Archive

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 1451 - 1500 of 3726

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/1452 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 31) Begins: 1984 Dec 17 Ends: 1985 Apr 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 330
PREM19/1453 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 32) Begins: 1985 May 10 Ends: 1985 Sep 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 241
PREM19/1454 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 33) Begins: 1985 Oct 1 Ends: 1985 Nov 26 Date of release: 2015 Jul 16 Classification: Secret Pages: 341
PREM19/1455 Economic policy (The Budget, 1984 and 1985) (Part 13) Begins: 1984 Mar 15 Ends: 1985 Mar 8 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 364
PREM19/1456 Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 12) Begins: 1984 Dec 5 Ends: 1985 Apr 26 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 390
PREM19/1457 Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 13) Begins: 1985 May 10 Ends: 1985 Jun 28 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 394
PREM19/1458 Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 14) Begins: 1985 Jul 3 Ends: 1985 Nov 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 397
PREM19/1459 Economic policy (Policy towards privatisation: disposal of public sector assets; contracting out of public sector functions) (Part 11) Begins: 1984 Apr 4 Ends: 1985 Nov 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 387
PREM19/1460 Economic policy (Policy towards privatisation: disposal of public sector assets; contracting out of public sector functions) (Part 12 Begins: 1984 Apr 4 Ends: 1985 Nov 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 387
PREM19/1461 Economic policy (Financial services: position of Stock Exchange, including future changes to structure and membership; Gower Report on Investor Protection; securities regulation; commercial fraud) (Part 1) Begins: 1983 Nov 24 Ends: 1985 Sep 18 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 351
PREM19/1462 Economic policy (Pay Review Body reports on pay of civil servants, armed forces and National Health Service (NHS); Top Salaries Review Body (TSRB) pension awards; pay of Permanent and Deputy Secretaries) (Part 6) Begins: 1984 Mar 6 Ends: 1985 May 31 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 281
PREM19/1463 Economic policy (Pay Review Body reports: Top Salaries Review Body (TSRB) report on salaries of senior civil servants, senior members of the armed services and judges; future of TSRB) (Part 7) Begins: 1985 Jun 3 Ends: 1985 Nov 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 19
PREM19/1464 Economic policy (Countering tax fraud and evasion: report on the black economy) Begins: 1981 Feb 16 Ends: 1985 Jun 3 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 123
PREM19/1465 Economic policy (Meetings of National Economic Development Council (NEDC): future role) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Jan 1 Ends: 1985 Sep 10 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 299
PREM19/1466 Economic policy (Policy on small firms: administrative and legislative burdens; Loan Guarantee Scheme) (Part 5) Begins: 1984 Sep 4 Ends: 1985 Apr 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 192
PREM19/1467 Economic policy (G7 Summit - Bonn) (Part 18) Begins: 1984 Sep 7 Ends: 1985 Apr 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 464
PREM19/1468 Economic policy (G7 Summit - Bonn) (Part 19) Begins: 1985 Apr 25 Ends: 1985 Sep 22 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 412
PREM19/1469 Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: White Paper on Schools) (Part 4) Begins: 1984 Jan 3 Ends: 1985 Feb 28 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 327
PREM19/1470 Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: White Paper on Better Schools; Green Paper on Higher Education) (Part 5) Begins: 1985 Mar 1 Ends: 1985 Aug 27 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 283
PREM19/1471 Education (Teachers’ pay) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Apr 1 Ends: 1985 Jan 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 382
PREM19/1472 Education (Teachers’ pay) (Part 4) Begins: 1985 Feb 6 Ends: 1985 Jul 31 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 347
PREM19/1473 Egypt (Visits to UK by President Mubarak by Foreign Minister Ismat Abdel Meguid: meetings with Prime Minister) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 Dec 12 Ends: 1985 Dec 18 Date of release: 2018 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 352
PREM19/1474 Energy (Future of British National Oil Corporation (BNOC): flotation of Britoil, BNOC oil-producing business) (Part 5) Begins: 1982 Jan 14 Ends: 1985 Nov 12 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 5 Classification: Secret Pages: 282
PREM19/1475 Energy (Cross Channel electricity link) Begins: 1980 Jul 15 Ends: 1985 Jun 17 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 55
PREM19/1476 Environmental Affairs (Prime Minister's lunch with conservationists) Begins: 1985 Oct 21 Ends: 1985 Nov 26 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 46
PREM19/1477 Environmental Affairs (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution: effects of acid rain; agriculture and conservation) (Part 3) Begins: 1984 Nov 2 Ends: 1985 May 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 503
