1987 General Election (including Strategy Group)

Title

1987 General Election (including Strategy Group)

Shelfmark

CRD 4/30/7/4-7

Summary

Comprises:

CRD 4/30/7/4 - Meeting at St. Ermin's Hotel, 26 Nov 1986;

CRD 4/30/7/5 - 'Useful things', including background notes, 1986-1987.

Also includes file CRD 4/30/7/6: Strategy Group minutes and agendas, Jun 1986-Mar 1987. The Strategy Group was established by Margaret Thatcher in the Summer of 1986 to 'review policies and strategy and to initiate work for the election manifesto and our third term of office', in conjunction with the Policy Unit based at 10 Downing Street. The core membership of the Group included:

Margaret Thatcher

Lord Whitelaw, Deputy Prime Minister

Norman Tebbit, Party Chairman

Sir Geoffrey Howe, Foreign Secretary

Nigel Lawson, Chancellor of the Exchequer

Douglas Hurd, Home Secretary

John Wakeham, Chief Whip

Additional Ministers attended the Group by invitation when their particular policy area was under discussion.

As part of its work, the Group set up 11 policy groups, each under the chairmanship of a Cabinet Minister with secretariat support provided by the Conservative Research Department. Robin Harris, Director of CRD, and Stephen Sherbourne, Political Adviser at No. 10, were responsible for overall organisation and servicing of the groups. It was intended that each policy group would report by December 1986:

Managing the Economy: Chairman: Nigel Lawson

Working Britain: Chairman: Lord Young

Home Office and Inner Cities: Chairman: Douglas Hurd

National Health Service: Chairman: Norman Fowler

Education and Training: Chairman: Kenneth Baker

Housing and Planning: Chairman:Nicholas Ridley

Environment and Energy: Chairman: Peter Walker

Rural Britain: Chairman: Michael Jopling

Family and Society: Chairman: Nicholas Edwards

Young People: Chairman: John Moore

Foreign Affairs, Europe and Defence: Joint Chairmen: Sir Geoffrey Howe and George Younger

Minutes include:

SG1: 1st meeting, 23/06/1986

SG2: 2nd meeting, 30/06/1986

SG3: 3rd meeting, 07/07/1986

SG4: 4th meeting, 21/07/1986

SG5: 5th meeting, 13/10/1986

SG6: 6th meeting, 27/10/1986

SG7: 7th meeting, 03/11/1986

SG8: 8th meeting, 17/11/1986

SG9: 9th meeting, 24/11/1986

SG10: 10th meeting, 15/12/1986

SG11: 11th meeting, 19/01/1987

SG12: 12th meeting, 26/01/1987

SG13: 13th meeting, 02/02/1987

SG14: 14th meeting, 09/02/1987

SG15: 15th meeting, 16/02/1987

SG16: 16th meeting, 02/03/1987

SG17: 17th meeting, 09/03/1987

Also includes file CRD 4/30/7/7: Strategy Group correspondence and papers, Jun-Oct 1986. Correspondents include:

Dobbs, Michael, Chief of Staff

Hurd, Douglas, Home Secretary

Harris, Robin, Director, Conservative Research Department, and Secretary of the Strategy Group

Ryder, Caroline, Private Secretary, 10 Downing Street

Sherbourne, Stephen, Political Secretary, 10 Downing Street

Thatcher, Margaret, Prime Minister

Wicks, Nigel, Principal Private Secretary, 10 Downing Street

Papers include:-

Memorandum from Robin Harris to the Prime Minister, 'Themes for Policy Work and the Manifesto: Second Strategy Group Meeting, Monday 30th June 1986', 27 Jun 1986

Memoranda concerning the timing of the 1987 general election, Jun-Jul 1986

Press release containing extract of speech by Sir Geoffrey Howe to the Greater London CPC, 2 Jul 1986

'Paper for consideration by the Strategy Group on Monday 7th July: Setting up policy groups', [Author: SS/RH], 3 Jul 1986

Draft Minute from the Chairman to the Prime Minister on publicity during the recess, 3 Jul 1986

Paper, 'Proposed Policy Groups', Stephen Sherborne, 8 Jul 1986

Memorandum to the Prime Minister, 'Publicity during the Summer Recess', Robin Harris, n.d. [c. Jul 1986], with annotated earlier drafts

Papers also include:

Briefing memoranda prepared for the Party Chairman and Chief of Staff by Robin Harris prior to meetings of the Strategy Group:

27 Oct 1986

31 Oct 1986

Paper, 'Strategy Group: The Next Two Weeks', Bernard Ingham, 27 Oct 1986

Date

1986-1987

Language

English

Physical extent

1 box (4 folders)