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 2201 - 2250 of 3726

Per page:

File name	File title	Begins	Ends	Release date	Any docs withheld?	Classification	Pages
PREM19/2232	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 6)	Begins: 1985 Jul 2	Ends: 1987 Jan 28	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 11	Classification: Confidential and Personal	Pages: 184
PREM19/2233	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 7)	Begins: 1987 Feb 2	Ends: 1987 Mar 20	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 255
PREM19/2234	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 8)	Begins: 1987 Apr 3	Ends: 1987 Jun 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 280
PREM19/2235	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 9)	Begins: 1987 Jul 6	Ends: 1987 Sep 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21
PREM19/2236	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 10)	Begins: 1987 Oct 1	Ends: 1988 Jan 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 269
PREM19/2237	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 11)	Begins: 1988 Feb 1	Ends: 1988 Apr 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 334
PREM19/2238	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 12)	Begins: 1988 May 3	Ends: 1988 Jul 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 404
PREM19/2239	Housing (Housing policy) (Part 13)	Begins: 1988 Aug 5	Ends: 1988 Dec 22	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret and Personal	Pages: 351
PREM19/2240	Housing (Prime Minister's meeting with Professor Alice Coleman to discuss housing design: subsequent action)	Begins: 1987 Dec 18	Ends: 1988 Mar 9	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 24
PREM19/2241	Immigration (Immigration Rules) (Part 3)	Begins: 1986 Apr 7	Ends: 1987 Oct 30	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2242	India (Visits to UK by Indian Ministers of Commerce)	Begins: 1979 Sep 26	Ends: 1988 Dec 1	Date of release: 2016 Dec 30	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential covering Secret	Pages: 43
PREM19/2243	India (UK/Indian relations: Rihand power station) (Part 5)	Begins: 1985 Jun 3	Ends: 1987 May 21	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Temporarily retained by Department
PREM19/2244	Industrial Policy (Possible sale by the Laird Group of Metro-Cammell)	Begins: 1985 Sep 26	Ends: 1986 Apr 18	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 9
PREM19/2245	Industrial Policy (Industrial action by seamen)	Begins: 1981 Jan 12	Ends: 1988 Jun 15	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 117
PREM19/2246	Industrial Policy (Ports: National Dock Labour Scheme; Ports of London and Liverpool; Ports Bill) (Part 3)	Begins: 1985 Feb 18	Ends: 1987 Jun 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 269
PREM19/2247	Industrial Policy (Industrial production)	Begins: 1987 Jul 14	Ends: 1987 Aug 10	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 29
PREM19/2248	Industrial Policy (Industrial relations law) (Part 12)	Begins: 1985 Mar 6	Ends: 1987 Jan 28	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 264
PREM19/2249	Industrial Policy (Industrial relations law) (Part 13)	Begins: 1987 Feb 4	Ends: 1987 Sep 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 224
PREM19/2250	Industrial Policy (Information Technology Advisory Panel (ITAP) report 'Making a Business of Information'; dissolution of ITAP) (Part 4)	Begins: 1983 Sep 1	Ends: 1987 Jan 30	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Restricted	Pages: 207
PREM19/2251	Industrial Policy (Investment in management development: government departments joining the Management Charter Initiative)	Begins: 1987 Apr 6	Ends: 1988 Dec 2	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 65
PREM19/2252	Industrial Policy (Research and development) (Part 3)	Begins: 1986 Oct 13	Ends: 1987 Mar 27	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential	Pages: 119
PREM19/2253	Industrial Policy (Research and development) (Part 4)	Begins: 1987 Mar 28	Ends: 1987 Jul 31	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential and Personal	Pages: 201
PREM19/2254	Industrial Policy (Research and development) (Part 5)	Begins: 1987 Aug 3	Ends: 1988 Dec 15	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret	Pages: 245
PREM19/2255	Industrial Policy (Future of the Rover Group) (Part 13)	Begins: 1987 Jan 5	Ends: 1987 Sep 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret Named Distribution Only	Pages: 221
PREM19/2256	Industrial Policy (Future of the Rover Group) (Part 14)	Begins: 1987 Oct 1	Ends: 1988 Feb 29	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret Named Distribution Only	Pages: 231
PREM19/2257	Industrial Policy (Future of the Rover Group) (Part 15)	Begins: 1988 Mar 1	Ends: 1988 Dec 23	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Secret Named Distribution Only	Pages: 353
