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 1951 - 2000 of 3726

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/1975 Soviet Union (UK/Soviet relations: defection of Oleg Gordievsky) (Part 5) Begins: 1985 Nov 1 Ends: 1986 May 30 Date of release: Temporarily retained by Department
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
PREM19/1978 Sport (Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, July 1986) Begins: 1985 Aug 1 Ends: 1986 Dec 19 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 215
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
PREM19/1981 Sudan (Visit to UK by Prime Minister Sayed Sadiq al Mahdi: lunch with Prime Minister, 15 October 1986) Begins: 1985 Jul 22 Ends: 1986 Dec 3 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 56
PREM19/1982 Trade (Government purchasing policy and the 'Buy British' policy; Prime Minister's 'Better Made in Britain' seminar, 25 February 1986) (Part 2) Begins: 1980 Jul 8 Ends: 1986 Jan 30 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 421
PREM19/1983 Trade (Government purchasing policy and the 'Buy British' policy; Prime Minister's 'Better Made in Britain' seminar, 25 February 1986) (Part 3) Begins: 1986 Feb 3 Ends: 1986 Mar 20 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/1984 Trade (Commodity policy: International Tin Agreement and International Tin Council; implications of difficulties in tin market for Cornish tin mines) (Part 1) Begins: 1985 Jan 29 Ends: 1986 Jan 30 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/1985 Trade (Commodity policy; International Tin Agreement and International Tin Council; implications of difficulties in tin market for Cornish tin mines; Select Committee report on the tin crisis; renegotiation of International Natural Rubber Agreement) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Feb 5 Ends: 1986 May 30 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/1986 Trade (Commodity policy; International Tin Agreement and International Tin Council; implications of difficulties in tin market for Cornish tin mines; Select Committee report on the tin crisis; renegotiation of international rubber and cocoa agreements) (Part 3) Begins: 1986 Jun 2 Ends: 1986 Oct 29 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/1987 Trade (Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD); review of ECGD's status; financial position) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 Jan 17 Ends: 1986 May 23 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/1988 Trade (Inward investment; review of overseas promotion) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 Feb 17 Ends: 1986 Jul 17 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
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
PREM19/1990 Transport (London Regional Transport) (Part 1) Begins: 1983 Nov 3 Ends: 1986 Nov 27 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
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
PREM19/1992 Transport (Channel Fixed Link (Channel Tunnel); Euroroute) (Part 5) Begins: 1986 Feb 3 Ends: 1986 Jul 16 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30
PREM19/1993 Transport (Policy on roads: White Papers; roads programme) (Part 2) Begins: 1981 Dec 16 Ends: 1986 Mar 10 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
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
PREM19/1995 United Nations (Visits to UK by UN Secretary-General, Javier Perez de Cuellar; question of his successor) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 May 7 Ends: 1986 Nov 18 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/1996 United Nations (United Nations financial crisis) Begins: 1986 Mar 7 Ends: 1986 Apr 28 Date of release: 2015 Dec 30
PREM19/1997 USA (Visits to UK by Vice President George Bush; discussions on extraterritoriality and terrorism) Begins: 1981 Jun 11 Ends: 1985 Jul 3 Date of release: Temporarily retained by department
PREM19/1998 USA (Prime Minister's visit to Washington, November 1986) (Part 6) Begins: 1986 Oct 22 Ends: 1986 Nov 17 Date of release: Temporarily retained by department Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/1999 USA (UK/USA relations) (Part 4) Begins: 1985 Jun 3 Ends: 1986 May 31 Date of release: Temporarily retained by department
PREM19/2000 USA (US foreign policy: US/European relations) (Part 2) Begins: 1984 Jan 3 Ends: 1986 Dec 30 Date of release: Temporarily retained by department
PREM19/2001 USA (Visits to UK by US Defense Secretary, Caspar Weinberger: meetings with the Prime Minister) (Part 1) Begins: 1981 Dec 8 Ends: 1986 Dec 9 Date of release: Temporarily retained by department
PREM19/2002 Vanuatu (Visits to UK by Prime Minister Father Walter Lini: calls on the Prime Minister, November 1981, July 1983 and February 1986) Begins: 1981 Sep 16 Ends: 1986 Feb 24 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 73
