2018: The Year in Pictures
After a relatively mild winter, the “Beast from the East” brought heavy snow and bone-chilling cold to much of the country. Donald Trump was greeted by huge street protests as he made his first visit to the UK as President of the United States, and the nation’s hopes were lifted – if only briefly – by England’s performance at the World Cup in Russia. As the year progressed, plans for the UK’s departure from the European Union continued to unravel, and calls for a “People’s Vote” on any eventual settlement grew louder – especially at the Labour Party Conference. On the opposite bench, Prime Minister Theresa May postponed the parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal, enraging swathes of her own party. Having survived a vote of confidence in her leadership, she enjoys another Christmas in Number 10. But with urgent deadlines looming in the new year, the battle is far from over. Along with trips to Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Istanbul, here are some of my favourite photographs from the last twelve months.
A monk takes a photograph of the Sri Lankan flag as it is raised on Galle Face Green in Colombo ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
Elephants in Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka.
Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn MP obliges a few selfie requests after a rally in London to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS.
Left: A member of the Household Cavalry stands guard at Horse Guards Parade as the "Beast from the East" brings snow to London. Right: A Recep Tayyip Erdoğan supporter waves the Turkish flag outside Downing Street ahead of a visit by the Turkish president.
Residents of the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey decorate their balconies with hundreds of Saint George's Cross flags as England begin their campaign at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Celebrations as England score against Sweden during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
They're coming home: England fans nervously watch the final minutes of England v Croatia in Flat Iron Square, as England's World Cup hopes come to an end.
"In French, we say 'the strategy of the guilty person'. They need to find somebody guilty for this situation, and right now it's the associations. It's fundamentally not the case, but it's more easy to say that there is a problem with the associations than to say that there is a problem with the border; with European asylum laws." Left:Loan Torondel, a long-term volunteer, at the house he shares with several other volunteers in Calais. Right: a former lace factory. From "Calais Belle Ma Ville", in the first issue of Point.51.
The owner of Café Esat, one of only a handful of surviving old-style tea shops in Balat, Istanbul.
Fenerbahçe fans set off flares on the roof of the Eminönü-Kadiköy ferry as it crosses the Bosphorus, from Europe to Asia, in Istanbul
Protesters fill the streets in London as Donald Trump visits the United Kingdom.
Sir Cliff Richard leaves the Rolls Building at the High Court in London after learning that he had won his privacy case against the BBC. He received £210,000 in damages as part of a ruling that is expected to have widespread implications for reporting in the future.
David Lammy MP (L) and Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn MP (R) at the 2018 Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
Clouds pass through the town square in Sapa, close to the border with China in northern Vietnam.
Thousands of football fans on scooters take part in “ĐI BÃO”, after Vietnam beat the Philippines in the first leg of the semi-final of the AFF Suzuki Cup. “ĐI BÃO” roughly translates as “going like a storm”.
The Houses of Parliament reflected in baloons bearing the stars of the European Flag, as Prime Minister Theresa May announces that the parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal will be postponed.
Broadcasters gather on College Green opposite Parliament as the vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal is postponed.
Chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) Jacob Rees-Mogg MP on College Green the morning after Prime Minister Theresa May survived a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
A stag at sunrise on a cold morning in Bushy Park, southwest London
The Christmas Eve meat auction at Harts of Smithfield in Farringdon.