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 2651 - 2700 of 3726

Per page:
File name File title Begins Ends Release date Any docs withheld? Classification Pages
PREM19/2691 France (Visits to UK by President Mitterrand) (Part 6) Begins: 1986 Dec 1 Ends: 1989 Aug 31 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Any docs withheld? 3 Classification: Confidential Pages: 379
PREM19/2692 France (Prime Minister's visits to France) (Part 6) Begins: 1987 Nov 13 Ends: 1989 Feb 28 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20 Any docs withheld? 1 Classification: Secret Pages: 308
PREM19/2693 France (Franco-British Council conference, Avignon, November 1984, and subsequent correspondence) Begins: 1983 Jun 27 Ends: 1989 May 18 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2695 Germany (Anglo-German relations) (Part 4) Begins: 1986 Oct 3 Ends: 1989 Aug 30 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20 Any docs withheld? 3 Classification: Secret Pages: 333
PREM19/2696 Germany (Internal situation in East Germany: question of German reunification) (Part 1) Begins: 1979 Oct 1 Ends: 1989 Dec 31 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2697 Germany (Prime Minister's meetings with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the Turkish Prime Minister in Germany) (Part 7) Begins: 1987 Jul 1 Ends: 1989 Feb 24 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2698 Germany (Visits to the UK by Governing Mayors of Berlin: Dietrich Stobb, Richard von Weizsacker, Eberhard Diepgen and Walter Momper) Begins: 1979 Mar 2 Ends: 1989 May 4 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2699 Government Buildings (Opening of the Cabinet War Rooms to the public, April 1984) Begins: 1981 May 29 Ends: 1989 Mar 21 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2700 Government Buildings (Purchase of government accommodation in the Whitehall area) Begins: 1983 Jul 23 Ends: 1989 Sep 26 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2701 Government Machinery (Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development (ACARD)) (Part 5) Begins: 1987 Jan 2 Ends: 1989 May 31 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2702 Government Machinery (Review of administrative forms) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Nov 3 Ends: 1989 Dec 19 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2703 Government Machinery (Monopolies and mergers) (Part 3) Begins: 1988 Mar 7 Ends: 1989 Feb 28 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2704 Government Machinery (Monopolies and mergers) (Part 4) Begins: 1989 Mar 8 Ends: 1989 Jul 21 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2706 Government Machinery (Rayner Scrutiny programme: promotion of efficiency and elimination of waste; value for money seminars; Next Steps initiative) (Part 29) Begins: 1988 Dec 1 Ends: 1989 Apr 20 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2707 Government Machinery (Rayner Scrutiny Programme: promotion of efficiency and elimination of waste; value for money seminars; Next Steps initiative) (Part 30) Begins: 1989 Apr 17 Ends: 1989 Jun 3 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2708 Government Machinery (Rayner Scrutiny programme: promotion of efficiency and elimination of waste; value for money seminars; Next Steps initiative) (Part 31) Begins: 1989 Jul 3 Ends: 1989 Oct 30 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 384
PREM19/2710 Government Machinery (Departmental responsibility for the National Unemployment Benefit System (NUBS) computer system) Begins: 1983 Oct 31 Ends: 1989 Jul 20 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 23
PREM19/2711 Government Machinery (Procedure for public appointments) Begins: 1979 May 8 Ends: 1989 Dec 14 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 124
PREM19/2712 Government Machinery (The Central Office of Information (COI) and the future of the Information Services: Government advertising expenditure; repayment for services provided by the COI) Begins: 1979 May 18 Ends: 1989 May 11 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2713 Government Machinery (Request for part of Property Services Agency, PSA Supplies, to trade under the name 'The Crown Suppliers': the future of The Crown Suppliers) Begins: 1983 Sep 20 Ends: 1989 Nov 28 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2714 Government Machinery (Review of the Exchequer and Audit Department Acts: role and salary of Comptroller and Auditor General) (Part 3) Begins: 1983 Feb 11 Ends: 1989 Sep 29 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2715 Government Machinery (Reviews of tourism and leisure policy) (Part 1) Begins: 1983 May 13 Ends: 1989 Jun 16 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2716 Home Affairs (Sentencing policy: Criminal Justice Bill; draft Green Paper 'Punishment, Custody and the Community') (Part 3) Begins: 1987 Mar 5 Ends: 1989 Oct 6 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2717 Home Affairs (Data protection: computer hacking) (Part 2) Begins: 1987 Oct 12 Ends: 1989 May 17 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2718 Home Affairs (Government support for voluntary bodies) (Part 1) Begins: 1985 Mar 11 Ends: 1989 Jul 31 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2719 Home Affairs (Lead in the environment: reports of the Lawther Working Party (1980) and Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (1983)) Begins: 1980 Mar 20 Ends: 1989 Feb 8 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 299
