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Advance UK News Diary

February 9-15: Jimmy Lai sentenced, Q4 GDP, and GB Olympic medal hopes

February 6, 2026
  • Slice 1

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda, from the team at Foresight News. Delivered to your inbox on Fridays.

Leading the week

Keir Starmer faces a another crunch week as the controversy over Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein continues to derail the prime minister’s efforts to get on with his day job. Last week’s big speech on communities was overshadowed by the Mandelson fallout, and while Starmer’s public-facing events over the coming days may currently be limited to Wednesday’s PMQs, he’s unlikely to relish facing Kemi Badenoch & co with an increasingly mutinous PLP and growing demand for the removal of chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.


Monday (February 9): Jimmy Lai sentenced in Hong Kong over national security conviction; Prince William begins three-day visit to Saudi Arabia; Ghislaine Maxwell scheduled to be deposed in US congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Olympic highlights: women’s snowboarding, freeski slopestyle and ice hockey.

Tuesday (February 10): Archbishop of Canterbury address to Church of England general synod; Teen sentenced for murdering Leo Ross in Birmingham.

Olympic highlights: alpine skiing; mixed doubles curling; men’s freeski slopestyle; Canada v USA in women’s ice hockey.

Wednesday (February 11): Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions; NASA’s SpaceX Crew 12 launch; US hosts western hemisphere chiefs of defence conference.

Olympic highlights: Lucas Pinheiro Braathen hoping to become first South American winter medallist in alpine skiing; figure skating free dance; men’s ice hockey begins.

Thursday (February 12): UK GDP for Q4 2025; Vincent Chan sentenced over sexual offences at London nursery; NATO defence ministers meet.

Olympic highlights: women’s alpine skiing, short track speed skating and snowboarding; men’s short track speed skating; Canada’s Connor McDavid makes Olympic debut in the men’s ice hockey.

Friday (February 13): Friedrich Merz addresses opening of Munich Security Conference; Plea hearing for Barry George on rape charge; Wuthering Heights released.

Olympic highlights: ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin favourite to take gold in the men’s figure skating; Charlotte Bankes looks to win first Olympic medal in women’s snowboarding; GB’s Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt compete in the men’s skeleton.

Saturday (February 14): G7 foreign ministers meet on margins of MSC; Installation of the Archbishop of Westminster; UK Athletics Indoor Championships.

Olympic highlights: men’s giant slalom and ski jumping, featuring all-time FIS points scorer Stefan Kraft; women’s ice hockey quarterfinals; women’s skeleton.

Sunday (February 15): Olympic highlights: mixed team skeleton; mixed team snowboard cross big final; women’s speed skating; men’s ice hockey continues.

Lindsey Vonn
PHOTOMDP / Shutterstock.com

 

Also look out for...

February 9

Nigel Farage speech to Birmingham rally

Man sentenced for stabbing soldier in Kent

Munich Security Report 2026

February 10

Andy Burnham at Resolution Foundation debate

Congressional hearing with ICE, CBP and USCIS heads

BP and Barclays publish results

February 11

Pam Bondi testifies at House hearing on the Department of Justice

EU defence ministers meet

Iranian President speech on Islamic Revolution anniversary

UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout phase playoffs

February 12

John Healey and Boris Pistorius co-chair meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group

Bangladesh general election

EU leaders hold informal summit on competitiveness

Marine Le Pen’s appeal trial concludes

February 13

Sentencing for three men guilty of planning mass shooting of Jews

Rio Carnival

February 14

Six Nations: Scotland v England, Ireland v Italy

FA Cup fourth round

African Union leaders’ summit

 

Valentine’s Day

February 15

Six Nations: Wales v France

Key statistics, reports and results

February 9

S&P Global/REC report on jobs

OECD CPI

Results for: Unicredit

February 10

Resolution Foundation report on living standards

BRC retail sales monitor

UNCTAD Least Developed Countries annual report

Results from: BP, Barclays, Coca-Cola, TUI, Spotify, Ford, Honda, Spotify, Lyft, Mattel, Hasbro

February 11

China CPI

OPEC monthly oil markets

CBO US Budget and Economic Outlook

Delayed US unemployment figures

Results from: TotalEnergies, McDonald’s, Severn Trent, Commerzbank, AIG

February 12

UK trade

UK indices of services and production

NHS key services performance data

NIESR monthly GDP tracker

Social housing sales and demolitions 24/25

School and college performance tables 24/25

Annual emissions of air pollutants in the UK

Results from: British American Tobacco, ThyssenKrupp, Coinbase, ABinBev, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Siemens, Unilever, Airbnb, Expedia, L’Oreal

February 13

US inflation

Flash estimate EU/euro area GDP

Russia interest rate decision

Results from: NatWest, Moderna

 


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