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 1801 - 1850 of 3726

Items per page
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/1803 Industrial policy (Future of British Leyland/Rover Group) (Part 12) 1986 May 1 1986 Dec 16 2015 Dec 30 1 Secret and Personal 294
PREM19/1804 Industrial policy (Moratorium on applications for support and innovation: research and development) (Part 1) 1984 Nov 8 1986 Jan 20 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 238
PREM19/1805 Industrial policy (Moratorium on applications for support and innovation: research and development) (Part 2) 1986 Feb 18 1986 Sep 30 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 268
PREM19/1806 Industrial policy (Short Borthers Ltd) 1980 Nov 6 1986 Aug 1 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 280
PREM19/1807 Industrial policy (Proposed government strategy for industry and developments in high technology) 1985 Jul 10 1986 May 9 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 65
PREM19/1808 Iran (Internal situation: Anglo-Iranian relations) (Part 9) 1981 Feb 23 1986 Dec 12 2018 Jul 24 4 Confidential 144
PREM19/1809 Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach) (Part 12) 1985 Nov 15 1985 Nov 30 2016 Jul 21 Secret 628
PREM19/1810 Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach) (Part 13) 1985 Dec 1 1986 Feb 14 2017 Dec 29 3 Secret 316
PREM19/1811 Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach) (Part 14) 1986 Feb 17 1986 Feb 28 2016 Jul 21 Secret 255
PREM19/1812 Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach) (Part 12) 1986 Mar 1 1986 Apr 30 2016 Jul 21 Secret 307
PREM19/1813 Ireland (DeLorean sports cars) (Part 1) 1980 Jul 1 1986 Jan 21 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 310
PREM19/1814 Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland) (Part 20) 1985 Apr 1 1986 Jun 27 2014 Dec 30 11 Secret 417
PREM19/1815 Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland) (Part 21) 1986 Jul 2 1986 Oct 31 2018 Dec 28
PREM19/1816 Israel (Prime Minister's visit to Israel, May 1986) 1986 Mar 6 1986 Jun 16 2014 Dec 30 Secret 239
PREM19/1817 Israel (Internal situation and relations) (Part 1) 1981 Jan 1 1986 Jan 16 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1818 Italy (Anglo-Italian relations: Italian political scene; British contribution to Italian earthquake relief, 1980-1981) (Part 1) 1979 Jun 5 1986 Nov 6 2014 Dec 30 Top Secret 387
PREM19/1819 Italy (Anglo-Italian Summits) (Part 3) 1986 Feb 2 1986 May 27 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 104
PREM19/1820 Japan (Anglo-Japanese relations) (Part 5) 1985 Jun 7 1986 Dec 31 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 264
PREM19/1821 Japan (Visits to the UK by Japanese Foreign Ministers, Masoyashi Ito and Shintaro Abe) 1981 Aug 24 1986 Oct 22 2014 Dec 30 Secret 64
PREM19/1822 Jordan (UK/Jordanian relations: West Bank study paper by Crown Prince Hassan) (Part 1) 1979 Dec 28 1986 Feb 25 Due for reconsideration 2018 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1823 Jordan (Visits to the UK by King Hussein) (Part 3) 1984 Dec 3 1986 Aug 29 Due for reconsideration 2018 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1824 Lebanon (United States concerns) 1983 Sep 15 1986 Apr 23 Reconsideration in 2025 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1825 Lebanon (Internal situation: Israeli/Lebanese hostilities; UK/Lebanese relations) (Part 7) 1984 Mar 1 1986 Apr 1 Due for reconsideration 2018 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1826 Legal Procedure (Possible reform of the law on rape) 1981 Jan 6 1986 Nov 11 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 151
PREM19/1827 Legal Procedure (Publication of the Calcutt Report: survey of use of peremptory challenges of potential jurors by defence counsel) 1985 Dec 16 1986 Jul 9 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 41