PREM19/2721 Home Affairs (Policy towards the Prison Service: industrial action by the Prison Officers Association; private sector involvement in the remand system) (Part 4) Begins: 1987 Nov 2 Ends: 1989 Jan 30 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2722 Home Affairs (Football hooliganism; Football Spectators Bill) (Part 7) Begins: 1988 Jul 5 Ends: 1989 Jan 17 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2723 Home Affairs (Race relations: Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) draft Code of Practice; scrutiny of grants under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966) (Part 1) Begins: 1980 May 14 Ends: 1989 May 31 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 335
PREM19/2724 Home Affairs (Acid house parties) Begins: 1989 Aug 22 Ends: 1989 Dec 5 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2725 Home Affairs​​​​​​​ (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Begins: 1989 May 24 Ends: 1989 Jul 17 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2726 Home Affairs (Sex discrimination) Begins: 1985 Aug 6 Ends: 1989 Feb 27 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2727 Hong Kong (Future of Hong Kong) (Part 20) Begins: 1987 Oct 2 Ends: 1989 Feb 22 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2728 Hong Kong​​​​​​​ (Future of Hong Kong) (Part 21) Begins: 1989 Mar 2 Ends: 1989 Jul 28 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2729 Housing (Housing policy) (Part 14) Begins: 1989 Jan 6 Ends: 1989 Feb 28 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Secret Pages: 272
PREM19/2730 Housing (Housing policy) (Part 15) Begins: 1989 Mar 2 Ends: 1989 Jun 30 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 291
PREM19/2731 Housing​​​​​​​ (Reform of housing benefits) Begins: 1980 Jun 24 Ends: 1989 May 4 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2732 Hungary (Visits to the UK by Prime Ministers Karoly Grosz, (May 1988) and Miklos Nemeth (December 1989)) Begins: 1987 Jul 28 Ends: 1989 Dec 15 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30 Classification: Confidential Pages: 102
PREM19/2734 India​​​​​​​ (Visits to the UK by Vice-Presidents of India, Mohammad Hidayatullah (July 1983) and Shankar Dayal Sharma (November 1989)) Begins: 1983 Jun 18 Ends: 1989 Jul 8 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2735 Industrial Policy (Industrial relations law: Employment Bill; proposals for further reform of trade union law) (Part 14) Begins: 1987 Oct 2 Ends: 1989 Mar 20 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2736 Industrial Policy (Information technology (IT): Government policy towards IT) (Part 5) Begins: 1987 Feb 2 Ends: 1989 Mar 7 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2737 Industrial Policy (Research and development: review of international research and development programmes) (Part 6) Begins: 1989 Jan 17 Ends: 1989 Sep 7 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2738 Industrial Policy (Research and development, including European Community framework programme for research and development) (Part 7) Begins: 1989 Sep 1 Ends: 1989 Dec 28 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2739 Industrial Policy (Ports: abolition of the National Dock Labour Scheme; industrial action in the ports) (Part 14) Begins: 1987 Jul 3 Ends: 1989 Feb 28 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20 Classification: Secret Pages: 295
PREM19/2740 Industrial Policy​​​​​​​ (Ports: abolition of the National Dock Labour Scheme; industrial action in the ports) (Part 15) Begins: 1989 Mar 2 Ends: 1989 May 31 Date of release: 2017 Jul 20
PREM19/2741 Industrial Policy (Short Brothers Plc: corporate plan and privatisation prospects) (Part 2) Begins: 1986 Jun 13 Ends: 1989 Mar 23 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2742 Industrial Policy (Policy towards employee involvement: profit sharing and share options) Begins: 1979 Sep 25 Ends: 1989 Oct 23 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2743 Industrial Policy (Industrial relations law: strikes in essential services; industrial disputes) (Part 15) Begins: 1989 May 23 Ends: 1989 Aug 23 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2746 Iraq (Internal situation - Iran/Iraq peace talks; future of Royal Navy deployments in the Gulf) (Part 10) Begins: 1989 Jan 25 Ends: 1989 Sep 21 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
PREM19/2747 Ireland (Review of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1976: prevention of terrorism legislation) Begins: 1980 Jan 31 Ends: 1989 Jan 17 Date of release: 2016 Dec 30
Per page: