Prime Minister's Office

Domestic Records Information D118

1. Introduction

The office of Prime Minister received formal recognition when created by royal warrant in 1905. The Prime Minister's Office as we now understand the term was created in 1916 to support the work of the Prime Minister and it is the records of that office that form the body of the collection held by The National Archives at Kew.

Before its official creation in 1905, the title of 'prime minister' was often used when referring to the First Lords of the Treasury, or Lords Treasurer, an ancient title for the principal minister with control over the Treasury. The title 'prime minister' can be traced back to Edward Hyde Earl of Clarendon, serving Charles II in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Previous First Lords included Robert Walpole, William Pitt Earl of Chatham (Pitt the 'Elder'), William Pitt 'the Younger', Robert Peel, Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone, and, in more recent times, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Sidney Godolphin was Lord Treasurer or 'prime minister' under Queen Anne, about the time that the Treasury was reformed and the influence of the First Lord, or Lord Treasurer, was consolidated. After Queen Anne and the Hanoverian succession, monarchs left the business of leading government to the First Lord, or 'prime minister'. The permanent combination of all the attributes of a prime minister is generally considered to date from Robert Walpole and his appointment as First Lord of the Treasury in 1730.

2. Constitutional role of the Prime Minister

Constitutionally, in order of precedence, the Prime Minister ranks fourth after the Sovereign, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Lord Chancellor, but his or her influence in modern times has been of crucial importance in both peacetime and during war. The Prime Minister is trusted with the ultimate responsibility for governing the country, advising the Crown on the appointment of ministers, ambassadors and the military, and taking the lead on the development and implementation of policy,

The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party through which he or she commands the confidence of (that is, holds the majority of seats within) the House of Commons, to which he or she and their ministers must explain and justify their actions. The Prime Minister is appointed by the sovereign on the understanding that he or she can command the confidence of the Commons, a situation which may change after a General Election is held on the dissolution of Parliament. The life of a Parliament must not exceed five years, but the Prime Minister may advise the sovereign for an earlier dissolution. The life of a Parliament can be extended if it so decides and the sovereign agrees but this is unlikely to happen unless in exceptional circumstances, as happened during the Second World War.

3. Scope and nature of Prime Minister's papers

The Prime Minister is at the very centre of British government, as principal advisor to the Sovereign, head of government, leader of the majority party in Parliament, principal minister for the civil service, having overall responsibility for defence, national security and diplomacy, and wide powers of patronage on official appointments. The Prime Minister has a wider public role in interpreting Britain's strategic aspirations and interests both nationally and internationally. The Prime Minister's papers reflect these wide interests and responsibilities.

4. Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister's Office is distinct from the Cabinet Office.

The Prime Minister's official staff originally consisted of a single secretary but during the nineteenth century a second and then a third secretary were added. The Prime Minister also acquired an unpaid parliamentary private secretary. A bureau or secretariat to provide administrative support for the Prime Minister was created in December 1916, which was housed in temporary buildings in the garden of 10 Downing Street (known as the 'Garden Suburb'). The bureau was highly unpopular and was abolished in 1922. Some subsequent Prime Ministers have felt the need for a personal adviser but such changes had no lasting effect on the organisation of the Primer Minister's Office.

David Lloyd George was appointed Prime Minister in December 1916. He led (as Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Party) a coalition administration throughout the remainder of the First World War and beyond the war until his resignation in 1922. He was largely responsible for the creation of the Cabinet Office immediately on his appointment in 1916, with provision for a secretariat to enable discussion, planning and decisions of the Cabinet relating to the war to be properly recorded and kept. The Cabinet Office was to keep the records of all business conducted by the Cabinet and its Committees. The reorganisation involved in setting up the Cabinet Secretariat and liaison with the Prime Minister's Office was the responsibility of Maurice Hankey, the new Cabinet Secretary, previously secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence.

5. Prime Minister's Papers at The National Archives

The National Archives holds the official papers of successive Prime Ministers from 1916 (beginning with David Lloyd George). The arrangement of the Prime Minister's Papers held at The National Archives is explained in this records information research guide. The National Archives holds some private papers relating to Prime Minister's and their staffs both before and after 1916 about which information is included in this Research Guide. This information research guide includes guidance on sources held by other national archives and private archives.

6. Correspondence and papers 1914-1940

The correspondence and papers of the Prime Minister's Office from 1914 to 1940 can be found in PREM 1 . The papers are loosely arranged under subject headings and there is a key to the series available in the paper catalogue on shelves in the reading room. The original indices have ceased to exist as a result of the amalgamation and dispersal of the papers at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. The papers after the outbreak of war have been listed under subject headings, indexed in PREM 4/102-135 and, where different, the previous title or description is given in brackets. There are few papers before 1934 as ministers were allowed to remove such papers as they wished. Among subjects included within the series are matters related to the First World War, Finance Policy (including abandonment of the Gold Standard), Palestine, Unemployment, and the Abdication of Edward VIII. Some pieces in the PREM 1 -6 are listed in List and Index Society: Prime Minister's Office. Volume 126.

