Archive

Treasury Private Office papers

In 2012 www.margaretthatcher.org uncovered through an FOI request the existence of a vast cache of secret papers stored at H.M. Treasury, some 4,850 files from the Private Office of successive Chancellors (and Chief Secretaries) between 1979 and 1997.

The files contain the most politically sensitive documents from the very top of the Treasury, the small circle of Ministers, Special Advisers and Private Secretaries, which were stored, when in use, only a few doors from the Chancellor's room for convenience and security. Their like is rarely found at the National Archives in Kew. These documents are of deep historical interest, an intact Private Office collection in scale and importance exceeded only by that from No.10 itself, relied on by Treasury ministers when writing their memoirs. It is an un-looted tomb in Whitehall's Valley of the Kings – the Palace accountant's rather than the Pharaoh's, but well worth the ticket.

When it first revealed the existence of the files the Treasury stated that it intended to destroy the whole lot, waiting politely till the various Chancellors died off. It was claimed, quite mistakenly, that the contents of these files are either ephemeral or copied elsewhere, and so should not be considered part of "the definitive policy record" maintained by its various divisions for archiving at Kew.

Later, and following representations, officials denied that destruction was ever intended. The first section, covering the Chancellorship of Sir Geoffrey Howe, 1979-83, was released at TNA in 2016; the files have been digitised and uploaded to the list below. The bulk of Nigel Lawson's files, 1983-89, were released at TNA in early 2018 and have also been digitised; they are being uploaded progressively and many are now available on this page. The spreadsheet giving the full list 1979-97 can be downloaded below.

Although some of the files relate to 1979 and 1980, the filing system glimpsed here only got into full operation in 1981, so earlier records are something of a legacy from what went before and are significantly fewer.

The Treasury has also released Nick Ridley's surviving Private Office files as Financial Secretary to the Treasury. These are diferent in form to the Chancellor's files, consisting largely of photocopies of minutes and meetings records relating to directly to Ridley with very little incoming correspondence. They are not listed in the spreadsheet already mentioned, so must derive from the 'unstructured' files already referred to. They are in rough chronological order – a sort of day file.

How to use this page?

Below are links to the downloadable files in numerical order. The original file names have been modified to convey content more readily.

An average file has around 100 pages.

Some of these downloads are very big, as large as 50MB, though most are in the range 1-10MB.

Where documents within a file have been selected for the site database, they can easily be viewed by clicking the file name link.

Selected documents in site database

Documents from the files selected for the site database can be read here. Progressively more will be uploaded over time.

