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 1901 - 1950 of 5082

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/1838 Local Government (Water industry: structural change) (Part 3) Begins: 1985 Dec 2 Ends: 1986 Apr 21 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 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) Begins: 1985 Aug 5 Ends: 1986 May 30 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 415
PREM19/1840 Manpower (Employment policy: employment measures; review of employment policies) (Part 14) Begins: 1986 May 2 Ends: 1986 Oct 29 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 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) Begins: 1980 Oct 16 Ends: 1982 May 27 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 191
PREM19/1842 Memoirs (James Callaghan's memoirs) Begins: 1986 Dec 9 Ends: 1986 Dec 15 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 10
PREM19/1843 Mexico (Anglo-Mexican relations: internal situation in Mexico) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 May 29 Ends: 1985 Jun 11 Date of release: 2014 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 229
PREM19/1844 Defence (Project Moonflower) Begins: 1986 Feb 3 Ends: 1986 Dec 9 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 14
PREM19/1845 Defence (Defence Budget) (Part 11) Begins: 1984 Apr 16 Ends: 1985 May 21 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 64
PREM19/1846 Defence (Policing of demonstrations at military bases: activities of anti-nuclear demonstrators) (Part 1) Begins: 1983 Feb 17 Ends: 1986 Mar 26 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 297
PREM19/1847 Defence (Higher organisation for defence) Begins: 1984 Feb 24 Ends: 1986 Oct 2 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 5 Classification: Secret Pages: 176
PREM19/1850 Memorials (WPC Yvonne Fletcher memorial) Begins: 1984 May 1 Ends: 1985 Feb 13 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Confidential Pages: 112
PREM19/1851 Middle East (Situation in the Middle East) (Part 14) Begins: 1985 Oct 1 Ends: 1986 May 30 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Secret - Cab One Pages: 335
PREM19/1855 National Health (Committee on Human Fertilisation and Embryology (chaired by Lady Warnock); medical ethics; human surrogacy; German conference on bioethics) (Part 1) Begins: 1982 Feb 10 Ends: 1986 Apr 4 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 210
PREM19/1856 National Health (Private Medical Care) Begins: 1979 May 22 Ends: 1986 Feb 17 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 43
PREM19/1858 National Health (Mental health legislation: draft White Paper; release of dangerous psychopaths) Begins: 1981 Oct 26 Ends: 1986 Apr 22 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Restricted Pages: 52
PREM19/1860 National Health (Contraception for the under sixteens) Begins: 1980 Apr 30 Ends: 1986 Feb 27 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 35
PREM19/1863 National Health (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)) (Part 1) Begins: 1985 Aug 28 Ends: 1986 Dec 31 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 240
PREM19/1865 Nationalised Industries (Coal mines) (Part 19) Begins: 1985 Dec 2 Ends: 1986 Jul 31 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 341
PREM19/1871 Nationalised Industries (Shipbuilding policy; British Shipbuilders) (Part 10) Begins: 1986 May 1 Ends: 1986 Jun 30 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 268
PREM19/1872 Nationalised Industries (Shipbuilding: Hill-Norton Committee Report on Hull Forms for Warships ('short fat ships')) (Part 1) Begins: 1985 Jul 2 Ends: 1986 Sep 29 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 373
PREM19/1873 Nationalised Industries (Nationalised Industries' Chairmen's Group) Begins: 1980 Mar 31 Ends: 1986 Apr 9 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 160
PREM19/1874 Nationalised Industries (Organisation of electricity supply industry: private electricity generation) Begins: 1979 Jul 18 Ends: 1986 Aug 6 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 85
PREM19/1876 Norway (Prime Minister's visit to Norway, September 1986) Begins: 1982 Nov 16 Ends: 1986 Oct 7 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 104
PREM19/1879 Parliament (House of Commons procedure: replies to Select Committee reports; conflict of interests in the House of Commons) (Part 7) Begins: 1985 Jun 3 Ends: 1986 Jun 16 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 341
PREM19/1880 Parliament (Legislative programme) (Part 14) Begins: 1985 Jun 3 Ends: 1986 Apr 30 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 372
PREM19/1881 Parliament (Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jul 5 Ends: 1986 Apr 30 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 243
PREM19/1882 Parliament (Queen's Speeches on prorogation and opening of Parliament; televising proceedings of the House of Commons) (Part 6) Begins: 1984 Nov 2 Ends: 1986 Mar 11 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 5 Classification: Confidential Pages: 258
