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 51 - 100 of 5082

Per page:

File name	File title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Any docs withheld?	Classification	Pages
T639/57	Budget (Representations on tax relief, etc, policy presentation, backbench views, 1980-81 - correspondence, minutes, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1980 Oct 24	Ends: 1981 Feb 2	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 149
T639/59	Budget (Reaction to the budget, backbench views 1981 - correspondence, minutes, meeting records) Part C	Begins: 1981 Mar 3	Ends: 1981 Apr 30	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 236
T639/60	Budget (Reaction to the budget, backbench views 1981 - correspondence, minutes, meeting records) Part D	Begins: 1981 May 1	Ends: 1981 Jun 29	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 104
T639/61	Budget (Budget planning; backbench rebellion to secure reduction in DERV - correspondence, minutes, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1981 Feb 11	Ends: 1981 Apr 29	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 167
T639/62	Budget (Reaction to the budget - backbench rebellion to secure reduction in DERV - correspondence, minutes, meeting records) Part B	Begins: 1981 May 1	Ends: 1981 Jun 29	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 104
T639/63	Europe (ECOFIN [Brussels], Mar 1981; preparation for G5, April 1981 - briefing, draft conclusions, notes passed in meeting) Part A	Begins: 1980 Oct 13	Ends: 1981 Mar 13	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 240
T639/64	Europe (ECOFIN [Luxembourg], Jun 1981; meeting with European Investment Bank governors, Jun 1981 - briefing, correspondence, handwritten speaking notes) Part B	Begins: 1981 May 27	Ends: 1981 Jun 12	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 128
T639/65	Europe (ECOFIN [Luxembourg], Jun 1981; meeting with European Investment Bank governors, Jun 1981 - briefing, bilaterals, meeting records) Part C	Begins: 1981 Jun 14	Ends: 1981 Jun 16	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 94
T639/66	Budget (1979, 1981 - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1979 May 16	Ends: 1981 Feb 10	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 176
T639/251	Budget (1981, 1983 - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part B	Begins: 1981 Feb 12	Ends: 1983 Jan 17	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 154
T639/67	Europe (Chancellor's visit to The Hague, Jun 1981 - press release of speech)	Begins: 1981 Jun 3	Ends: 1981 Jun 3	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 38
T639/4	Monetary policy (Relaxation of Exchange Controls - minutes, drafts, correspondence, meeting records) (Part 2) [see T639/10 for Part 1 of this file]	Begins: 1979 Jun 7	Ends: 1979 Jul 24	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 197
T639/5	Monetary policy (Relaxation of Exchange Controls - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) (Part 3)	Begins: 1979 Jul 17	Ends: 1979 Oct 22	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 166
T639/20	Monetary policy (Relaxation of Exchange Controls, follow-up justification - minutes, speech drafts) Part C	Begins: 1979 Oct 22	Ends: 1980 Sep 25	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 127
T639/21	Public spending (Pay of non-industrial civil servants - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1979 Dec 21	Ends: 1980 Dec 17	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential & Management in confidence	Pages: 152
T639/68	Public spending (Pay of non-industrial civil servants - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part B	Begins: 1980 Dec 12	Ends: 1981 Mar 31	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 176
T639/69	Public spending (Review of pay research machinery for non-industrial civil servants - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1980 May 6	Ends: 1981 Jan 12	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 49
T639/70	Public spending (Industrial action in the civil service, 1978-81 - minutes, correspondence) Part A	Begins: 1979 Jun 20	Ends: 1981 May 7	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 84
T639/71	Europe (Community Budget corrective mechanism - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1979 Jun 14	Ends: 1981 Jan 23	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 136
T639/72	National Insurance (Nov 1980 NI increases, argument over announcement - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1979 Nov 25	Ends: 1981 Jan 8	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 94
T639/73	Monetary policy (Niehans Report on sterling overvaluation - minutes, correspondence) Part A	Begins: 1981 Feb 16	Ends: 1981 Mar 18	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 14
T639/74	Monetary policy (Sterling overvaluation - minutes copied to "Exchange rate box") Part A	Begins: 1981 Jan 8	Ends: 1981 Jul 8	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 28
T639/6	Public spending (Social Security; decision to uprate long-term benefits historically & in line with prices - minutes, correspondence) Part A	Begins: 1979 May 11	Ends: 1979 May 17	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 61
T639/7	Public spending (Social Security; decision to uprate long-term benefits historically & in line with prices - minutes, correspondence) Part B	Begins: 1979 May 18	Ends: 1979 Jun 21	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 77
T639/22	Public spending (Social Security; decision to uprate long-term benefits historically & in line with prices - minutes, correspondence) Part C	Begins: 1979 Jul 26	Ends: 1980 Jan 30	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 48
T639/23	Public spending (Social Security Bill removing earnings link, etc - minutes, correspondence) Part A	Begins: 1979 May 22	Ends: 1980 Mar 13	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 52
T639/8	Budget (1979 - minutes, correspondence, meeting records) Part A	Begins: 1979 May 8	Ends: 1979 Jul 3	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 144
T639/9	Monetary policy (Chancellor's meeting with the PM, 5 Nov 1979)	Begins: 1979 Oct 22	Ends: 1979 Nov 5	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 120
T639/10	Monetary policy (Relaxation of Exchange Controls - minutes, drafts, correspondence, meeting records) (Part 1) [see T639/4 for part 2 of this file]	Begins: 1979 May 4	Ends: 1979 Jun 5	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 169
T639/75	Europe (ECOFIN [Brussels], Nov 1981- briefing, minute of meeting) Part A	Begins: 1980 Apr 21	Ends: 1981 Nov 19	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 73
T639/76	International (IMF/IBRD Interim & Development Committee in Gabon, 21-22 May 1981 - minutes, speech drafts, correspondence) Part A	Begins: 1980 Nov 28	Ends: 1981 Jun 3	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 206
T639/78	International (Visit of Kuwaiti Finance Minister, Jun 1981 - briefing, record of conversation; also briefing for visit of South African Finance Minister (Jul 1981); MT-Thorn meeting record (27 Oct 1980); censure debate (Oct 1981))	Begins: 1980 Oct 24	Ends: 1981 Oct 27	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Personal & Secret	Pages: 66
T639/11	Political (Chancellor's speech in economic debate, 28 Nov 1979 - briefing, notes, speech drafts; two items from 1977 also)	Begins: 1977 Sep 27	Ends: 1979 Nov 28	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Secret	Pages: 243
T639/12	Monetary policy ("Gilt Strike", Nov 1979) Part A	Begins: 1979 Nov 2	Ends: 1979 Nov 15	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Personal & Secret	Pages: 339
T639/13	Political (presentation of economic policy (Jun 1979 budget; post-budget; European budget Oct 1979; ITV pay, BBC cuts) - briefing, articles, letters, notes, drafts)	Begins: 1979 May 10	Ends: 1979 Dec 20	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Personal & Secret	Pages: 286
T639/79	International (Lunch at No.11 with US Treasury Secretary (Donald Regan), 12 Apr 1981 - briefing on Reagan administration attitude to UK economic policy)	Begins: 1981 Apr 10	Ends: 1981 Apr 12	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 39
T639/80	International (Lunch with Vice-President Bush at US Embassy in London, 25 Jun 1981 - briefing)	Begins: 1981 Jun 19	Ends: 1981 Jun 24	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 21
T639/81	International (Visit of Japanese Planning Agency Director-General, 18 Jun 1981 - briefing, record of conversation)	Begins: 1981 Jun 12	Ends: 1981 Jun 18	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 67
T639/82	Europe (Visit of UK European Commissioner Christopher Tugendhat, 15 May 1981; EC budget restructuring - briefing, record of conversation)	Begins: 1981 May 11	Ends: 1981 May 19	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 26
T639/83	Europe (Meeting with European Council Secretariat Director-General Christofas; planning for UK European Presidency Jul-Dec 1981 - briefing, record of conversations, draft meeting record)	Begins: 1981 May 6	Ends: 1981 Jun 8	Date of release: 2012		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 36
T640/479	Coal (The Coal Industry & Privatisation)	Begins: 1985 Mar 5	Ends: 1987 Oct 10	Date of release: 2014		Classification: Secret	Pages: 126
T640/288	Coal (Lessons learned from the coal strike)	Begins: 1985 Nov 25	Ends: 1986 Feb 7	Date of release: 2014		Classification: Secret	Pages: 37
T640/105	Coal (Extending power station endurance)	Begins: 1984 Jul 7	Ends: 1984 Jul 11	Date of release: 2014		Classification: Secret	Pages: 28
PREM19/4	Civil Service (Dispersal) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 22	Ends: 1979 Oct 15	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 109
PREM19/5	Civil Service (Manpower Freeze) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 8	Ends: 1979 May 28	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 189
PREM19/6	Civil Service (Manpower Freeze) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Sep 7	Ends: 1979 Dec 31	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 198
PREM19/7	Civil Service (Christmas Message)	Begins: 1979 Nov 20	Ends: 1979 Nov 26	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 4
PREM19/8	Civil Service (Stock Criticisms)	Begins: 1979 Dec 31	Ends: 1979 Dec 31	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 15
PREM19/9	Commonwealth (Lusaka Heads of Government Meeting) (CHOGM) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 18	Ends: 1979 Jul 31	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 3	Classification: Secret	Pages: 201
PREM19/10	Commonwealth (Lusaka CHOGM - bilaterals)	Begins: 1979 Jul 31	Ends: 1979 Aug 17	Date of release: 2009 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 2	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 56

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