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 2051 - 2100 of 3726

Per page:

File name	File title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Any docs withheld?	Classification	Pages
PREM19/2082	Economic Policy (Correspondence from and meetings with Sir Walter Salomon, private banker) (Part 1)	Begins: 1979 May 16	Ends: 1987 Jan 23	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2083	Economic Policy (Correspondence from and meetings with Sir Walter Salomon, private banker) (Part 2)	Begins: 1987 Feb 19	Ends: 1987 Apr 9	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2084	Economic Policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 16)	Begins: 1986 Oct 1	Ends: 1987 Jun 23	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 293
PREM19/2085	Economic Policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 17)	Begins: 1987 Jul 6	Ends: 1987 Dec 8	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 342
PREM19/2086	Economic Policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 18)	Begins: 1988 Jan 9	Ends: 1988 Jun 24	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 397
PREM19/2087	Economic Policy (Domestic monetary policy) (Part 19)	Begins: 1988 Jul 1	Ends: 1988 Oct 28	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret	Pages: 383
PREM19/2088	Economic Policy (Strategy) (Part 27)	Begins: 1985 Jan 8	Ends: 1987 Jul 24	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2089	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Venice, June 1987) (Part 22)	Begins: 1986 Sep 18	Ends: 1987 May 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 276
PREM19/2090	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Venice, June 1987) (Part 23)	Begins: 1987 Jun 1	Ends: 1988 Feb 17	Date of release: 2016 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 2	Classification: Secret	Pages: 401
PREM19/2091	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Toronto) (Part 24)	Begins: 1987 Jun 26	Ends: 1988 Jun 11	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 286
PREM19/2092	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Toronto) (Part 25)	Begins: 1988 Jun 13	Ends: 1988 Jun 17	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret and Personal	Pages: 330
PREM19/2093	Economic Policy (Exchange rate: exchange control policy) (Part 2)	Begins: 1982 Apr 6	Ends: 1986 Dec 11	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret	Pages: 230
PREM19/2094	Economic Policy (Financial Services; Government response to the Roskill Report on Fraud Trials: the Stock Exchange; the 'Big Bang'; insider dealing; investigation of Guinness plc; regulation in the City; review of the Takeover Panel) (Part 4)	Begins: 1986 Oct 1	Ends: 1987 May 12	Date of release: 2018 Aug 3	Any docs withheld? 6	Classification: Secret	Pages: 287
PREM19/2095	Economic Policy (Indebtedness of various countries; Treasury reports on the international financial scene) (Part 6)	Begins: 1986 Mar 20	Ends: 1987 Oct 22	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2096	Economic Policy (Public sector pensions; Scott Report on the Value of Pensions) (Part 4)	Begins: 1982 Jun 4	Ends: 1988 Jun 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2097	Economic Policy (Reform of personal taxation: Green Paper on Personal Taxation; draft Taxpayers' Charter) (Part 3)	Begins: 1987 Feb 6	Ends: 1987 Mar 18	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 95
PREM19/2098	Economic Policy (Pension funds)	Begins: 1987 Mar 24	Ends: 1987 Jul 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2099	Economic Policy (Prime Minister's bilaterals with the Chancellor of the Exchequer) (Part 2)	Begins: 1986 Nov 3	Ends: 1988 Aug 22	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret	Pages: 246
PREM19/2100	Economic Policy (Policy on small firms; Local Enterprise Agencies) (Part 6)	Begins: 1985 May 1	Ends: 1987 Jan 2	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2101	Economic Policy (Policy towards privatisation; disposal of public sector assets; contracting out of public sector functions) (Part 15)	Begins: 1986 Nov 19	Ends: 1987 Mar 25	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2102	Economic Policy (Policy towards privatisation; disposal of public sector assets; contracting out of public sector functions) (Part 16)	Begins: 1987 Apr 1	Ends: 1988 Dec 14	Date of release: 2016 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 333
PREM19/2103	Economic Policy (Public spending) (Part 36)	Begins: 1986 Oct 1	Ends: 1987 Jan 16	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 268
PREM19/2104	Economic Policy (Public spending) (Part 37)	Begins: 1987 Feb 5	Ends: 1987 Jul 31	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 232
PREM19/2105	Economic Policy (Public spending) (Part 38)	Begins: 1987 Aug 4	Ends: 1988 Mar 31	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 280
PREM19/2106	Economic Policy (Public spending) (Part 39)	Begins: 1987 Aug 5	Ends: 1988 Jun 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 119
PREM19/2107	Economic Policy (Public sector pay policy; Treasury monitoring reports) (Part 13)	Begins: 1984 Oct 4	Ends: 1987 Jul 23	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2108	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Toronto: Prime Minister's Personal Representative for Economic Summits; briefing for second meeting of Personal Representatives ('Sherpas'), Quebec, February 1988) (Part 1)	Begins: 1987 Oct 30	Ends: 1988 Jan 28	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 297
PREM19/2109	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Toronto: Prime Minister's Personal Representative for Economic Summits; briefing for third meeting of Personal Representatives ('Sherpas'), Paris, May 1988) (Part 2)	Begins: 1988 Mar 1	Ends: 1988 May 31	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 364
PREM19/2110	Economic Policy (G7 Summit - Toronto: Prime Minister's Personal Representative for Economic Summits; 'Sherpa' papers) (Part 3)	Begins: 1988 Jun 1	Ends: 1988 Jul 29	Date of release: 2016 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 340
