A box, typically covered with red leather, used by a Minister of State to hold official documents.
〈英〉（国务大臣装公文用的）红色公文匣
Example sentencesExamples
Watched by two beefy minders in the row behind, the prime minister was working diligently on his red boxes, accompanied by Cherie in sparky mode and their daughter, Kathryn.
If the capital is inconvenienced, Ministers must drop their red boxes and sort it out.
The fact that he put the letter in his red box is significant.
The report says he sent the letter in his red box to his private office.
Every day of her life she has had to do the red boxes, the documents, receive ambassadors, go round the world - indeed she probably has more experience than any other head of state.
Or perhaps he will get a red box, in which case, will be asked to go on the Pro-Euro bus tour?
However he wasn't holding his Ministerial red box and was wearing a hat, which made him look like an ordinary member of the public.
Kelly is admired in Westminster for the way she balances her family life and career, being the only minister who does not take her red boxes home at night.
This is the brief his officials will not have slipped into his overstuffed red box this Jubilee weekend - but which would set him off on the right track.
Some politicians must say farewell to their red boxes, while others will discover the joys of a ministerial limousine.
I can't speak for other ministers, but I arrange my life in such a way that I do my red boxes in the office, using the internet.
They may soon have an extra piece of paper to sign, in addition to those found in their Ministerial red boxes.
When new Transport Secretary Stephen Byers opens his ministerial red box, he will have to sort out one hell of a mess.
The red box is filled every evening with ministerial homework - letters to sign, briefings to read - and returned every morning with the minister's instructions.
When the Prime Minister told one interviewer recently that he did think about a future life without the red boxes, he had his family very much in mind.
We clamber aboard army lorries along with the PM's red boxes and his staff.
He may even relish having some time to walk, read poetry, enjoy a glass of Burgundy and relax without the red boxes.
On Sunday, I would normally have been going through my red box.
Our red boxes tell us what to do and our diaries are full of meetings, mostly pointless ones.
‘He cracked open the ministerial red box,’ an aide said.