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| 1951, Jan. 29 |
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| Prime Minister Atlee announced a three-year armament program, to cost 4.7 billion pounds. | 1 |
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| March 9 |
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| Herbert Morrison succeeded Ernest Bevin as foreign secretary. | 2 |
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| April 22 |
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| Aneurin Bevan, labour minister since Jan. 17, resigned in protest against a decision to give defense priority over social service needs. | 3 |
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| June 26 |
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| Defense ministers of the British Commonwealth discussed the situation in the Middle East. The Egyptian foreign minister announced (Aug. 6) that the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 would be abrogated (Oct. 27). | 4 |
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| Sept. 12 |
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| After the failure of earlier discussions (Aug. 22), the Iranian government sent an ultimatum to Great Britain and subsequently occupied Abadan (Sept. 27) (See March 20). The British appealed to the UN Security Council without result and then completed the evacuation of Abadan (Oct. 4). | 5 |
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| Oct. 25 |
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| After six years in power, the Labour Party was defeated in a general election, and the Conservatives won a majority of 16 seats in the House of Commons. WINSTON CHURCHILL BECAME PRIME MINISTER and minister of defense (Oct. 27), with Anthony Eden as foreign secretary and Richard Austen Butler as chancellor of the exchequer. Most of the social programs introduced by the Labour government remained in place. | 6 |
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| Dec. 10 |
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| The government of Iran agreed to submit its oil dispute with Britain to the International Court of Justice. | 7 |
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