MT's official files as Prime Minister, 1979-90

MT's official files as PM can be read on this site as they are released, in full and free to all - the confidential files originally stored at No.10, the core record of her premiership.

The files have been copied at the British National Archives (TNA) at Kew in London and can be downloaded precisely as they appear in the reading room.

We are doing something more to help people make sense of this mass of information. The files are subject-based, logically enough, but that system makes it difficult to reconstruct the flow of paper across the Prime Minister’s desk at any point in time, depriving us of a sense of context, of the political cross-winds, some of them overwhelming.

To combat this effect we are uploading a large selection of the most important documents from these files – thousands in total - to our powerful site database. You can search and sort by date, subject and other parameters, getting as close as anyone can now get to reconstructing the Prime Minister’s daily "Red Boxes", the rich diet of foreign and domestic policy papers submitted to her by the No.10 Private Office.

List and links to the PM’s files

Below are links to the downloadable files in numerical order. The subject terms are those used in the original filing system.

An average file has around 200 pages.

You can read here an account of how filing worked at No.10, and the system for archiving MT’s Prime Ministerial papers, both of which had their quirks.

Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Private Office files, 1979-1989

1979-89: Chancellor’s Private Office files [links to hundreds of digitised files from the Chancellorships of Sir Geoffrey Howe and Nigel Lawson]

Engagement Diaries

An alternative way through the material is to read MT’s engagement diaries, jumping day to day.

The engagement diaries link directly to relevant documents in the site database, so this is a good way to recover the perspective from the Red Box.

Showing items 101 - 150 of 3727

Per page:

