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 151 - 200 of 3726

Per page:

File name	File title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Classification	Pages
PREM19/151	Civil Service (Long-term management and manpower policy: efficiency of central government; Civil Service manpower; Sir Derek Rayner’s recommendations for reforms) (Part 5)	Begins: 1980 Aug 5	Ends: 1980 Sep 30	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 167
PREM19/152	Civil Service (Long-term management and manpower policy: efficiency of central government; Civil Service manpower; Sir Derek Rayner’s recommendations for reforms) (Part 6)	Begins: 1980 Oct 1	Ends: 1980 Nov 14	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 182
PREM19/153	Civil Service (Civil Service manpower: action to reduce size of Civil Service and staff costs) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Jan 3	Ends: 1980 Mar 5	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 142
PREM19/154	Civil Service (Civil Service manpower: action to reduce size of Civil Service and staff costs; Civil Service pay; early retirement) (Part 4)	Begins: 1980 Mar 5	Ends: 1980 Jul 31	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 273
PREM19/155	Commonwealth (Heads of Government Meeting in Lusaka, August 1979) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Aug 1	Ends: 1980 Feb 6	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 131
PREM19/156	Commonwealth (Five Power Defence Arrangements: joint exercises; proposal from Prime Minister of Australia) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Sep 11	Ends: 1980 Oct 7	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 27
PREM19/157	Cyprus (Prime Minister’s meeting with Alecos Michaelides, President of Cyprus House of Representatives, November 1980)	Begins: 1980 Mar 12	Ends: 1980 Nov 26	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 37
PREM19/158	Defence (Defence equipment trade with USA; possible sale of improved Harriers - the AV-8B)	Begins: 1979 Dec 14	Ends: 1980 Jul 31	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 42
PREM19/159	Defence (UK Strategic Nuclear Deterrent) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Dec 4	Ends: 1980 Jun 9	Date of release: 2012 Jun 21	Classification: Top Secret	Pages: 199
PREM19/160	Defence (Nuclear release procedures; UK/US understandings on the use of nuclear weapons and bases) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 9	Ends: 1980 Mar 25	Date of release: Retained	Classification: Unknown
PREM19/161	Defence (Defence budget) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 10	Ends: 1980 Jan 17	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 129
PREM19/162	Defence (Defence budget) (Part 2)	Begins: 1980 Jan 17	Ends: 1980 Jan 25	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 297
PREM19/163	Defence (Defence budget) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Jan 25	Ends: 1980 Oct 16	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 248
PREM19/164	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 7)	Begins: 1980 Jan 25	Ends: 1980 Oct 16	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 178
PREM19/165	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 8)	Begins: 1980 Jan 29	Ends: 1980 Feb 29	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 176
PREM19/166	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 9)	Begins: 1980 Mar 3	Ends: 1980 Jul 2	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 184
PREM19/167	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 10)	Begins: 1980 Jul 2	Ends: 1980 Oct 22	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 241
PREM19/168	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 11)	Begins: 1980 Oct 22	Ends: 1980 Nov 7	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 137
PREM19/169	Economic policy (Public Spending) (Part 12)	Begins: 1980 Nov 11	Ends: 1980 Nov 24	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 220
PREM19/170	Economic policy (Privatization) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Feb 11	Ends: 1980 Oct 29	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 182
PREM19/171	Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 4)	Begins: 1979 Oct 12	Ends: 1980 Jan 30	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 220
PREM19/172	Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 5)	Begins: 1980 Feb 1	Ends: 1980 Jun 30	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 219
PREM19/173	Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 6)	Begins: 1980 Jul 1	Ends: 1980 Sep 3	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 215
PREM19/174	Economic policy (Strategy) (Part 7)	Begins: 1980 Sep 19	Ends: 1980 Dec 31	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 377
PREM19/175	Economic policy (Budget) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Jun 11	Ends: 1980 Feb 28	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 225
PREM19/176	Economic policy (Budget) (Part 3)	Begins: 1979 Mar 1	Ends: 1980 May 12	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 198
