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 126 - 150 of 3727

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/2065 Defence (UK strategic nuclear deterrent) (Part 7) Begins: 1985 Feb 1 Ends: 1987 Jun 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2066 Defence (Intelligence gathering operations) (Part 3) Begins: 1985 Jan 9 Ends: 1987 Jan 21 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2068 Defence (Military uses of laser technology in space: United States Strategic Defence Initiative) (Part 4) Begins: 1985 Dec 4 Ends: 1987 Oct 2 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2069 Defence (Nuclear release procedures) (Part 4) Begins: 1983 Mar 1 Ends: 1987 Oct 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2074 Defence (Zircon satellite project) (Part 1) Begins: 1983 Apr 27 Ends: 1987 Feb 27 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2077 Downing Street (Staffing of the Private Office: review of out-of-hours watch arrangements) (Part 1) Begins: 1984 May 24 Ends: 1988 Oct 4 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2133 Elections (Election procedure) (Part 3) Begins: 1987 May 13 Ends: 1988 Mar 31 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2135 Energy (Energy policy: nuclear power; Layfield report on new Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR), Sizewell 'B'; doctrine of collective responsibility aspect of Energy Secretary's decision to accept Layfield recommendation; study by Advisory Council on Applied Research and Development (ACARD) on UK future nuclear reactor programme) (Part 11) Begins: 1987 Feb 4 Ends: 1987 Nov 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2136 Energy (Energy policy: nuclear power; revision of report by Advisory Council on Science and Technology (ACOST) on industrial impact of Sizewell 'B' decision; extension of Joint European Torus (JET) project on nuclear fusion; disposal of UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) shareholding in National Nuclear Corporation; fast reactor programme) (Part 12) Begins: 1987 Dec 1 Ends: 1988 May 24 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2138 Energy (Future of British National Oil Corporation (BNOC): proposed sale of British Petroleum (BP) assets; Kuwaiti holding in BP) (Part 6) Begins: 1986 Mar 24 Ends: 1988 Dec 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2159 European Policy (European Council meeting, Brussels, February 1988) (Part 28) Begins: 1988 Jan 21 Ends: 1988 Feb 22 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2160 European Policy (European Council meeting, Hanover, June 1988) (Part 29) Begins: 1988 Apr 1 Ends: 1988 Jun 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2174 Foreign Policy (Future inward and outward State visits; visits by members of the Royal Family) Begins: 1985 Sep 1 Ends: 1988 Aug 5 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2175 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister's visit to Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain, September 1988) Begins: 1988 Aug 1 Ends: 1988 Nov 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2176 Foreign Policy (Prime Minister's visit to Australia, Bahrain, Oman, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Dubai, August 1988) (Part 1) Begins: 1988 May 12 Ends: 1988 Jul 31 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2179 Foreign Policy (Summary notes on Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) Assessments) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Sep 5 Ends: 1987 Dec 18 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2188 Government Buildings (Refurbishing of Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Jun 1 Ends: 1988 Aug 12 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2199 Government Machinery (Special advisers; appointment procedure) (Part 3) Begins: 1984 Jan 12 Ends: 1987 Jun 29 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2222 Home Affairs (Monopolies and Mergers Commission Report on proposed takeover of House of Fraser by Lonrho) Begins: 1987 Jan 12 Ends: 1987 Oct 28 Date of release: Retained Classification: Closed for 40 years
PREM19/2223 Home Affairs (Parole position of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady) Begins: 1985 Feb 19 Ends: 1987 Mar 24 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2231 Hong Kong (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)) Begins: 1985 Aug 28 Ends: 1987 Jul 21 Date of release: Retained Classification: Closed for 40 years
PREM19/2241 Immigration (Immigration Rules) (Part 3) Begins: 1986 Apr 7 Ends: 1987 Oct 30 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2243 India (UK/Indian relations: Rihand power station) (Part 5) Begins: 1985 Jun 3 Ends: 1987 May 21 Date of release: Retained Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2272 Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach: Anglo-Irish Summits; Anglo-Irish relations) (Part 17) Begins: 1987 Feb 4 Ends: 1987 Nov 17 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2273 Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach: Anglo-Irish Summits; Anglo-Irish relations) (Part 18) Begins: 1987 Nov 18 Ends: 1987 Apr 29 Date of release: Retained Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
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