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 1001 - 1050 of 5082

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/923 South Africa (Internal situation; relations with UK) (Part 2) Begins: 1980 Sep 8 Ends: 1982 Oct 21 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 212
PREM19/924 Soviet Union (Trade relations: credit agreement; uranium enrichment contract; grain sales; controls on strategic exports) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Sep 27 Ends: 1982 Mar 22 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 235
PREM19/925 Soviet Union (Trade relations: credit restrictions; United States sanctions against Siberian pipeline - impact on John Brown Engineering and other European companies; controls on strategic exports) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 Apr 19 Ends: 1982 Nov 11 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 276
PREM19/926 Soviet Union (Relations between the UK and Soviet Union) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 23 Ends: 1982 Apr 5 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 214
PREM19/927 Sport (Sporting relations with Argentina; possible withdrawal of UK teams from Football World Cup 1982) Begins: 1982 Apr 29 Ends: 1982 Aug 25 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 19
PREM19/928 Trade (UK trading policies; non-tariff barriers; effects on UK industry of open trading system; General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Ministerial meeting) (Part 2) Begins: 1981 Nov 4 Ends: 1982 Oct 28 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 235
PREM19/929 Trade (Difficulties of textile and clothing industries; closure of mills; low pay in the industry; policy on imports; quota issue) (Part 2) Begins: 1980 Jun 30 Ends: 1982 Apr 23 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 207
PREM19/930 Trade unions (Trade union education and training: continuance of government grant) Begins: 1979 Dec 13 Ends: 1982 Mar 1 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 71
PREM19/931 Transport (Railway policy: British Rail pay dispute) (Part 2) Begins: 1981 Aug 3 Ends: 1982 Feb 9 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 264
PREM19/932 Transport (Railway policy: British Rail pay dispute; investigation into 'flexible rostering' by Railway Staff National Tribunal under Lord McCarthy; railway finances review by Sir David Serpell) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Feb 10 Ends: 1982 May 7 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 340
PREM19/933 Transport (Railway policy: British Rail unions' threatened industrial action; contingency planning) (Part 4) Begins: 1982 May 10 Ends: 1982 Jun 25 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 283
PREM19/934 Transport (Railway policy: British Rail unions' industrial action; contingency planning; McCarthy report on railway productivity and pay; rail fare increases) (Part 5) Begins: 1982 Jun 28 Ends: 1982 Sep 30 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 265
PREM19/935 Transport (Private finance for trunk road construction) Begins: 1982 Feb 22 Ends: 1982 May 25 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 37
PREM19/936 Transport (Armitage Report on Lorries, People and the Environment; draft White Paper) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 14 Ends: 1982 Sep 29 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 197
PREM19/937 Transport (Fixed Channel Link (Channel Tunnel); economic considerations; discussions with French) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jul 24 Ends: 1982 Feb 8 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 207
PREM19/938 United Nations (North/South Global Negotiations) Begins: 1980 Mar 17 Ends: 1982 Jan 8 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 116
PREM19/939 United Nations (Election of United Nations Secretary-General) Begins: 1981 May 5 Ends: 1982 Feb 8 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 106
PREM19/940 United Nations (Visits to UK by Secretary-General, Kurt Waldheim: meetings with Prime Minister) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 23 Ends: 1981 May 13 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Secret Pages: 293
PREM19/941 USA (Economic situation in the United States) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 15 Ends: 1981 Sep 30 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 275
PREM19/942 USA (Visit to UK by President Reagan, June 1982) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 Jan 21 Ends: 1982 Apr 30 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 14 Classification: Confidential Pages: 256
PREM19/943 USA (Visit to UK by President Reagan, June 1982: meetings with Prime Minister) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 May 5 Ends: 1982 Jul 1 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 8 Classification: Secret Pages: 227
PREM19/944 USA (Relations between the UK and USA) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 4 Ends: 1982 Apr 13 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 205
PREM19/945 Vatican (Vatican delegation to Heads of State about nuclear weapons; meeting with Prime Minister) Begins: 1981 Dec 14 Ends: 1982 Jan 29 Date of release: 2013 Jul 25 Classification: Confidential Pages: 59
PREM19/946 Zimbabwe (Internal situation; aid; relations with UK) Begins: 1981 Nov 12 Ends: 1982 Nov 30 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Secret Pages: 217
PREM19/947 Aerospace (Application by British Caledonian Airways to operate London-Los Angeles route) Begins: 1982 Mar 1 Ends: 1982 Mar 11 Date of release: 2012 Dec 28 Classification: Confidential Pages: 18
