The Blunkett Archives is an extensive collection which has been amassed by Lord Blunkett throughout his career, and records his journey from one of the poorest areas of Sheffield to the highest level of British politics. The collection dates from the 1940s to the present day and includes political correspondence, policy papers, material relating to his constituency work, press cuttings, speeches, diaries, school reports, personal correspondence, book proofs, sound recordings and photographs. The archive is strongest in the period running up to the election of a Labour government in 1997, although it also includes material relating to his cabinet positions. The archive contains extensive material relating to Lord Blunkett’s roles in opposition including fascinating records concerning his roles as shadow spokesperson for local government and the Poll Tax, and shadow minister for health and then education. It also contains Blunkett’s correspondence relating to his work on the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party from 1983-1997. Highlights of the collection include personal papers such as school reports, university applications and photographs; material relating to Lord Blunkett’s working methods, and the challenges he faced due to his blindness; correspondence concerning Labour Party strategy, policy formation and the modernisation and reorganisation of the party following the losses of the 1987 and 1992 general elections; and a complete set of reports to his constituency party, 1987-2015.

The collection is mainly paper based, but it also includes audio-visual material on a range of formats including reel to reel, cassette and VHS tapes and CDs, born digital material, and artefacts such as trophies and awards. There are also a small number of items in braille, plus the extensive use of braille labels on files throughout the collection.