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| 1948 |
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| Football (soccer) betting pools, launched in the 1930s, began drawing 7 to 8 million participants. | 1 |
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| Jan. 1 |
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| The British railways passed into public ownership. | 2 |
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| Jan. 12 |
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| The London Cooperative Society inaugurated the first full-size supermarket in England. | 3 |
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| March |
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| Aid from the Marshall Plan (See July 12–15) began to arrive. | 4 |
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| April 1 |
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| The British Electrical Authority took over the electricity industry. | 5 |
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| July 30 |
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| The British Nationality Act received royal assent. It gave each Dominion the right to determine who its citizens were, while at the same time conferring the status of British subjects on all citizens of the Commonwealth. | 6 |
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| August |
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| The first Olympic Games since 1936 were held in London. A total of 6,005 contestants from 59 nations participated. | 7 |
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| Dec |
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| The National Service Act conscripted all men between the ages of 18 and 26. | 8 |
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