PREM19/1478 European Policy (European Community Budget: developments in the European Community; Dooge Committee on European Community institutions) (Part 28) Begins: 1984 Nov 1 Ends: 1985 Feb 27 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 424
PREM19/1479 European Policy (European Community Budget: developments in the European Community) (Part 29) Begins: 1985 Mar 5 Ends: 1985 May 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 314
PREM19/1480 European Policy (European Community Budget: developments in the European Community) (Part 30) Begins: 1985 Jun 6 Ends: 1985 Nov 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 401
PREM19/1481 European Policy (European Strategic Research Programme in Information Technology (ESPRIT)) Begins: 1983 Nov 22 Ends: 1984 Mar 19 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 76
PREM19/1482 European Policy (European political co-operation in foreign policy field: Genscher/Colombo proposals) Begins: 1981 May 6 Ends: 1985 Apr 23 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 142
PREM19/1483 European Policy (Visits to UK by Viscount Etienne Davignon, Vice-President of European Commission, February and November 1984: meetings with Prime Minister) Begins: 1983 Dec 23 Ends: 1984 Nov 23 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 29
PREM19/1484 European Policy (European Community Labour and Social Affairs Council: draft recommendation on reduction and reorganisation of working time) Begins: 1984 May 31 Ends: 1984 Jun 6 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 16
PREM19/1485 European Policy (European Convention on Human Rights: corporal punishment in schools) Begins: 1980 Nov 12 Ends: 1984 Apr 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 72
PREM19/1486 European Policy (Enlargement of European Community: applications of Portugal and Spain) (Part 2) Begins: 1983 Jun 13 Ends: 1985 Aug 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 279
PREM19/1487 European Policy (Dean Dove Ltd: provision of financial assistance by Department of Trade and Industry, in breach of European Community guidelines) Begins: 1985 Jan 10 Ends: 1985 Jan 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 21
PREM19/1488 European Policy (European Democratic Group (EDG) in European Parliament; links with other groups/Parties) Begins: 1984 Jan 30 Ends: 1985 Jun 6 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 35
PREM19/1489 European Policy (Prime Minister of Spain request for UK support for candidacy of Don Marcelino Oreja as Secretary-General of Council of Europe: Oreja's meeting with Prime Minister, January 1985) Begins: 1984 Jan 30 Ends: 1985 Jun 5 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 53
PREM19/1490 European Policy (European Council meeting, Brussels, March 1985) (Part 20) Begins: 1985 Mar 7 Ends: 1985 Apr 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 718
PREM19/1491 European Policy (European Council meeting, Milan, June 1985) (Part 21) Begins: 1985 May 10 Ends: 1985 Jun 27 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 276
PREM19/1492 European Policy (European Council meeting, Milan, June 1985) (Part 22) Begins: 1985 Jun 27 Ends: 1985 Dec 6 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 247
PREM19/1493 Fishing Industry (EEC Common Fisheries Policy) (Part 5) Begins: 1981 Sep 22 Ends: 1985 Jun 14 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 331
PREM19/1494 Foreign Policy (East/West relations) (Part 4) Begins: 1983 Oct 27 Ends: 1985 Jun 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 315
PREM19/1495 Foreign Policy (East/West relations) (Part 5) Begins: 1985 Jul 31 Ends: 1985 Nov 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 7 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 424
PREM19/1496 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister's visit to South-East Asia, April 1985) (Part 1) Begins: 1984 Dec 13 Ends: 1985 Mar 21 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 334
PREM19/1497 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister's visit to South-East Asia, April 1985) (Part 1) Begins: 1985 Apr 1 Ends: 1985 Apr 4 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 9 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 146
PREM19/1498 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister's visit to South-East Asia, April 1985) (Part 2) Begins: 1985 Apr 5 Ends: 1985 Jul 27 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 14 Classification: Secret Pages: 367
PREM19/1499 Foreign Policy (Briefing for Prime Minister's visit to South-East Asia, April 1985) Begins: 1985 Apr 4 Ends: 1985 Apr 13 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 12 Classification: Secret Pages: 318
PREM19/1500 Foreign Policy (Briefing for officials for Prime Minister's visit to South-East Asia, April 1985) Begins: 1985 Apr 4 Ends: 1985 Apr 13 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 7 Classification: Confidential Pages: 203
PREM19/1501 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister's visit to Egypt and Jordan, September 1985: policy and briefing) Begins: 1985 Jul 15 Ends: 1985 Sep 29 Date of release: Temporarily Retained
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