The British Red Box | Ministerial Boxes | The Despatch Box | Bespoke Production | Custom Made

Red boxes, or sometimes ministerial boxes, are a type of despatch boxes produced in England and are used by ministers in the British government and the British monarch to carry government documents. Similar in appearance to a briefcase, they are primarily used to hold and transport official departmental papers.

Despatch Boxes or 'Red Boxes', are a visible symbol of our democratic system ... Wherever in the world the Sovereign or Minister is, the Red Box is close by. ... also as being robust, sturdy, durable, reliable - the epitome of Britain's democracy.

According to HM Treasury:

Ministers are permitted to use ordinary lockable briefcases to transport information which has been classified 'Confidential' or below. For information with a higher security level (such as 'Secret') they are required to use dispatch boxes, which offer a higher level of security, and which are usually red. However, a travel version of the box is also available in black, which offers the same level of security as a red box, but is designed to be less conspicuous. In practice ministers use despatch boxes for transporting the majority of their documents due to the greater level of security they offer.

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