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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Jamie Grierson

Former PM Harold Wilson sold private papers to help fund his care

Harold Wilson Margaret Thatcher Robin Butler McMaster University
Black and white image of Harold Wilson at home
The proposal to sell Harold Wilson’s papers abroad prompted alarm among senior officials in Thatcher’s government. Photograph: Martin Argles/The Guardian

The former UK prime minister Harold Wilson agreed to sell his archive of private papers to help fund his care, official documents have revealed.

Papers released by the National Archives and identified by the BBC show Lord Wilson initially planned to sell the collection to McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, for £212,500 – the equivalent of about £700,000 in today’s money.

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