PREM19/2111	Economic Policy (Bank takeovers and mergers; takeover bids for Royal Bank of Scotland Group, 1981)	Begins: 1981 Apr 8	Ends: 1987 Jul 6	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 97
PREM19/2112	Economic Policy (Pay Review Body reports: top salaries, armed forces, doctors and dentists, nurses, midwives and professions allied to medicine) (Part 9)	Begins: 1986 Oct 27	Ends: 1988 May 26	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret and Personal	Pages: 334
PREM19/2113	Education (Department of Education and Science (DES) draft circular 'Providing for Quality: the Pattern of Organisation to Age 19': proposed consultation)	Begins: 1986 Jun 30	Ends: 1986 Jul 21	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/2114	Education (Review of dental education; proposed closure of two dental schools)	Begins: 1988 Jun 29	Ends: 1988 Aug 9	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/2115	Education (Education seminar held by the Prime Minister at Downing Street, 2 October 1985)	Begins: 1985 Aug 30	Ends: 1986 Jan 1	Date of release: 2015 Dec 30
PREM19/2116	Education (New blood for research and information technology: follow-up to the Alvey Report on Advanced Information Technology; international collaboration; the EUREKA programme)	Begins: 1982 Nov 30	Ends: 1987 Sep 4	Date of release: 2016 Nov 7		Classification: Secret and Personal	Pages: 163
PREM19/2117	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: future of polytechnics; funding regime for schools) (Part 10)	Begins: 1986 Nov 3	Ends: 1986 Dec 23	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret and Personal	Pages: 254
PREM19/2118	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure; future of polytechnics) (Part 11)	Begins: 1987 Jan 22	Ends: 1987 Feb 28	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/2119	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure; national school curriculum; financial delegation and opting out) (Part 12)	Begins: 1987 Mar 2	Ends: 1987 Apr 30	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/2120	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: national curriculum; future of Inner London Education Authority (ILEA); financial delegation to schools; financial crisis at University College Cardiff) (Part 13)	Begins: 1987 May 1	Ends: 1987 Jul 14	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 331
PREM19/2121	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure; national curriculum; bogus degrees; charges for school activities; grant maintained schools; counter-obstruction measures; education reform in Scotland and Wales; financial delegation) (Part 14)	Begins: 1987 Jul 15	Ends: 1987 Jul 31	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 425
PREM19/2122	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: bogus degrees; financial delegation; charges for school activities; grant maintained schools; national curriculum; open enrolment; education in Scotland and Wales) (Part 15)	Begins: 1987 Aug 3	Ends: 1987 Oct 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential and Personal	Pages: 222
PREM19/2123	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: national curriculum; education in Scotland and Wales; Education Reform Bill; financial delegation; Government response to Education, Science and Arts Select Committee report) (Part 16)	Begins: 1987 Nov 2	Ends: 1987 Dec 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 2	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 312
PREM19/2124	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure: Education Reform Bill; education in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland; financial delegation; grant maintained schools; national curriculum; future of Paisley Grammar School; charges forschool activities; opting out of Local Education Authority (LEA) control; religious education) (Part 17)	Begins: 1988 Jan 7	Ends: 1988 Mar 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 405
PREM19/2125	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure; Education Reform Bill; opting out of Local Education Authority (LEA) control in Scotland; position of National Union of Students (NUS); Christian education; admission to maintained schools;polytechnics; national curriculum issues; Higginson Report on future of 'A' levels) (Part 18)	Begins: 1988 Apr 6	Ends: 1988 May 26	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret	Pages: 262
PREM19/2126	Education (General policy on education and education expenditure; Higginson Report on future of 'A' levels; polytechnics; City Arts College; national curriculum issues; opting out of Local Education (Part 19)	Begins: 1988 Jun 1	Ends: 1988 Nov 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 343
PREM19/2127	Education (Reorganisation of schools in Ilkeston, Derbyshire: Prime Minister's concern at deficiencies in Department of Education and Science (DES) decision-making procedures)	Begins: 1987 Dec 2	Ends: 1988 Feb 24	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 56
PREM19/2128	Education (Teachers' pay) (Part 9)	Begins: 1986 Nov 3	Ends: 1987 Mar 30	Date of release: 2016 Feb 19
PREM19/2129	Education (Teachers' pay) (Part 10)	Begins: 1987 Apr 2	Ends: 1987 Sep 9	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 5	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 197
PREM19/2130	Education (Future of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA)) (Part 4)	Begins: 1984 Apr 3	Ends: 1987 Jul 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 267
PREM19/2131	Education (Future of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA): opting out of ILEA by London boroughs; contingency plans for abolition) (Part 5)	Begins: 1987 Aug 20	Ends: 1988 Jun 23	Date of release: 2015 Dec 30		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 253

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