File name	File title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Any docs withheld?	Classification	Pages
PREM19/101	Parliament (Legislative programme) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Jul 12	Ends: 1979 Nov 23	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 334
PREM19/102	Prime Minister (Meeting with Cardinal Hume, Northern Ireland May 1979)	Begins: 1979 May 7	Ends: 1979 May 29	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 34
PREM19/103	Prime Minister (Meeting with British Council of Churches Oct 1979)	Begins: 1979 May 9	Ends: 1979 Oct 17	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 41
PREM19/104	Prime Minister (MT's visits to Departments & possible regional visits)	Begins: 1979 May 8	Ends: 1979 Sep 25	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 193
PREM19/105	Regional policy (Review of policy, creation of Enterprize Zones)	Begins: 1979 May 24	Ends: 1979 Nov 5	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 163
PREM19/106	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Apr 30	Ends: 1979 May 31	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 321
PREM19/107	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Jun 1	Ends: 1979 Jul 4	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 382
PREM19/108	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 3)	Begins: 1979 Jul 4	Ends: 1979 Jul 30	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret	Pages: 254
PREM19/109	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 4)	Begins: 1979 Jul 31	Ends: 1979 Aug 9	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 226
PREM19/110	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 5)	Begins: 1979 Aug 9	Ends: 1979 Aug 30	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 355
PREM19/111	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 6)	Begins: 1979 Aug 31	Ends: 1979 Sep 11	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 206
PREM19/112	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 7)	Begins: 1979 Sep 11	Ends: 1979 Oct 10	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 293
PREM19/113	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 8)	Begins: 1979 Oct 11	Ends: 1979 Oct 31	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 342
PREM19/114	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 9)	Begins: 1979 Nov 1	Ends: 1979 Nov 18	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 295
PREM19/115	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 10)	Begins: 1979 Nov 19	Ends: 1979 Nov 30	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 273
PREM19/116	Rhodesia (Situation in) (Part 11)	Begins: 1979 Dec 2	Ends: 1979 Dec 21	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 443
PREM19/117	Rhodesia (Lord Boyd's Report on April 1979 election)	Begins: 1979 May 16	Ends: 1979 May 16	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 74
PREM19/118	Royal family (Security of HMQ during visit to Lusaka CHOGM)	Begins: 1979 May 9	Ends: 1979 Jul 27	Date of release: 2032 Jan 1		Classification: Closed for 52 years
PREM19/119	Security (Robin Cook's Bill on the Security Service)	Begins: 1979 Nov 29	Ends: 1979 Dec 17	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 17
PREM19/120	Security (Security of the Secret Services - Anthony Blunt) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 8	Ends: 1979 Nov 23	Date of release: 2016 Dec 20	Any docs withheld? 14	Classification: Top Secret	Pages: 219
PREM19/121	Social services (Benefits) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Jun 19	Ends: 1979 Dec 20	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 158
PREM19/122	South Africa (Plessey Radar contract - poss breach UN embargo)	Begins: 1979 Aug 1	Ends: 1979 Sep 10	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 42
PREM19/123	South Korea (Call on MT by South Korean Presidential envoy)	Begins: 1979 May 28	Ends: 1979 Jun 28	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 26
PREM19/124	Soviet Union (MT's stopover in Moscow, en route to Tokyo G7 Summit)	Begins: 1979 Jun 22	Ends: 1979 Jul 17	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 57
PREM19/125	Transport (Consumers & nationalized transport industries)	Begins: 1979 Jun 7	Ends: 1979 Jul 3	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 17
PREM19/126	United States (President Carter's energy policy)	Begins: 1979 Jul 6	Ends: 1979 Dec 17	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 70
PREM19/127	United States (MT visit to Washington - policy, December 1979)	Begins: 1979 Nov 8	Ends: 1979 Dec 21	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 301
PREM19/128	Vatican (Possible papal visit to Ireland, north & south)	Begins: 1979 Jul 10	Ends: 1979 Oct 1	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 67
PREM19/129	Vietnam (Vietnamese boat people) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 24	Ends: 1979 Jun 14	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 309
PREM19/130	Vietnam (Vietnamese boat people) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Jun 15	Ends: 1979 Jul 19	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 304
PREM19/131	Zaire (Call on MT by Foreign Minister of)	Begins: 1979 Nov 11	Ends: 1979 Nov 13	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 23
PREM19/132	Zambia (Policy)	Begins: 1979 Jul 13	Ends: 1979 Jul 23	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/133	European policy (European Council, Dublin Nov 1979 - briefing)	Begins: 1979 Nov 19	Ends: 1979 Nov 24	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 418
PREM19/134	Afghanistan (Soviet invasion) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Dec 17	Ends: 1980 Jan 6	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 280
PREM19/135	Afghanistan (Soviet invasion) (Part 2)	Begins: 1980 Jan 6	Ends: 1980 Jan 20	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 317
PREM19/136	Afghanistan (Soviet invasion) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Jan 21	Ends: 1980 Feb 28	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 257
PREM19/137	Afghanistan (Soviet invasion) (Part 4)	Begins: 1980 Feb 28	Ends: 1980 Apr 9	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 220
PREM19/138	Algeria (Visit to UK by Foreign Minister Mohammed Benyahia, June 1980: meeting with Prime Minister) (Part 4)	Begins: 1980 May 20	Ends: 1980 Jun 2	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 17
PREM19/139	Anguilla (Legislation for separation of Anguilla from St Kitts-Nevis)	Begins: 1980 Mar 26	Ends: 1980 Oct 22	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 20
PREM19/140	Argentina (Visit to UK by Dr Martinez de Hoz, Minister of Economy, June 1980)	Begins: 1980 Feb 26	Ends: 1980 Jun 11	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 16
PREM19/141	Australia (Prime Minister’s televised telephone conversation with Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to mark 50th anniversary of Australia’s first international telephone service)	Begins: 1980 Apr 18	Ends: 1980 Apr 21	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Restricted	Pages: 28
PREM19/142	Bangladesh (Visit to UK by President Ziaur Rahman, June 1980: meeting with Prime Minister)	Begins: 1980 Apr 10	Ends: 1980 Jul 25	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 78
PREM19/143	Canada (UK/Canadian relations: patriation of the Canadian constitution) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 23	Ends: 1980 Nov 6	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 248
PREM19/144	Civil Service (Pay and Pensions: reports by Government Actuary’s Department and Civil Service Pay Research Unit)	Begins: 1979 May 17	Ends: 1980 May 15	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 144
PREM19/145	Civil Service (Proposal to close Public Record Office research room in Chancery Lane)	Begins: 1980 Feb 14	Ends: 1980 Apr 22	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 23
PREM19/146	Civil Service (Cabinet Office Whitley Council request for meeting, concerning pay, with Prime Minister)	Begins: 1980 Mar 21	Ends: 1980 Dec 3	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 18
PREM19/147	Civil Service (Long-term management and manpower policy: efficiency of central government; Civil Service manpower; Sir Derek Rayner’s recommendations for reforms) (Part 1)	Begins: 1980 Mar 10	Ends: 1980 Apr 10	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 162
PREM19/148	Civil Service (Long-term management and manpower policy: efficiency of central government; Civil Service manpower; Sir Derek Rayner’s recommendations for reforms) (Part 2)	Begins: 1980 Apr 10	Ends: 1980 Apr 23	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 234
PREM19/149	Civil Service (Long-term management and manpower policy: efficiency of central government; Civil Service manpower; Sir Derek Rayner’s recommendations for reforms) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Apr 24	Ends: 1980 May 7	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 143
PREM19/150	Civil Service (Long-term management and manpower policy: efficiency of central government; Civil Service manpower; Sir Derek Rayner’s recommendations for reforms) (Part 4)	Begins: 1980 May 8	Ends: 1980 Jul 31	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 222

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