Pre-Year 2000 History:
The UK has a long and eventful history. There has been civil war, invasions by other countries, invasions by the English elsewhere, mad monarchs, legends, witch hunts, attempts at global domination, crusades, and so much more. To begin to even summarise these events would be an incredible task, so I'm not even going to try.

Instead, interested historians should look at the following links which will a much more detailed account into the various aspects of history:

• Britannia Online
• Great Britain and the UK

From the year 2000 onwards...
The United Kingdom had been unravelling since the start of the 21st century. Massive unemployment hit the north of the country with the coal mines closing and most of the major industries. Tourism and most of the service sector was having a bad time of it in the south as well, and civil unrest was getting more agitated as time got on. Northern Ireland took instant advantage of this slump and declared independence, which resulted in numerous instances of terrorism on both sides of the border. The armed forces totally failed to keep law and order, treating their tour of duty as an occupation of an enemy country. Finally in 2012 they pulled out entirely and left Ireland to be ruled on it's own. Ireland has since not been a recognised member of the United Kingdom since then.

With France's retreat into itself, the Channel Tunnel (still amazed at being intact), was closed in 2015.

The grain blight and the food riots hit the UK in 2017, but strict quarantine procedures, rationing and emergency measures by the police forces and the armed forces managed to keep control, although by installing draconian measures. Capital punishment was re-introduced. Fortress towns didn't spring up in England, and while many villages were abandoned, cities were generally left inhabited, after all, where was anyone to go?

The economy picked up in 2025 when car manufacturers started making professional autoduelling cars for the American market. Although strictly regulated at first, the government started making it easier for companies to develop cars and weapons for overseas markets, and then for the British market when in 2033 the police received their first shipments of armed patrol cars, and, in 2035 autoduelling was released to the public, along with a relaxing of weapon ownership and handling laws. Almost instantly arenas spring up all over the country (usually on the sites of old horse racing tracks (which were considered more valuable as a food resource rather than a sporting event) or other sporting stadiums), although it seems that the British as a whole prefer combat racing events to standard duelling events, and that such events aren't as lethal as their American variants.

Since then, the UK has managed to rebuild it's economy and become once more, one of the centres of the world for trade. It also houses many of the world combat racing events, and gas powered duels due to small but stable supplies coming in from off-shore oil rigs (although this isn't available to the general public!).