MI5 has long safeguarded its secrets, as revealed in Stella Rimington’s memoir, “Open Secret.” During the 1984-85 miners’ strike, Rimington emphasized MI5’s focus on subversive activities and careful scrutiny of reports to ensure relevance to its remit.
However, a confidential document discovered in the National Archives at Kew, authored by then-cabinet secretary Robert Armstrong, sheds new light on MI5’s involvement. This revelation comes as we mark the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strikes.
Armstrong’s memo, stamped “Secret and Personal,” details secret meetings in Whitehall with an unnamed MI5 officer. Their discussions centered on locating funds and assets of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). Orchestrated by David Hart, a political adviser to Thatcher, a lawsuit declared the dispute illegal, leading to a high court fine. When the NUM refused payment, a judge ordered the seizure of funds.
Anticipating the court order, the NUM covertly transferred £8.7 million through seven countries. Price Waterhouse, the investigating accountancy firm, struggled to trace the money until Armstrong introduced an MI5 officer to aid the process. The officer’s leaked intelligence enabled Price Waterhouse to freeze assets, mystifying bankers.
Armstrong’s memo exposes MI5’s role in leaking confidential NUM details, prompting concerns about disclosure. Nervous about potential revelations, Armstrong consulted government lawyers, fearing exposure of MI5’s eavesdropping on the NUM.
Thatcher and the attorney general decided not to disclose information in court or parliament. The sequestrators, crucially, weren’t compelled to reveal their dealings with MI5.
Now, 40 years later, Armstrong’s memo challenges the official narrative, revealing MI5’s abuse of power in the miners’ strike. This prompts a necessary reassessment of the secret state’s role in shaping modern Britain through Thatcher’s victory over the organized working class.