Downing Street’s ‘Thick of It’ Scramble for Trump’s Red Box Revealed in Leaked Emails
Newly-released government files have shed light on the chaotic and frankly, somewhat farcical, efforts by Downing Street to procure a specific gift for then-US President Donald Trump ahead of his state visit to Britain. Emails from Lord Mandelson’s tenure as US ambassador paint a picture of a frantic scramble for a ministerial “red box,” a symbol of official UK government business, that the former President apparently desired.
The documents, released this week, detail the significant resources and attention Whitehall officials dedicated to securing this particular present. It appears Mr. Trump himself expressed a desire for a “red dispatch box with the gold crest and lettering,” intended to mirror the official boxes carried by British ministers, but inscribed with “President of the United States.”
The Saga of the Red Box
The revelations come from a new tranche of files pertaining to Lord Mandelson’s time as US ambassador. These emails highlight not only the desire for the gift but also the considerable administrative hurdles and apparent disorganisation involved in its acquisition.
In an email dated 26 August 2025, sent to Morgan McSweeney, who was then Chief of Staff to Keir Starmer, Lord Mandelson expressed his extreme frustration. He described the situation as being “like something out of The Thick of It,” a popular British satirical sitcom known for its depiction of dysfunctional government. Heavily redacted, the message to the Prime Minister’s top aide conveyed his exasperation, stating he had “gone tonto on this.”
This outburst came in the final weeks of Lord Mandelson’s tenure as ambassador, a period marked by his resignation just days before Trump’s state visit in September 2025, following further revelations concerning his past associations with Jeffrey Epstein.
A Gift of Significance
The desire for the red box wasn’t a last-minute whim. An earlier email from Lord Mandelson to Mr. McSweeney, dated 15 August 2025, indicated that a red box bearing Mr. Trump’s name and cipher was considered to “fit the bill” as an appropriate gift.
The latest release of Mandelson’s files includes a chain of communications between officials at the Foreign Office and Downing Street, all centred around the red box. Olly Robbins, then the senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, wrote on 26 August 2025, confirming the significance of such a gift. He stated, “As I’m sure you know, is clear that one of the gifts that would mean the most to the President would be a red dispatch box with the gold crest and lettering mimicking a UK Government Ministerial box but with ‘President of the United States’ inscribed upon it.”
Origins and Delays
The request for the bespoke red box reportedly originated from “persons of influence close to President Trump.” This is detailed in a letter dated 10 July 2025, exchanged between Barrow, Hepburn and Gale – the actual manufacturer of ministerial boxes – and the private office of Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Interestingly, discussions about this potential gift had been underway as early as February 2025, not long after Mr. Trump commenced his second term in the White House. The July letter also highlighted concerns that presenting such a gift “on the fringes by anyone other than the Prime Minister or the monarch during a state visit would be potentially embarrassing both to the country and the office of the Prime Minister.” The manufacturer emphasized the need to distinguish between the office itself and the individual personality, noting their careful avoidance of appearing to endorse any particular figure over many years.
The company also confirmed that a bespoke design for Mr. Trump had already been created and had received approval. However, production was estimated to take “8-10 weeks.”
Confusion and Accusations
By August 2025, emails revealed a significant degree of confusion within the British Embassy in Washington D.C. regarding the status of the box’s manufacture. The Treasury faced accusations of having “sat on” the issue since February. James Roscoe, the former deputy US ambassador, was quoted as telling No10 staff that the box “needs to be ready in two weeks to gift for the SV (state visit).” He questioned, “Why have HMT sat on this since February?”
Lord Mandelson reiterated his frustration in a message to Mr. McSweeney on 27 August 2025. He pointed out the lack of proactive communication, stating, “What the attachment says is that Whitehall has known about [redacted] since February and it was confirmed in early July and nobody had the wit to say anything. What incompetence.”
In a final, desperate attempt to secure the gift, Downing Street officials discussed exploring options to source a red box “from a different supplier” on 28 August 2025, just weeks before the high-profile state visit. The entire episode underscores the complexities and occasional absurdities of international diplomacy and gift-giving.