PREM19/2258	Industrial Policy (Future of Rolls-Royce) (Part 3)	Begins: 1984 Apr 2	Ends: 1987 May 7	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential & Commercial in confidence	Pages: 152
PREM19/2259	Industrial Policy (Future of Rolls-Royce) (Part 4)	Begins: 1987 Jul 10	Ends: 1988 Dec 12	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Confidential & Commercial in confidence	Pages: 33
PREM19/2260	Information and Publicity (Media coverage of Wiltshire arrests: Home Office guidance circular to journal editors on terrorist threat to VIPs)	Begins: 1987 Sep 15	Ends: 1987 Sep 16	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 5
PREM19/2261	Information and Publicity (Relations between the Civil Service and the press; role of Chief Press Secretary, No 10 Downing Street)	Begins: 1979 Dec 7	Ends: 1988 Oct 7	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Management In Confidence	Pages: 52
PREM19/2262	Information and Publicity (Possible separate Press Office for Attorney General's Office: deferment until after 'Spycatcher' case)	Begins: 1988 Jan 11	Ends: 1988 Jan 20	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21		Classification: Management In Confidence	Pages: 11
PREM19/2263	Information and Publicity (Status of transcripts of Prime Minister's press conferences: request from office of Neil Kinnock, Leader of the Opposition)	Begins: 1988 Mar 14	Ends: 1988 Mar 22	Date of release: 2015 Dec 30		Classification: Unclassified	Pages: 6
PREM19/2264	Iran (The Shah of Iran's wish to settle in the UK: health and future of the Shah)	Begins: 1979 May 14	Ends: 1988 Apr 21	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Secret	Pages: 40
PREM19/2265	Iraq (Internal situation: Iran-Iraq War) (Part 5)	Begins: 1984 Sep 1	Ends: 1987 Jul 19	Date of release: Reconsideration 2027		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2266	Iraq (Internal situation: Iran-Iraq War) (Part 6)	Begins: 1987 Jul 20	Ends: 1987 Aug 10	Date of release: Reconsideration 2027		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2267	Iraq (Internal situation: Iran-Iraq War) (Part 7)	Begins: 1987 Aug 11	Ends: 1987 Aug 31	Date of release: Reconsideration 2027		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2268	Iraq (Internal situation: Iran-Iraq War) (Part 8)	Begins: 1987 Sep 1	Ends: 1987 Dec 18	Date of release: Reconsideration 2027		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2269	Iraq (Internal situation: Iran-Iraq War) (Part 9)	Begins: 1988 Jan 1	Ends: 1988 Dec 31	Date of release: 2017 Jul 20	Any docs withheld? 8	Classification: Top Secret	Pages: 473
PREM19/2270	Ireland (Correspondence with Reverend William Martin Smyth MP)	Begins: 1987 Nov 2	Ends: 1988 Mar 22	Date of release: 2016 Dec 30		Classification: Secret	Pages: 17
PREM19/2271	Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach: Anglo-Irish Summits; Anglo-Irish relations) (Part 16)	Begins: 1986 May 8	Ends: 1987 Feb 1	Date of release: 2018 Dec 28
PREM19/2272	Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach: Anglo-Irish Summits; Anglo-Irish relations) (Part 17)	Begins: 1987 Feb 4	Ends: 1987 Nov 17	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2273	Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach: Anglo-Irish Summits; Anglo-Irish relations) (Part 18)	Begins: 1987 Nov 18	Ends: 1987 Apr 29	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2274	Ireland (Meetings with the Taoiseach: Anglo-Irish Summits; Anglo-Irish relations) (Part 19)	Begins: 1988 May 3	Ends: 1988 Dec 21	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2275	Ireland (Prime Minister's visits to Northern Ireland) (Part 4)	Begins: 1985 Nov 6	Ends: 1988 Jan 27	Date of release: 2018 Jul 24
PREM19/2276	Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland) (Part 22)	Begins: 1986 Nov 1	Ends: 1987 Oct 31	Date of release: 2028		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2277	Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland: force levels) (Part 23)	Begins: 1987 Nov 1	Ends: 1988 Mar 31	Date of release: 2018 Dec 28
PREM19/2278	Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland) (Part 24)	Begins: 1988 Apr 1	Ends: 1988 Aug 31	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2279	Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland) (Part 25)	Begins: 1988 Sep 1	Ends: 1988 Sep 30	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2280	Ireland (Situation in Northern Ireland) (Part 26)	Begins: 1988 Oct 1	Ends: 1988 Dec 29	Date of release: Retained		Classification: Retained Sec 3.4
PREM19/2281	Jamaica (Prime Minister's visit to Jamaica, July 1987)	Begins: 1987 Jul 6	Ends: 1987 Sep 10	Date of release: 2016 Jul 21	Any docs withheld? 1	Classification: Confidential	Pages: 107

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