7. Winston Spencer Churchill

The prime ministerial career of Winston Churchill is important for the considerable impact it made on the office of Prime Minister during the Second World War, and the importance that Churchill's reputation has in the national imagination. Winston Churchill was first appointed Prime Minister on the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940. The change of administration is recorded in the conclusions of the meeting of the Cabinet the same day (CAB 65/7 ). Churchill's first period as Prime Minister ended in 1945. For a very brief period in 1945 following the end of the coalition, Churchill led a Conservative 'caretaker' administration, and resigned following his party's defeat at the General Election of that year. He was again head of a Conservative government between 1951-1955. He was also Minister of Defence between 1940-1945.

8. Correspondence and papers 1940-1945

In 1940, the Prime Minister, who was also leader of the Conservative Party, was joined in government by the leaders of the Labour and Liberal parties to form a coalition. Senior members of the coalition formed a War Cabinet. The Prime Minister's Office correspondence and papers from 1940 to 1945 can be found in two series, PREM 3 and PREM 4 .

The arrangement of the correspondence and papers within the two series follows that set by Churchill's private secretaries. The private secretaries collected his papers into two groups known as 'Operational' and 'Confidential'. The operational papers dealt with the conduct of the military and foreign policy aspects of the war and it is these papers that can now be found in PREM 3 . The confidential papers dealt with the work of the civil departments and are in PREM 4 . The two series of papers were previously referred to in the Prime Minister's Office as the 'Churchill Papers' to distinguish them from the 'PM files' and the 'Chartwell Papers'. The PM files can be found in CAB 120 . The Chartwell Papers were essentially what Churchill regarded as his own property. Further enquiries should be made to Churchill College, Cambridge.

The arrangement of Prime Minister's papers covering Churchill's brief 'caretaker' administration of 1945 follows that of the war period. Papers can be found in PREM 3 (operations) and PREM 4 (civil). Churchill resigned following the defeat of the Conservative Party at the General Election in June that year. He returned as Prime Minister following the General Election of 1951 and retired from office in 1955. The Prime Minister's papers for the latter years can be found in PREM 11 (see below).

The Prime Minister's Private Office diaries of wartime visits made by the Prime Minister can be found in PREM 10 . These include visits to the United States and meetings with President Roosevelt between 1941 and 1945, visits to Italy in 1944 following the Italian armistice, and to the Second Quebec Conference, also in 1944.

The other offices of state held by Winston Churchill during his long career in government were First Lord of the Admiralty, Home Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Colonial Secretary. Such papers as may have survived can be found within series related to the respective department.

Some pieces in PREM 3 and PREM 4 are listed in List and Index Society: Prime Minister's Office. Volume 126. See http://www.listandindexsociety.org.uk/- The National Archives has a full holding of the List and Index Society Standard and Special Series.

9. Correspondence and papers 1945-1951

The Prime Minister's correspondence and papers from 1945 to 1951 can be found in PREM 8 . The period covers the administration of Clement Attlee. The series is arranged chronologically and within each year by subject headings. There is a key to the subject headings in the paper catalogue on the shelves in the reading room. Among subjects contained in the series are Food, Germany, India, National Health Service, Nationalisation, Middle East, and war crimes' trials related to the Second World War.

10. Correspondence and Papers 1951-1964

The Prime Minister's correspondence and papers from 1951 to 1964 can be found in PREM 11 . The period covers the second ministry of Sir Winston Churchill, and those of Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home. The series is arranged under subject headings. There is a key to subject headings in the paper catalogue on the shelves in the reading room. The subject headings reflect the arrangement; as no attempt had been made at rationalization it may be necessary to search under more than one subject heading for relevant information. The correspondence and papers are wide ranging in their scope and include domestic, foreign and defence matters. Some pieces are closed for more than the statutory thirty years.

At Macmillan On-Line, there is electronic access to the Prime Minister's papers and to Cabinet Office conclusions and memoranda ( CAB 128 and CAB 129 ) for the years of the Macmillan Administration 1957-1963. At Macmillan On-line, the records of some key Cabinet Committees in series CAB 134 are also available, including matters related to defence and nuclear policy, and changes affecting Britain's relationship with former dependant colonies.

11. Correspondence and Papers 1964-1970

The correspondence and papers from 1964 to 1970 can be found in PREM 13 . The period covers the first administration of Harold Wilson. The arrangement of the contents is under subject headings and, as with some other series, it may be necessary to search under more than one subject heading to find relevant information. The paper catalogue available in the reading rooms contains a key to the subject headings.

12. Other correspondence and papers.

While most series contain correspondence and papers related to the Prime Minister's undertaking of his or her constitutional and political role, some series contain material of a purely routine or administrative nature. Some papers relate to the Prime Minister's official residences. Papers relating to the presentation of the Chequers estate to the nation by Lord and Lady Lee can be found in PREM 5/175 . Papers relating to the routine administration of the Chequers estate, appointment of trustees, legal and financial provision for the upkeep of the estate, and matters relating to domestic and security arrangements can be found in PREM 14 .

13. Correspondence and papers from 1970

The Prime Minister's correspondence and papers from 1970 are gradually being released annually on completion of the statutory thirty-year period. Some papers are not available under extended closure. The papers released to date relate to the administration of Edward Heath (which ended in 1974). They can be found in PREM 15 and are arranged under subject headings. Among the subjects included, are European Policy and negotiations for Britain's entry into to European Economic Community, Immigration, Industrial Relations and Northern Ireland.

14. Honours and Awards

The Prime Minister submits recommendations for British honours and awards to the Sovereign. The relevant papers are in PREM 2 , and relate mainly to New Year honours and Birthday honours. The institution of the George Cross and Medal, and other gallantry awards, is included in the series. The resignation lists of some Prime Ministers are also included. The lists and papers related to honours begin in 1916 and are released annually on completion of the statutory thirty-year closure period. The contents of the series are arranged chronologically.

15. Appointments

The Prime Minister's Office papers relating to ministerial, civil and ecclesiastical appointments known as Patronage Papers, can be found in PREM 5 . The series is arranged chronologically and by subject (not alphabetical). The series begins in 1907 and papers are normally released after thirty years from the date of their creation. Some papers may be subject to extended closure. The names of some recipients of awards in the civil list can be found in catalogue entries, as can some ecclesiastic and miscellaneous appointments. The series contains papers relating to appointments made to the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, others made on the Prime Minister's own authority, and those referred to the Prime Minister by other ministers. The contents generally involve changes of function, matters of controversy or unusual interest, and samples of routine appointments. The House of Commons (Disqualification) Act of 1957 changed aspects for qualification of appointments made by the Prime Minister, illustrated by ministerial appointment papers from this date.

Some pieces are listed in List and Index Society: Prime Minister's Office: Volume 126.

16. Charitable Trusts

The report and papers of the Charitable Trusts Committee can be found in PREM 6 . The Committee was appointed by the Prime Minister in January 1950 to consider changes to the law and practice relating to charitable trusts. The Committee under the chairmanship of Lord Nathan began its work in 1950 and published a report in 1952. The Committee took oral and written evidence, the records of which can be found in PREM 6 . The Prime Minister's Office copy of the Report of the Committee can be found in PREM 6/7 . Some pieces are listed in List and Index Society Volume 7 - see www.listandindexsociety.org.uk/.

17. Report on the Civil Service

The reports and papers of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister in May 1979, under the chairmanship of Sir Derek Rayner, to inquire into the operation of various parts of the Civil Service can be found in PREM 9 . The work of the Committee included a series of commissions into the government statistical services, for critical examination of the statistical services available to each minister, with recommendations for ongoing scrutiny of the costs involved related to individual statistical services.

18. Private Collections

The National Archives holds some private papers relating to Prime Ministers.

The Prime Minister's Office collection includes private papers of Sir Desmond Morton, personal assistant to the Prime Minister from 1939 to 1951. The papers, which contain intelligence information related to economic warfare, can be found in PREM 7 . Some of the papers are under extended closure.

Some Prime Ministers' papers largely unrelated to their constitutional role but of a more personal or party political nature may be found in other series. These include records of (normally) First Lords of the Treasury before the formal creation of the office of Prime Minister in 1905. The Chatham Papers, comprising the papers of the 1st Earl of Chatham (William Pitt the 'Elder' - Lord Privy Seal) and his son William Pitt (the 'Younger') covering the reigns of George II and George III can be found in PRO 30/8 . The Russell Papers, relating to John 1st Earl Russell, including family papers, from about 1800 to 1913, can be found in PRO 30/22 . The papers of James Ramsay MacDonald, which includes private family papers from 1793 to 1937, can be found in PRO 30/69 and from 1929 to 1935 are in CAB 127/282-295 . Some semi-official papers of Lord North concerning the East India Company from 1701 to 1802 can be found in T 49 . Before 1905, information related to earlier First Lords of the Treasury are scattered among other departmental records, including State Papers, Treasury, Home Office, Foreign Office, and so forth. The original letters patent appointing the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury can be found in T 40, including original letters patent appointing Sidney Godolphin Lord High Treasurer in 1702.

Some papers of earlier Prime Ministers are held by private and specialist archives. For example, the papers of Benjamin Disraeli (Earl of Beaconsfield) are held by a number of bodies including the Bodleian Library at Oxford and Royal Archives at Windsor. The papers of William Gladstone are held by the British Library, and Henry Herbert Asquith (Earl of Oxford and Asquith) are held by the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Some papers of Prime Ministers whose papers are held at The National Archives may be held in other archives. For example, Neville Chamberlain's papers are held by the Birmingham University Library.

For more information about other national and private collections, apply to the National Register of Archives at The National Archives. Links to national databases of archives can be found at Access to Archives (a2a) and www.archiveshub.ac.uk. The British Library online can be found at www.bl.uk/collections/manuscripts.html, the Bodeian Library at www.bodley.ox.ac.uk, and the Royal Archives, Windsor, at the Royal Archives. For more information about private papers held by The National Archives relating to Prime Ministers see section 18 below.

19. Further Reading

The following is a selection of reading matter on the records and office of Prime Minister:

Several biographies of Prime Ministers have been written of which the following is a selection:

(ri2263) Last updated: 17 November 2008| © Crown Copyright 2004