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 101 - 150 of 5082

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/11 Cuba (Soviet ground forces) Begins: 1979 Sep 5 Ends: 1979 Dec 17 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 28
PREM19/12 Cuba (UK credits) Begins: 1979 Nov 19 Ends: 1979 Dec 14 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 9
PREM19/13 Deaths (Lord Mountbatten) Begins: 1979 Aug 27 Ends: 1979 Dec 21 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Restricted Pages: 216
PREM19/14 Defence (UK Strategic Nuclear Deterrent) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 21 Ends: 1979 Dec 15 Date of release: 2013 Sep 24 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 177
PREM19/15 Defence (Modernisation of Theatre Nuclear Forces)(Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 16 Ends: 1979 Nov 29 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 226
PREM19/16 Defence (Anglo-German offset agreement) Begins: 1979 Jul 5 Ends: 1979 Nov 27 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 8
PREM19/17 Defence (Accidental US nuclear alert) Begins: 1979 Nov 10 Ends: 1979 Nov 16 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 9
PREM19/18 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 8 Ends: 1979 May 31 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 169
PREM19/19 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jun 1 Ends: 1979 Jul 16 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 206
PREM19/20 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 3) Begins: 1979 Jul 17 Ends: 1979 Aug 29 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 139
PREM19/21 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 4) Begins: 1979 Sep 6 Ends: 1979 Sep 28 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 106
PREM19/22 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 5) Begins: 1979 Oct 1 Ends: 1979 Oct 23 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 122
PREM19/23 Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 6) Begins: 1979 Oct 24 Ends: 1979 Nov 19 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 292
PREM19/24 Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1979 Jun 14 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 111
PREM19/25 Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jun 17 Ends: 1979 Jul 13 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 167
PREM19/26 Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 3) Begins: 1979 Jul 16 Ends: 1979 Oct 2 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 56
PREM19/27 Economic policy (G7 Summit - Tokyo) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 8 Ends: 1979 Jun 29 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Secret Pages: 288
PREM19/28 Economic policy (G7 Summit - Tokyo) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jun 30 Ends: 1979 Oct 18 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 114
PREM19/29 Economic policy (Budget) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1979 Jun 11 Date of release: 2009-12-30 Classification: Secret Pages: 347
PREM19/30 Economic policy (National Economic Development Council) (NEDC) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 15 Ends: 1979 Dec 18 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 219
PREM19/31 Economic policy (Privatization) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jun 4 Ends: 1979 Jul 20 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 189
PREM19/32 Economic policy (Privatization) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jul 23 Ends: 1979 Dec 19 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 115
PREM19/33 Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 10 Ends: 1979 Jul 25 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 208
PREM19/34 Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Sep 7 Ends: 1979 Dec 20 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 245
PREM19/35 Economic policy (Price Commission & Competition Bill)(Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 7 Ends: 1979 Jun 28 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 167
PREM19/36 Economic policy (Invisibles in trade figures) Begins: 1979 Sep 6 Ends: 1979 Oct 26 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 67
PREM19/37 Economic policy (CPRS paper on UK economy) Begins: 1979 May 1 Ends: 1979 May 8 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 60
PREM19/38 Economic policy (Proposed Council of Economic Advisers) Begins: 1979 May 30 Ends: 1979 Sep 10 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 44
PREM19/39 Economic policy (Bank of England staff pay) Begins: 1979 Jun 20 Ends: 1979 Jun 21 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 9
PREM19/40 Economic policy (Executive perks) Begins: 1979 Jul 16 Ends: 1979 Dec 18 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 87
PREM19/41 Elections (Briefing for incoming PM) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1979 May 7 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 93
PREM19/42 Energy (Energy Policy) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1979 Jun 16 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Confidential Pages: 219
PREM19/43 Energy (Energy Policy) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jun 17 Ends: 1979 Oct 30 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 232
PREM19/44 Energy (British National Oil Corporation & BP shares) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jul 3 Ends: 1979 Sep 12 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 174
PREM19/45 Energy (British National Oil Corporation & BP shares) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Sep 13 Ends: 1979 Dec 21 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 267
PREM19/46 Energy (Offshore Supplies Interest Relief Grants Scheme) Begins: 1979 May 24 Ends: 1979 Sep 20 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 41
PREM19/47 Energy (Nuclear power safety - Schmidt letter) Begins: 1979 May 28 Ends: 1979 Jun 29 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 28
PREM19/48 Energy (Nuclear power plant industry Begins: 1979 May 29 Ends: 1979 Aug 14 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 114
PREM19/49 Energy (UK/Australia nuclear safeguards agreement) Begins: 1979 Jun 27 Ends: 1979 Jul 12 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 42
PREM19/50 European policy (Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 8 Ends: 1979 Oct 26 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 230
PREM19/51 European policy (European Council, Strasbourg June 1979) Part 01 Begins: 1979 May 30 Ends: 1979 Jun 27 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 407
PREM19/52 European policy (European Council, Dublin Nov 1979) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Oct 19 Ends: 1979 Dec 7 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 300
PREM19/53 European policy (European Community budget) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1979 Jul 12 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 166
PREM19/54 European policy (European Community budget) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jul 13 Ends: 1979 Oct 25 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 244
PREM19/55 European policy (European Community budget) (Part 3) Begins: 1979 Oct 25 Ends: 1979 Nov 30 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 329
PREM19/56 Fishing Industry (Mourne herring fishery) Begins: 1979 Aug 22 Ends: 1979 Aug 30 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 19
PREM19/57 France (MT visits to, Paris June 1979) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 8 Ends: 1979 Aug 28 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 172
PREM19/58 Germany (Chancellor's visits to UK, Schmidt May 1979) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1979 May 25 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 220
PREM19/59 Germany (MT visits to, Bonn Oct 1979) (Part 2) Begins: 1979 Jun 11 Ends: 1979 Dec 7 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 156
PREM19/60 Government machinery (Rayner review) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 7 Ends: 1979 Jul 14 Date of release: 2009 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 287
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