PREM19/1828 Libya (Internal situation: Anglo-Libyan relations; aftermath of shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside Libyan People's Bureau, 17 April 1984; severance of diplomatic relations) (Part 3B) 1984 May 31 1986 Apr 1 2014 Dec 30 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1829 Libya (Internal situation: Anglo-Libyan relations; release of UK hostages) (Part 4A) 1985 Feb 1 1986 Apr 1 2014 Dec 30 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1830 Libya (Internal situation: Anglo-Libyan relations; United States response to Libyan terrorism) (Part 4B) 1984 Apr 12 1986 Apr 16 Due for reconsideration 2018 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1831 Libya (Internal situation: Anglo-Libyan relations; United States response to Libyan terrorism) (Part 5) 1986 Apr 17 1986 Apr 30 Reconsideration in 2028 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1832 Libya (Internal situation: Anglo-Libyan relations) (Part 6) 1986 Apr 17 1986 Apr 30 Due for reconsideration 2018 Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1833 Local Government (Correspondence from Sir John Sainsbury on planning controls: general planning enquiries) (Part 2) 1985 May 1 1986 May 2 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 290
PREM19/1834 Local Government (Correspondence from Sir John Sainsbury on planning controls: general planning enquiries) (Part 3) 1986 Jul 23 1986 Dec 23 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 369
PREM19/1835 Local Government (Relations with central government, organisation & finance) (Part 29) 1985 Dec 2 1986 May 28 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 344
PREM19/1836 Local Government (Relations with central government, organisation & finance) (Part 30) 1986 Jun 6 1986 Oct 31 2014 Dec 30 Secret 266
PREM19/1837 Local Government (Future of the rating system: rating revaluation; Community Charge) (Part 4) 1986 Jan 3 1986 Aug 23 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 258
PREM19/1838 Local Government (Water industry: structural change) (Part 3) 1985 Dec 2 1986 Apr 21 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 265
PREM19/1839 Mapower (Employment policy: enterprise and employment measures; feasibility study of a 'Workfare' scheme to replace long term unemployment in UK) (Part 3) 1985 Aug 5 1986 May 30 2014 Dec 30 Secret 415
PREM19/1840 Manpower (Employment policy: employment measures; review of employment policies) (Part 14) 1986 May 2 1986 Oct 29 2014 Dec 30 Secret 235
PREM19/1841 Manpower (Rayner Scrutiny of payment of benefits to the unemployed people: study by Department of Employment and Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS)) (Part 1) 1980 Oct 16 1982 May 27 2014 Dec 30 Confidential 191
PREM19/1842 Memoirs (James Callaghan's memoirs) 1986 Dec 9 1986 Dec 15 2014 Dec 30 1 Confidential 10
PREM19/1843 Mexico (Anglo-Mexican relations: internal situation in Mexico) (Part 1) 1981 May 29 1985 Jun 11 2014 Dec 30 Secret 229
PREM19/1844 Defence (Project Moonflower) 1986 Feb 3 1986 Dec 9 2016 Dec 30 Top Secret 14
PREM19/1845 Defence (Defence Budget) (Part 11) 1984 Apr 16 1985 May 21 2016 Jul 21 Confidential 64
PREM19/1846 Defence (Policing of demonstrations at military bases: activities of anti-nuclear demonstrators) (Part 1) 1983 Feb 17 1986 Mar 26 2016 Jul 21 1 Secret 297
PREM19/1847 Defence (Higher organisation for defence) 1984 Feb 24 1986 Oct 2 2016 Jul 21 5 Secret 176
PREM19/1848 Memorials (Lord Shinwell's memorial service) 1986 May 21 1986 Jun 18 2016 Feb 19 Unclassified 4
PREM19/1849 Memorials (General Sir Brian Horrocks' memorial service) 1985 Jan 24 1985 Jan 31 2016 Feb 19 Unclassified 6
PREM19/1850 Memorials (WPC Yvonne Fletcher memorial) 1984 May 1 1985 Feb 13 2015 Dec 30 2 Confidential 112
PREM19/1851 Middle East (Situation in the Middle East) (Part 14) 1985 Oct 1 1986 May 30 2016 Jul 21 Secret - Cab One 335
PREM19/1852 Ministers (Market and Opinion Research International Ltd (MORI): requests for Geoffrey Finsberg MP and Lord Young to participate in surveys on a range of issues affecting British industry) 1980 Jun 2 1986 Jul 16 2016 Feb 19 Confidential 18
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