DISPATCH BOX


Meaning of DISPATCH BOX in English

n

1. ( in British political life ) a red leather case in which important papers are delivered to senior government ministers. It is traditional for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to hold his dispatch box up in the air for photographers and tourists to see when he comes out of his house in Downing Street before going to the House of Commons to make his speech about the budget each year.

2. [ usu sing ] either of the two wooden boxes which are permanently kept near the mace on the table between the two front rows of seats in the House of Commons . Government and Opposition ministers stand beside the dispatch box on their side of the table when speaking:

The Prime Minister made a lengthy statement from the dispatch box.

Oxford guide to British and American culture English vocabulary.      Руководство по британской и американской культуре, Оксфордский английский словарь.