PREM19/2003 Windward Islands (UK/Windward Island relations) Begins: 1985 Jan 31 Ends: 1985 Feb 15 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Unclassified Pages: 27
PREM19/2004 Zimbabwe (Internal situation: Prime Minister's meeting with Mr Mugabe; relations with South Africa) (Part 4) Begins: 1983 Nov 16 Ends: 1986 Nov 5 Date of release: 2018 Jul 24 Any docs withheld? 15 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 207
PREM19/2010 Aerospace (European Airbus) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Mar 18 Ends: 1987 Nov 30 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2011 Aerospace (Space policy) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Feb 4 Ends: 1987 May 31 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2012 Aerospace (Space policy) (Part 3) Begins: 1987 Jul 14 Ends: 1988 Nov 22 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2013 Afghanistan (Soviet invasion) (Part 7) Begins: 1986 May 8 Ends: 1988 Mar 30 Date of release: 2018 Jul 24 Any docs withheld? 10 Classification: Top Secret Pages: 217
PREM19/2014 Agriculture (Agricultural expenditure) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Nov 6 Ends: 1987 Nov 11 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2015 Angola (Internal situation: UK/Angola relations) (Part 2) Begins: 1984 Apr 3 Ends: 1988 Aug 23 Date of release: Reconsideration in 2027 Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2016 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 41) Begins: 1986 Jun 26 Ends: 1987 Jul 28 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 305
PREM19/2017 Argentina (Falklands) (Part 42) Begins: 1987 Sep 7 Ends: 1988 Dec 29 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 8 Classification: Secret - UK Eyes A Pages: 229
PREM19/2018 Arts and Amenities (Prime Minister's meeting with Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza to discuss possible siting in UK of the Thyssen Collection) (Part 1) Begins: 1988 Feb 27 Ends: 1988 May 30 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Confidential Pages: 283
PREM19/2019 Arts and Amenities (Prime Minister's meeting with Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza to discuss possible siting in UK of the Thyssen Collection) (Part 2) Begins: 1988 Jun 2 Ends: 1988 Dec 23 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Confidential Pages: 66
PREM19/2020 Arts and Amenities (Policy towards the arts; private sponsorship of the arts) (Part 2) Begins: 1983 Dec 2 Ends: 1987 Mar 13 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/2021 Bahrain (UK/Bahraini relations) ​​​​​​​(Part 1) Begins: 1979 Jun 26 Ends: 1987 Jul 16 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 264
PREM19/2022 Bermuda (UK/Bermuda relations; meetings with John Swan, Premier of Bermuda) (Part 1) Begins: 1982 May 21 Ends: 1987 Jun 26 Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2023 Broadcasting (Direct broadcasting by satellite; cable systems and their effect on broadcasting policy) (Part 6) Begins: 1986 Mar 6 Ends: 1988 Jun 20 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 290
PREM19/2024 Broadcasting (Legislation on broadcasting; Green Paper on radio policy; breakfast television) (Part 2) Begins: 1982 Oct 21 Ends: 1988 Apr 26 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Any docs withheld? 2 Classification: Confidential Pages: 455
PREM19/2025 Broadcasting (Recording and rental of audio and video copyright material; blank tape levy) Begins: 1985 Feb 13 Ends: 1987 Aug 25 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 65
PREM19/2026 Broadcasting (Independent review of the radio frequency spectrum between 30 and 960 MHz: Merriman Report) Begins: 1982 Apr 26 Ends: 1988 Jul 29 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Restricted Pages: 267
PREM19/2027 Broadcasting (Prime Minister's seminar on broadcasting, 21 September 1987) (Part 1) Begins: 1987 Mar 5 Ends: 1987 Sep 21 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 304
PREM19/2028 Broadcasting (Television licence fees; Peacock Report on Financing the BBC; BBC proposal for a world television news service) (Part 3) Begins: 1986 Jul 1 Ends: 1987 Feb 21 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 256
PREM19/2029 Broadcasting (Television licence fees; subscription television; independent television producers) (Part 4) Begins: 1987 Mar 17 Ends: 1987 Jul 31 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 150
PREM19/2030 Broadcasting (Television licence fees; subscription television; independent television producers; external television broadcasting; broadcasting legislation) (Part 5) Begins: 1987 Sep 8 Ends: 1987 Dec 23 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 262
PREM19/2031 Broadcasting (Television licence fees; subscription television; independent television producers; Broadcasting White Paper) (Part 6) Begins: 1988 Jan 4 Ends: 1988 Sep 30 Date of release: 2016 Feb 19 Classification: Confidential Pages: 494
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