Showing items 301 - 350 of 5082

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/213 Defence (Arms control) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jun 18 Ends: 1979 Aug 24 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Secret Pages: 231
PREM19/214 European Policy (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Oct 29 Ends: 1980 Jan 31 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 185
PREM19/215 European Policy (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)) (Part 3) Begins: 1980 Feb 5 Ends: 1980 Mar 10 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 116
PREM19/216 European Policy (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)) (Part 4) Begins: 1980 Mar 12 Ends: 1980 Apr 30 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 145
PREM19/217 European Policy (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)) (Part 5) Begins: 1980 May 1 Ends: 1980 Jul 16 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 209
PREM19/218 European Policy (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)) (Part 6) Begins: 1980 Jul 18 Ends: 1980 Nov 27 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 207
PREM19/219 European Policy (European Council Meeting in Luxembourg, 27-28 April 1980 (re-scheduled from Brussels)) (Part 3) Begins: 1980 Feb 5 Ends: 1980 May 15 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 307
PREM19/220 European Policy (European Council Meeting, Venice, 12-13 June 1980) (Part 4) Begins: 1980 Jan 14 Ends: 1980 Jun 19 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 181
PREM19/221 European Policy (European Council Meeting, Luxembourg, 1-2 December 1980) (Part 5) Begins: 1980 Oct 24 Ends: 1980 Dec 4 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 128
PREM19/222 European Policy (European Community budget) (Part 4) Begins: 1979 Dec 3 Ends: 1980 Jan 21 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 219
PREM19/223 European Policy (European Community budget) (Part 5) Begins: 1980 Jan 22 Ends: 1980 Feb 25 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 144
PREM19/224 European Policy (European Community budget) (Part 6) Begins: 1980 Feb 26 Ends: 1980 Mar 19 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 153
PREM19/225 European Policy (European Community budget) (Part 7) Begins: 1980 Mar 19 Ends: 1980 Apr 28 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 259
PREM19/226 European Policy (European Community budget) (Part 8) Begins: 1980 Apr 29 Ends: 1980 Jun 3 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 251
PREM19/227 European Policy (European Community budget) (Part 9) Begins: 1980 Jun 4 Ends: 1980 Sep 19 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 196
PREM19/228 European Policy (Prime Minister’s meetings with President of European Commission, Roy Jenkins) Begins: 1979 May 10 Ends: 1980 Nov 4 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 192
PREM19/229 European Policy (EEC food exports to Soviet Union; sales of subsidised butter) Begins: 1979 Sep 3 Ends: 1980 Jul 30 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 80
PREM19/230 European Policy (Designation of European Community) Begins: 1980 Jan 4 Ends: 1980 Feb 7 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Restricted Pages: 6
PREM19/231 European Policy (Visit to UK by Henri de Koster, President of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, May 1980; meeting with Prime Minister) Begins: 1980 Apr 15 Ends: 1980 May 29 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 33
PREM19/232 European Policy (Prime Minister’s meetings with James Scott-Hopkins MEP, leader of European Democratic Group (EDG) in European Parliament, and other EDG MEPs) Begins: 1979 Jul 16 Ends: 1980 Jul 18 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 218
PREM19/233 Fishing industry (EEC Common Fisheries Policy) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 8 Ends: 1980 Jan 31 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 260
PREM19/234 Fishing industry (EEC Common Fisheries Policy) (Part 2) Begins: 1980 Mar 3 Ends: 1980 May 7 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 134
PREM19/235 Fishing industry (EEC Common Fisheries Policy) (Part 3) Begins: 1980 May 9 Ends: 1980 Aug 15 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 178
PREM19/236 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister’s visit to Greece and Yugoslavia, September 1980: policy) Begins: 1980 Aug 27 Ends: 1980 Oct 6 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 225
PREM19/237 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister’s bilateral meetings in Belgrade whilst attending Tito’s funeral) Begins: 1980 May 5 Ends: 1980 May 9 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 92
PREM19/238 Foreign Policy (East/West relations; Western strategy in wake of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jul 5 Ends: 1980 May 30 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 192
PREM19/239 France (Prime Minister’s visit to France, September 1980: Franco-British Conference at Bordeaux) Begins: 1979 Oct 9 Ends: 1980 Oct 6 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 321
PREM19/240 Gabon (Visit to UK by President Bongo, May 1980: call on Prime Minister) Begins: 1980 Apr 23 Ends: 1980 May 22 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 43
PREM19/241 Government Machinery (Responsibility for science matters; future of Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development (ACARD)) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 16 Ends: 1980 Feb 28 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 147
PREM19/242 Government Machinery (Promotion of efficiency and elimination of waste: the scrutiny programme) (Part 4) Begins: 1979 Nov 30 Ends: 1980 Feb 12 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 228
PREM19/243 Government Machinery (Promotion of efficiency and elimination of waste: the scrutiny programme) (Part 5) Begins: 1980 Feb 14 Ends: 1980 May 30 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 244
PREM19/244 Government Machinery (Promotion of efficiency and elimination of waste: the scrutiny programme) (Part 6) Begins: 1980 Jun 5 Ends: 1980 Nov 24 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 243
PREM19/245 Government Machinery (Review of non-departmental public bodies (quangos): report by Sir Leo Pliatzky) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jul 23 Ends: 1980 Jan 17 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 250
PREM19/246 Government Machinery (Future of Directorate of Overseas Surveys and Centre for Overseas Pest Research) Begins: 1979 Jul 19 Ends: 1980 Feb 8 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 14
PREM19/247 Government Machinery (Ministerial co-ordination of maritime affairs) Begins: 1979 May 16 Ends: 1980 Feb 21 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 14
PREM19/248 Government Machinery (Special advisers; appointment procedure; pay) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Apr 27 Ends: 1980 May 2 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 235
PREM19/249 Government Machinery (Future of Civil Service Department; integration with the Treasury; Select Committee consideration) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Mar 14 Ends: 1980 Jul 4 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 215
PREM19/250 Government Machinery (Future of Civil Service Department; integration with the Treasury; Select Committee consideration) (Part 2) Begins: 1980 Jul 7 Ends: 1980 Nov 28 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 549
PREM19/251 Greece (Sale of coal fired power station) Begins: 1980 Sep 12 Ends: 1980 Dec 29 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 128
PREM19/252 Home Affairs (Pay of magistrates court staff; industrial action) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jun 11 Ends: 1980 Oct 13 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 157
PREM19/253 Home Affairs (Increase in incidence of leukaemia in Lancashire; correspondence with Stan Thorne MP) Begins: 1979 Oct 4 Ends: 1980 Feb 25 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 69
PREM19/254 Home Affairs (Use of immigration rules to prevent scientologists entering UK; lifting of the ban) Begins: 1979 Nov 14 Ends: 1980 Jul 2 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 14
PREM19/255 Hong Kong (UK trade with China; power projects in Hong Kong involving UK companies) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 14 Ends: 1980 Dec 31 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 142
PREM19/256 Housing (Housing policy; the Housing Bill; council house sales) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 22 Ends: 1980 Jul 31 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 117
PREM19/257 India (Call on Prime Minister by Swraj Paul, Vice Chairman, Indo/British Association, July 1980; Indo-British exchange conference) Begins: 1980 Jun 18 Ends: 1980 Jul 16 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 26
PREM19/258 Industrial policy (Future of British Leyland (BL)) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Dec 14 Ends: 1980 Mar 10 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 161
PREM19/259 Industrial policy (Future of British Leyland (BL)) Part 3 Begins: 1980 Mar 11 Ends: 1980 Apr 17 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 245
PREM19/260 Industrial policy (Future of National Enterprise Board (NEB); disposal of shareholdings; Ferranti) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1980 Jun 30 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 150
PREM19/261 Industrial policy (Industrial relations law) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Oct 1 Ends: 1980 Feb 1 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 221
PREM19/262 Industrial policy (Industrial relations law) (Part 3) Begins: 1980 Feb 3 Ends: 1980 Feb 14 Date of release: 2010 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 232
Per page: