1987 General Election (including Strategy Group), 1986-1987
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
Dates
- Creation: 1986-1987
Extent
1 box (4 folders)
Language of Materials
- English
Shelfmark
CRD 4/30/7/4-7
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk