Appointment as Defence Secretary
Appointed Secretary of State for Defence as Margaret Thatcher formed her first government, beginning a cabinet tenure that continued until his January 1981 transfer.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1979-1981
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Francis Pym Biography and Timeline
Follow Francis Pym through 57 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Francis Pym, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
57Distinct records
1 of 2Page
1979–1982Years on this page
1979
1981
Appointment as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, adding responsibility for the Duchy office while taking a central role in managing government business in Parliament.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1981
Appointment as Paymaster General
Appointed Paymaster General during the January 1981 government changes, holding the Treasury post alongside his other responsibilities until September.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1981
Business of the House
As Leader of the House, announces the following week's Commons business, including legislation, opposition debates and scheduled parliamentary proceedings.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Select Committee Debate
Addresses the Commons on the developing departmental Select Committee system and reiterates support for stronger parliamentary monitoring of the Executive.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Duchy Patronage Responsibilities
Explains his Duchy patronage duties, including appointments connected with church livings, educational governing bodies, chaplaincies and charitable homes.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1981
Duchy of Lancaster Staffing
Answers Commons questions on the Duchy of Lancaster office, stating that its staff included administrators, surveyors, accounts personnel and clerical employees.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1981
Commons Business Programme
Announces Commons business including a scheduled debate on the independent strategic deterrent, legislation and opposition supply business for the following week.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Budget Debate Schedule
Sets out the Commons programme surrounding the March Budget, including continuation of the Budget debate and other government and opposition business.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Parliamentary Business Statement
Announces the following week's Commons timetable, covering the Finance Bill, Transport Bill, regional policy debate and several consolidation measures.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Revised Commons Business
Makes a revised business statement scheduling a timetable motion on the British Nationality Bill and further government legislation for 29 April.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Parliamentary Recess Arrangements
Answers questions about parliamentary sitting periods and summer recess dates, noting that numerous practical factors had to be considered when arranging the Commons calendar.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Paymaster General Tenure
Completes his tenure as Paymaster General as ministerial responsibilities are reorganised during the September 1981 government changes.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1981
Appointment as Lord President and Commons Leader
Appointed Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons, formally taking responsibility for coordinating government business in the Commons.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1982
Duchy Chancellorship
Completes his tenure as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster after combining the office with wider cabinet and parliamentary responsibilities during 1981.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1981-1981
1982
Commons Recall Contingency
Tells the Commons that he will seek an emergency recall if developments in the Falklands require Parliament to meet during the weekend following the Argentine invasion.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1981-1982
Resignation of Peter Alexander Rupert Carrington
Lord Carrington resigns as Foreign Secretary after the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, creating the vacancy that Francis Pym fills the following day.
Role range: 1982-1982
Appointment as Foreign Secretary
Appointed Foreign Secretary after Lord Carrington resigned following the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, taking responsibility for Britain's diplomatic response during the crisis.
Role range: 1979-1990 – 1982-1983
Opening Message to Alexander Haig
Writes to Alexander Haig stressing close Anglo-American cooperation, demanding Argentine withdrawal and restoration of British administration while describing United States influence as critical to the diplomatic effort.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
First Commons Falklands Debate as Foreign Secretary
Opens a Commons debate less than two days after taking office, acknowledging the circumstances of Carrington's departure and the exceptional responsibility created by the Falklands crisis.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Downing Street Meeting with Haig
Joins Margaret Thatcher and Alexander Haig at Downing Street as the British government sets out its demand for Argentine withdrawal and considers possible diplomatic formulas.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Private Meeting with Alexander Haig
Meets Alexander Haig at the Foreign Office before Haig travels to Buenos Aires, discussing withdrawal, administration and possible American mediation between Britain and Argentina.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Second Haig Mission Talks
Participates in renewed Downing Street discussions after Haig returns from Buenos Aires, examining Argentine positions, British requirements and possible terms for avoiding a military confrontation.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Argentine Autonomy Proposal Review
Discusses with Haig a new Argentine formulation involving autonomy and United Nations decolonisation language, treating it as movement from Buenos Aires that still required British examination.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Early Morning Haig Consultation
Speaks with Haig shortly after 1 a.m. as negotiations encounter Argentine objections, agreeing that the diplomatic stakes are high and further consultation with Thatcher is necessary.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Final Haig Consultation Before Departure
Agrees to meet Haig privately before the American Secretary leaves London, allowing another detailed exchange on revised ideas before Haig reports to President Reagan.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Revised Argentine Text Received
Receives Haig's report of a revised Argentine negotiating text and is informed that, although still unsatisfactory, Washington believes it shows movement toward a potentially workable settlement.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Buenos Aires Proposal Assessment
Receives Haig's current negotiating text from Buenos Aires together with the American assessment that it retreats from earlier understandings on withdrawal, interim administration and long-term negotiations.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Acceptance of Washington Talks Invitation
Agrees to travel to Washington for two days of talks after Haig asks for direct discussions to identify Britain's negotiating bottom line and avoid diplomatic stalemate.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Visit to Washington
Travels to Washington for direct talks with Alexander Haig on the American peace proposals, British withdrawal requirements and arrangements for interim administration of the Falkland Islands.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Falkland Islands Framework Review
Works through the proposed Falkland Islands Framework with Haig and senior officials paragraph by paragraph, testing provisions on withdrawal, interim administration and the islands' future status.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Washington Negotiations Report
Returns with the American framework and gives Thatcher and senior colleagues a full report on the Washington negotiations, including unresolved concerns about Argentine participation in interim administration.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Guarantee Proposal Withdrawn
Accepts Haig's judgment that the proposed American security guarantee has little chance of agreement and returns to the latest Washington framework as the basis for further negotiations.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
United States Security Guarantee Proposal
After Britain retakes South Georgia, proposes that Argentina withdraw from the Falklands while the United States militarily guarantees the islands' security during a renewed diplomatic process.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
OAS Resolution Response
Thanks Haig for American efforts at the OAS but rejects provisions limiting British self-defence, urging Washington to defend Security Council Resolution 502 against competing diplomatic initiatives.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Reservations on United States Peace Proposal
Communicates fundamental British reservations about the American peace proposal while stopping short of rejecting it, allowing Washington to present Argentina as the party refusing the negotiated framework.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Meeting with United Nations Secretary General Perez de Cuellar
Meets United Nations Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar in New York as Britain considers a possible United Nations diplomatic route after the failure of earlier American mediation efforts.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Haig Negotiated Settlement Letter
Receives Haig's appeal to continue seeking a negotiated settlement despite military developments, with Washington warning that continued fighting could produce prolonged instability and hostility.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Expanded Contact Group Proposal
Sends Haig an expanded settlement proposal linking ceasefire and mutual withdrawal with a temporary contact group, safeguards for the islanders and a timetable for final negotiations.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Peruvian Peace Proposal Statement
Tells the Commons he is responding positively to Peruvian peace ideas while insisting that Argentine withdrawal must accompany any ceasefire and precede substantive negotiations.
Role range: 1982-1982 – 1982-1983
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.