PREM19/948 Aerospace (Presentation by Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace to Prime Minister and other Ministers on aerospace) Begins: 1983 Sep 6 Ends: 1983 Nov 22 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 58
PREM19/949 Agriculture (Role of Home Grown Cereals Authority; appointment of Chairman) Begins: 1983 Aug 16 Ends: 1983 Nov 11 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 17
PREM19/950 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 32) Begins: 1982 Dec 1 Ends: 1983 Mar 2 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 17 Classification: Secret Pages: 360
PREM19/951 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 33) Begins: 1983 Mar 3 Ends: 1983 Apr 29 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 9 Classification: Secret Pages: 322
PREM19/952 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 34) Begins: 1983 Apr 2 Ends: 1983 Sep 16 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 6 Classification: Secret Pages: 313
PREM19/953 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 35) Begins: 1983 Sep 19 Ends: 1983 Dec 30 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 13 Classification: Secret Pages: 347
PREM19/954 Argentina (Falklands: sensitive briefing - defence after repossession) (Part 12) Begins: 1982 Dec 27 Ends: 1983 Mar 12 Date of release: Retained Sec 3.4 Classification: Unknown
PREM19/955 Argentina (Falkland Islands Review Committee (chaired by Lord Franks); general correspondence) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Oct 29 Ends: 1983 Jan 18 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 264
PREM19/956 Argentina (Falkland Islands Review Committee (chaired by Lord Franks): general correspondence) (Part 4) Begins: 1983 Jan 19 Ends: 1983 May 6 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 229
PREM19/957 Argentina (Falkland Islands Review Committee (chaired by Lord Franks): documentation used by Prime Minister in preparation for 25-26 January 1983 debate in House of Commons on Committee's report) Begins: 1983 Jan 14 Ends: 1983 Jan 26 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 140
PREM19/958 Arts and amenities (Policy towards the arts; private sponsorship; financial scrutiny) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Mar 25 Ends: 1983 Nov 23 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 288
PREM19/959 Belize (Future of Belize) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Apr 1 Ends: 1982 May 4 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 252
PREM19/960 Broadcasting (Direct broadcasting by satellite; development of cable systems and services; broadcasting policy) (Part 3) Begins: 1982 Nov 25 Ends: 1983 May 5 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 297
PREM19/961 Cabinet (Brevity in recording of Cabinet and Committee minutes; guidance on Cabinet papers) Begins: 1979 May 21 Ends: 1983 Jun 17 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 9
PREM19/962 China (Prime Minister's visit to China, Hong Kong & Japan, September 1982: policy) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 Sep 13 Ends: 1983 Feb 24 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 186
PREM19/963 China (Sino/British relations; defence sales) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 10 Ends: 1983 Nov 21 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 341
PREM19/964 Civil service (Manpower reductions in the Cabinet Office) Begins: 1979 Jul 20 Ends: 1983 May 9 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 59
PREM19/965 Civil service (Lecture on the Civil Service given by Sir John Hoskyns) Begins: 1982 Oct 14 Ends: 1982 Dec 9 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 55
PREM19/966 Civil service (Annual scrutiny of departmental running costs) (Part 2) Begins: 1981 Aug 19 Ends: 1983 Sep 19 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 373
PREM19/967 Civil service (Long-term management and manpower policy; policy on Civil Service numbers, Financial Management Initiative; response to Select Committee report on efficiency and effectiveness in Civil Service; the extension of unified grading; obligations of managers) (Part 12) Begins: 1982 Dec 2 Ends: 1983 May 24 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1
PREM19/968 Civil service (Long-term management and manpower policy; Financial Management Initiative - draft White Paper; policy on Civil Service numbers; personnel work in Civil Service; the extension of unified grading) (Part 13) Begins: 1983 May 26 Ends: 1983 Sep 20 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 245
PREM19/969 Commonwealth (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Delhi, November 1983: policy) (Part 5) Begins: 1983 Jul 25 Ends: 1983 Nov 18 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Any docs withheld? 5 Classification: Secret Pages: 352
PREM19/970 Commonwealth (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Delhi, November 1983: policy) (Part 6) Begins: 1983 Nov 19 Ends: 1983 Nov 26 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 232
PREM19/971 Cyprus (Internal situation; UK/Cypriot relations) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Feb 29 Ends: 1983 Nov 29 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 355
PREM19/972 Defence (Briefing on military capabilities of Warsaw Pact) Begins: 1979 May 21 Ends: 1983 Jan 19 Date of release: 2013 Aug 1 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 25
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