Ffeil B1/33. - Westland,

Correspondence, miscellaneous papers, official papers and press cuttings relating to the Westland affair. The Westland affair was a political scandal for the second Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in 1986. The argument was a result of differences of opinion within the Conservative cabinet and the government as to the future of the United Kingdom helicopter industry. The struggling Westland company, Britain's last helicopter manufacturer, was to be the subject of a rescue bid. While the Defence Secretary Michael Heseltine favoured a European solution, integrating Westland and British Aerospace (BAe) with Italian (Agusta) and French companies, the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Trade and Industry Secretary Leon Brittan wanted to see Westland merge with Sikorsky, an American company. It resulted in Heseltine's resignation.