former deputy first minister, dies at the age of 66. The opening of the new Queensferry Crossing is delayed for a second time due to poor weather, the economy secretary, Keith Brown, announces. The structure was originally due to open in December 2016. US President Donald Trump accuses his predecessor, Barack Obama, of wiretapping his Trump Tower property the month before the 2016 presidential election, but offers no evidence to support his claim. The FBI director, James Comey, publicly confirms that an investigation into Russian interference in the US presidential election is under way, with the probe also looking at whether associates of the president were in contact with Moscow. The veteran musician, Chuck Berry, left, regarded as one of the pioneers of rock and roll music, dies in Missouri at the age of 90. England retain their Six Nations title and equal New Zealand’s world record for consecutive Test wins after defeating Scotland 61-21 at Twickenham.