PREM19/177	Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Jan 7	Ends: 1980 May 2	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 214
PREM19/178	Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 4)	Begins: 1980 May 6	Ends: 1980 Sep 22	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 161
PREM19/179	Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 5)	Begins: 1980 Sep 23	Ends: 1980 Oct 28	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 310
PREM19/180	Economic policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 6)	Begins: 1980 Oct 31	Ends: 1980 Nov 26	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 229
PREM19/181	Economic policy (Public sector pay policy; possible industrial disputes; the pay round) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Jul 19	Ends: 1980 Jun 19	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 164
PREM19/182	Economic policy (Public sector pay policy; transitional problems; arbitration arrangements; comparability and cash limits) (Part 2)	Begins: 1980 Jun 25	Ends: 1980 Oct 29	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 193
PREM19/183	Economic policy (Prime Minister’s meetings with Gordon Pepper) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 16	Ends: 1980 Mar 31	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 202
PREM19/184	Economic policy (The Brandt Commission: report on international development issues; proposal for a North/South summit meeting) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Oct 26	Ends: 1980 Nov 18	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 217
PREM19/185	Economic policy (Inflation proofed pensions in the public sector; independent enquiry) (Part 1)	Begins: 1980 Jan 10	Ends: 1980 Jun 30	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 229
PREM19/186	Economic policy (Pay comparability and the future of the Standing Commission (Clegg Commission); Government response) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 8	Ends: 1979 Sep 19	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 193
PREM19/187	Economic policy (Pay comparability and the future of the Standing Commission (Clegg Commission); appointment of members) (Part 2)	Begins: 1979 Sep 21	Ends: 1980 Jul 1	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 183
PREM19/188	Economic policy (G7 Summit - Venice) (Part 3)	Begins: 1980 Jan 3	Ends: 1980 Jun 20	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 265
PREM19/189	Economic policy (G7 Summit - Venice) (Part 4) [Part 5 of this file has been destroyed]	Begins: 1980 Jun 20	Ends: 1980 Aug 28	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 189
PREM19/190	Economic policy (Public Service pay negotiating machinery)	Begins: 1980 Jan 4	Ends: 1980 Feb 13	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 14
PREM19/191	Economic policy (Proposal for a national investment trust to promote wider property ownership: report by Leo Pliatzky, July 1980)	Begins: 1980 Jul 17	Ends: 1980 Dec 23	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 59
PREM19/192	Economic policy (Demonetisation of old sixpence)	Begins: 1980 Jan 25	Ends: 1980 Jan 28	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 6
PREM19/193	Economic policy (Top Salaries Review Body reports on salaries of senior civil servants, senior armed forces officers, judges, nationalised industries board members, Ministers and MPs) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 9	Ends: 1980 Jun 30	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 114
PREM19/194	Economic policy (Small firms: eliminating undue burdens; enterprise proposals; assistance; tax relief) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Jun 27	Ends: 1980 Jun 20	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 173
PREM19/195	Economic policy (Possible changes in the taxation of bank profits)	Begins: 1979 Nov 14	Ends: 1980 Mar 20	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Secret	Pages: 61
PREM19/196	Economic policy (Liability to tax of UK resident beneficiaries of overseas trusts: the Vestey case, November 1979)	Begins: 1980 Oct 7	Ends: 1980 Nov 21	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 20
PREM19/197	Economic policy (Seminar with academic economists, 13 July 1980)	Begins: 1980 May 9	Ends: 1980 Jul 15	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 34
PREM19/198	Education (Future of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA)) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 Jul 4	Ends: 1980 Jun 20	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 131
PREM19/199	Education (Future of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA)) (Part 2)	Begins: 1980 Jun 20	Ends: 1980 Nov 28	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 36
PREM19/200	Education (Teachers’ pay) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 4	Ends: 1980 Jun 17	Date of release: 2010 Dec 30	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 154

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