Margaret Thatcher

At a rare Saturday meeting of the House of Commons Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. The start of live recording, in sound only, of Parliamentary debates in 1978 marked a notable step forwards in public access to the workings of Government. The recordings will provide an important legacy for historians in the future.

Transcript

‘Mr Speaker, sir. The House meets this Saturday to respond to a situation of great gravity. We are here because for the first time for many years, British sovereign territory has been invaded by a foreign power. After several days of rising tension in our relations with Argentina, that country’s armed forces attacked the Falkland Islands yesterday and established military control of the islands.’