The Chancellor of the Exchequer's secret files (Lawson)

In 2012 www.margaretthatcher.org uncovered through an FOI request the existence of a vast cache of secret papers stored at H.M. Treasury, some 4,850 files from the Private Office of successive Chancellors (and Chief Secretaries) between 1979 and 1997.

The bulk of Nigel Lawson's files, 1983-89, were released at TNA in early 2018 and have been digitised; they are being uploaded progressively and many are now available.

Below are links to the downloadable files in numerical order. The original file names have been modified to convey content more readily. An average file has around 100 pages.

Showing items 101 - 150 of 1089

File name	Title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Classification	Pages
T640/129/1	Budget (Planning Board. Orderable at item level)	85 Sep 4	87 Sep 26	2014	Confidential	126
T640/129/2	Budget (Planning Board. Orderable at item level)	85 Aug 16	87 Sep 9	2014	Confidential	272
T640/139	Budget (Autumn Statement 1984: aide-memoire)	84 Aug 8	85 Jan 25	2014	Confidential	135
T640/140	Economy (Management and Personnel Office (MPO) report 'Government Purchasing')	84 Jul 1	85 Feb 28	2014	Confidential	142
T640/142	Political (Chancellor of the Exchequer's speeches)	84 Jan 8	85 Jul 11	2014	Unclassified	266
T640/143	Monetary policy (Monetary policy)	85 Jun 21	85 Jun 30	2014	Secret	149
T640/144	Budget (Budget briefing 1984)	84 Mar 9	85 Feb 26	2014	Secret	214
T640/147	Europe (Informal Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting, Luxembourg, 20-21 September 1985)	85 Jul 3	85 Sep 20	2014	Confidential	82
T640/149	Europe (Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting, Brussels, 28 October 1985)	85 Oct 25	85 Oct 29	2014	Confidential	84
T640/150	Europe (Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting, Brussels, 18 November 1985)	85 Nov 6	85 Nov 18	2014	Confidential	72
T640/152	Economy (HM Treasury planning: forecasts, stocktaking note and the forward look)	84 Dec 21	85 Oct 25	2014	Secret	48
T640/153	Public spending (Public Expenditure Survey (PES) 1985: particular programmes)	84 Oct 23	85 Jan 9	2014	Secret	214
T640/154	Public spending (Public Expenditure Survey (PES) 1985: particular programmes)	85 Jan 9	85 Mar 15	2014	Secret	153
T640/155	Public spending (Public Expenditure Survey (PES) 1985: particular programmes)	85 Mar 15	85 Oct 4	2014	Secret	211
T640/156	Public spending (Public Expenditure Survey (PES) 1985: particular programmes)	85 Jun 7	85 Sep 13	2014	Secret	234
T640/157	Public spending (Public Expenditure Survey (PES) 1985: particular programmes)	85 Sep 16	85 Dec 23	2014	Secret	234
T640/158	Budget (Treasury and Civil Service Committee (TCSC): inquiry into the Autumn Statement and other hearings)	85 Feb 1	85 Jul 24	2014	Confidential	151
T640/159	Budget (Chancellor of the Exchequer's miscellaneous papers) [including oil, ERM seminar, teenage scribblers]	85 Mar 19	85 Dec 6	2014	Secret	58
T640/163	Europe (Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting, Luxembourg, 11 June 1985)	85 Jun 7	85 Jun 7	2014	Confidential	76
T640/164	Economy (Chancellor of the Exchequer's papers on banking supervision)	85 Dec 9	85 Dec 23	2014	Confidential	47
T640/165	Political (Chancellor's speeches 1986)	86 Sep 28	86 Sep 30	2014	Restricted	88
T640/166	Political (Chancellor's speeches 1986)	86 Aug 4	86 Dec 5	2014	Confidential	10
T640/167	Budget (1985 Budget Autumn statement aide memoire)	85 Sep 16	86 Mar 7	2014	Confidential	119
T640/168	Budget (1986 Budget excise duty options on alcoholic drinks, tobacco and fuel)	85 Jan 9	86 Mar 18	2014	Secret	267
T640/169	Budget (1986 Budget excise duty options on alcoholic drinks, tobacco and fuel)	86 Mar 19	86 Apr 17	2014	Secret	161
T640/170	Budget (1986 Budget list only papers, contains first draft of Budget brief)	86 Mar 8	86 Mar 8	2014	Secret	329
T640/171	Budget (1986 Budget overview)	85 Jan 14	86 Mar 3	2014	Secret	164
T640/172	Budget (1986 Budget briefing and budget presentation)	85 Mar 1	86 Mar 12	2014	Secret	248
T640/173	Budget (1986 Budget briefing and budget presentation)	86 Mar 10	86 Mar 18	2014	Secret	208
T640/174	Budget (1986 Budget tax changes)	85 Jun 18	86 Apr 21	2014	Secret	222
T640/175	Budget (1986 Budget representation)	85 Jan 17	86 Feb 26	2014	Secret	222
T640/176	Budget (1986 Budget representation)	86 Jul 31	86 Dec 28	2014	Confidential	141
T640/180	Budget (1986 Budget financial statement and budget report and Medium Term Financial Strategy)	85 Nov 22	86 Feb 28	2014	Secret	343
T640/181	Budget (1986 Budget financial statement and budget report and Medium Term Financial Strategy)	86 Feb 28	86 Mar 10	2014	Secret	432
T640/182	Budget (1986 Budget financial statement and budget report and Medium Term Financial Strategy)	86 Mar 10	86 Mar 17	2014	Secret	353
T640/183	Budget (1986 Budget day press release)	86 Feb 25	86 Mar 12	2014	Secret	250
T640/184	Budget (1986 Budget day press release)	86 Mar 13	86 Nov 6	2014	Secret	290
T640/186	Budget (1986 Budget Treasury Civil Service Committee enquiry into the budget)	86 Mar 14	86 Jun 30	2014	Confidential	278
T640/187	Budget (1986 Budget Finance Bill)	85 Oct 9	86 Mar 25	2014	Personal & Secret	301
T640/188	Budget (1986 Budget Finance Bill)	86 May 20	86 Jul 24	2014	Confidential	198
T640/189	Budget (1986 Budget speech)	85 Jul 30	86 Feb 24	2014	Secret	328
T640/190	Budget (1986 Budget speech)	86 Feb 25	86 Mar 6	2014	Secret	302
T640/191	Budget (1986 Budget speech)	86 Mar 7	86 Mar 12	2014	Secret	255
T640/192	Budget (1986 Budget speech)	86 Mar 12	86 Mar 13	2014	Secret	266
T640/193	Budget (1986 Budget speech)	86 Mar 13	86 Apr 25	2014	Secret	276
T640/194	Budget (1986 Autumn statement budget debate)	86 Jan 9	86 Mar 27	2014	Secret	247
T640/195	Budget (1986 Autumn statement budget debate)	86 Dec 5	86 Dec 12	2014	Secret	169
T640/196	Budget (1986 Budget profit sharing and budget statement)	85 Dec 20	86 Feb 28	2014	Personal & Secret	215
T640/197	Budget (1986 Budget autumn statement)	86 Jul 23	86 Oct 28	2014	Personal & Secret	206
T640/198	Budget (1986 Budget autumn statement)	86 Oct 28	86 Oct 30	2014	Personal & Secret	300