Archive

Large scale document archive

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 251 - 300 of 1089

File name Title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PDF T640/350 Europe (1987 Budget Economic Finance Council (ECOFIN) 11 May 1987) 87 Apr 30 87 May 14 2014 Confidential 250
PDF T640/351 Budget (1987 Budget Broadcast) 87 Jan 19 87 Mar 27 2014 Secret 249
PDF T640/352 Budget (1987 Budget Financial Statement and Budget Report and Public Sector Borrowing Requirement) 87 Feb 20 87 Mar 6 2014 Secret 357
PDF T640/353 Budget (1987 Budget Financial Statement and Budget Report and Public Sector Borrowing Requirement) 87 Mar 9 87 Mar 13 2014 Secret 277
PDF T640/354 Budget (1987 Budget Scorecards) 87 Jan 15 87 Oct 22 2014 Secret 349
Info only T640/355 Budget (1987 Budget Scorecards) 87 Oct 23 87 Oct 28 2014 Secret 106
PDF T640/356 Budget (1987 Budget press notices and contacts with the press) 87 Feb 9 87 Nov 3 2014 Secret 209
PDF T640/357 Budget (1987 Treasury and Civil Service Committee) 87 Dec 4 87 Dec 8 2014 Unclassified 156
PDF T640/358 Budget (1987 Budget Aide memoire) 87 Jan 6 87 Mar 13 2014 Secret 219
PDF T640/359 Budget (1987 Budget Speech) 87 Jan 23 87 Mar 23 2014 Secret 226
PDF T640/360 Budget (Tax reforms 1987-1988 including independent taxation, capital gain and benefits) 87 Jan 8 87 Jul 27 2014 Personal & Secret 216
PDF T640/361 Budget (Tax reforms 1987-1988 including independent taxation, capital gain and benefits) 87 Jul 22 87 Sep 23 2014 Personal & Secret 160
PDF T640/362 Budget (Tax reforms 1987-1988 including independent taxation, capital gain and benefits) 87 Sep 23 87 Oct 12 2014 Secret 187
PDF T640/363 Budget (Tax reforms 1987-1988 including independent taxation, capital gain and benefits) 87 Oct 13 87 Nov 6 2014 Personal & Secret 230
PDF T640/364 Budget (Tax reforms 1987-1988 including independent taxation, capital gain and benefits) 87 Nov 9 87 Nov 30 2014 Personal & Secret 143
PDF T640/365 Budget (Tax reforms 1987-1988 including independent taxation, capital gain and benefits) 87 Dec 1 87 Dec 4 2014 Secret 232
PDF T640/366 Budget (1986 Budget Chevening meetings) 86 Jan 2 87 Feb 12 2014 Secret 291
PDF T640/369 Budget (1986 Autumn statement budget debate) 86 Dec 12 87 Jan 9 2014 Secret 172
PDF T640/370 Budget (1986 Budget autumn statement) 86 Dec 2 87 Jan 26 2014 Confidential 180
PDF T640/371 Budget (The Retail Price Index) 84 Jan 19 87 Apr 15 2014 Personal & Confidential 114
PDF T640/372 Europe (Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy within the European Community) 87 Apr 21 87 Jul 24 2014 Confidential 194
PDF T640/373 Europe (Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy within the European Community) 87 Jul 27 87 Oct 28 2014 Confidential 159
PDF T640/374 Europe (Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy within the European Community) 87 Oct 29 87 Dec 16 2014 Confidential 154
PDF T640/375 Monetary policy (The exchange markets and foreign currency borrowing) 86 Aug 21 87 Feb 27 2014 Secret 115
PDF T640/376 Monetary policy (The exchange markets and foreign currency borrowing) 87 Mar 4 87 Oct 23 2014 Secret 132
PDF T640/377 Monetary policy (The exchange markets and foreign currency borrowing) 87 Nov 2 87 Dec 17 2014 Secret 47
PDF T640/378 Political (Arrangements for the transition of the sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997) 87 May 5 87 Dec 3 2014 Secret 138
PDF T640/379 International (Group of Five (G5) and Group of Seven (G7) meeting 1987) 86 Jun 13 87 Feb 20 2014 Secret 163
PDF T640/380 International (Group of Five (G5) and Group of Seven (G7) meeting 1987) 87 Feb 21 87 Mar 31 2014 Secret 130
PDF T640/381 International (Group of Five (G5) and Group of Seven (G7) meeting 1987) 87 Apr 1 87 May 18 2014 Secret 78
PDF T640/383 Economy (The National Economic Development Council) 87 Mar 9 87 Nov 18 2014 Confidential 177
PDF T640/386 Europe (European Council Copenhagen December 1987) 87 Jun 24 87 Nov 27 2014 Confidential 205
PDF T640/387 Europe (European Council Copenhagen December 1987) 87 Nov 29 87 Dec 2 2014 Confidential 223
PDF T640/388 Europe (European Council Copenhagen December 1987) 87 Dec 3 87 Dec 16 2014 Confidential 143
PDF T640/389 International (Communique and speeches at the International Monetary Fund meeting September 1987) 87 Aug 28 87 Sep 28 2014 Unclassified 175
PDF T640/390 International (Communique and speeches at the International Monetary Fund meeting September 1987) 87 Sep 29 87 Oct 1 2014 Confidential 246
PDF T640/392 Economy (Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC): review of restrictive trade practices) 86 Nov 26 87 Jul 21 2014 Secret 123
PDF T640/393 Europe (Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting, Luxembourg, June 1987) 87 Feb 27 87 Jun 15 2014 Confidential 308
PDF T640/394 International (Group of Five (G5), Group of Seven (G7) and Group of Ten (G10) meetings, Washington September 1987) 87 Apr 9 87 Sep 21 2014 Secret 110
PDF T640/395 International (Group of Five (G5), Group of Seven (G7) and Group of Ten (G10) meetings, Washington September 1987) 87 Sep 22 87 Sep 28 2014 Secret 129
PDF T640/396 International (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting, Paris, May 1987) 87 Apr 21 87 May 4 2014 Confidential 180
PDF T640/397 International (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting, Paris, May 1987) 87 May 5 87 May 13 2014 Confidential 79
PDF T640/401 Economy (The new Banking Bill and the effects in the City of London) 85 Jun 28 87 Mar 24 2014 Secret 125
PDF T640/404 Privatisation (Electricity privatisation 1987) 87 Oct 2 87 Dec 15 2014 Secret 174
PDF T640/408 Judiciary (Johnson Matthey Bankers Ltd: libel action against the Chancellor of the Exchequer) 86 Dec 15 87 Dec 21 2014 Confidential 168
PDF T640/409 Budget (Benefits in Kind Task Force) 87 Jul 16 87 Nov 6 2014 Secret 209
PDF T640/410 Budget (Representations on the 1987-1988 Budgets) 87 Jan 6 87 Feb 2 2014 Confidential 256
PDF T640/411 International (World financial markets 1987-1988) 87 Aug 3 87 Oct 19 2014 Secret 172
PDF T640/412 International (World financial markets 1987-1988) 87 Oct 20 87 Oct 26 2014 Secret 136
PDF T640/413 International (World financial markets 1987-1988) 87 Oct 27 87 Nov 11 2014 Secret 145