PREM19/1883 Parliament (House of Commons Defence Committee: Falklands Inquiry) Begins: 1982 Jun 24 Ends: 1986 Jul 16 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 51
PREM19/1884 Parliament (Parliamentary Maritime Group: Prime Minister's meeting with Sir Edward du Cann, 8 July 1986) Begins: 1985 Apr 25 Ends: 1986 Jul 8 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 74
PREM19/1885 Parliament (Boundary Commission reviews of Parliamentary constituencies in UK)(Part 1) Begins: 1981 Feb 19 Ends: 1986 Feb 20 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 2
PREM19/1886 Police (Future strategy; policies to combat crime; manpower and pay)(Part 1) Begins: 1983 Jan 24 Ends: 1986 Mar 27 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30
PREM19/1887 Portugal (UK/Portugal relations; internal situation; death of Dr Francisco de Sa Carneiro; Prime Minister's meeting with Dr Mario Soares, 14 February 1984)(Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jul 7 Ends: 1986 May 2 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Secret Pages: 187
PREM19/1888 Prime Minister (Forward speaking engagements)(Part 1) Begins: 1979 May 18 Ends: 1986 Mar 6 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 23
PREM19/1889 Prime Minister (Prime Minister's weekly diary meeting) Begins: 1979 May 21 Ends: 1986 Jun 30 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1
PREM19/1890 Prime Minister (Meeting with Geoffrey Dickens MP about child welfare and protection, 30 January 1986) Begins: 1986 Jan 15 Ends: 1986 Feb 21 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 40
PREM19/1906 Prime Minister (Gift of moon dust to the people of the UK from President Nixon of the USA) Begins: 1970 Feb 10 Ends: 1985 Jan 18 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 178
PREM19/1907 Prime Minister's Gifts (Gifts received by the Prime Minister since taking office) Begins: 1979 Jul 13 Ends: 1985 Nov 5 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2
PREM19/1920 Regional Policy (Inner city policy: regeneration of Liverpool and London; Docklands Urban Development Corporation; Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Urban Priority Areas) (Part 7) Begins: 1985 Aug 8 Ends: 1986 Jan 31 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 3 Classification: Confidential Pages: 382
PREM19/1921 Regional Policy (Inner city policy: regeneration of Liverpool and London; Docklands Urban Development Corporation; Docklands Light Railway and Canary Wharf; South Cardiff urban renewal) (Part 8) Begins: 1986 Feb 4 Ends: 1986 Nov 29 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 307
PREM19/1922 Regional Policy (Review of regional policy: new structure for regional industrial incentives; territorial expenditure; the North/South issue) (Part 7) Begins: 1984 Oct 2 Ends: 1986 Dec 22 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 291
PREM19/1940 Security (Letter to Prime Minister from Dr Anatoly Fedoseyev about the economy) Begins: 1986 Jan 22 Ends: 1986 Feb 17 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Secret Pages: 17
PREM19/1943 Security (Security of economic statistics) Begins: 1979 Jun 5 Ends: 1986 Aug 20 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 37
PREM19/1956 Sierra Leone (Visits to UK by President Stevens, November 1980, and President Momoh, March 1986: meetings with Prime Minister) Begins: 1979 Aug 9 Ends: 1986 Mar 5 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 139
PREM19/1971 South Korea (UK/South Korea relations; internal situation; death of President Park; election and resignation of President Choi Kya-hah; inauguration of President Chun Doo-hwan; visit of President Chun to UK and meeting with Prime Minister, 9 April 1986) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Oct 27 Ends: 1986 Aug 21 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Classification: Confidential Pages: 283
PREM19/1972 South Korea (Prime Minister's visit to South Korea, May 1986) Begins: 1982 Mar 29 Ends: 1986 May 16 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 162
PREM19/1976 Spain (Internal situation; UK/Spain relations) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Mar 10 Ends: 1986 Feb 21 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 3 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 279
PREM19/1980 Sri Lanka (Visits to UK by Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa (July 1979 - May 1986) and President Jayewardine (June 1984)) (Part 1. Note: With photograph) Begins: 1979 May 5 Ends: 1986 May 23 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1
PREM19/1989 Transport (Railway policy: British Rail pay; industrial action by NUR and ASLEF; possible line closures; British Rail finances) (Part 8) Begins: 1984 Jan 20 Ends: 1986 Jul 31 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30
PREM19/1991 Transport (Channel Fixed Link (Channel Tunnel); Euroroute) (Part 4) Begins: 1985 Jan 2 Ends: 1986 Jan 31 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30
PREM19/1994 Uganda (Internal situation) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Apr 17 Ends: 1986 Jan 31 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1
Per page: