University Archives
92 Committee
The 92 Committee, an internal Conservative Party pressure group, was established in 1964 at a dinner at 92 Cheyne Walk, the London home of its first Chairman, Patrick Wall MP. The Committee had one main aim, to keep the Conservative Party conservative, and to this end, put forward its members as officers on internal Party Committees, as well as inviting Party leaders and senior Party figures to dinner. The Conservative victory in the 1979 general election resulted in six of its members being appointed Ministers, and its influence within the Party reached a peak in the early 1980s. Its members were appointed to a record number of Party Committees and it became known as the Prime Minister's 'Praetorian Guard'.
Patrick Wall's papers include over 20 files of 92 Committee records, comprising correspondence, lists of members and notes. A typescript history of the Committee over a twenty year period is also available, produced by Patrick Wall after stepping down as Chairman in 1984. [DPW/37]