To expect that our new passports will be printed in the UK

!

It’s called following the procurement rules

EU procurement rules, and as we are leaving.........

Disgraceful really isn’t it ? A huge contract such as this to provide OUR passports for AFTER we leave the EU . As Ooopsadaisy said you really couldn’t make it up !

But we haven’t left yet have we? And of course if we weren’t leaving.......

I couldn’t care less. I don’t want a blue passport. I want my nice EU one, which will expire in four years. I don’t expect I’ll be travelling, but I use it for identification.

I don’t want a blue passport.

Me neither Grandma70's but I think we are going to get one whether we like it or not.

If they can do the job better and cheaper then they will get the contract. It is the way of the world.

Oh, the irony of them being printed in France! I can't imagine France doing the same if the boot had been on the other foot!

France does not allow passports to be printed abroad. They regard it as a matter of national security (see blue passport thread)

Supposedly the Franco-Dutch company Gemalto, based in Amsterdam have undercut all bidders, including British by £50 Million. I don’t even want to guess at what the final bill will be

Not bothered what colour my passport is but would rather it was European

It was widely expected that De La Rue in Gateshead would get the contract to print the new blue passports (considering they currently print the Burgundy ones). Does this mean there will be job losses at the Gateshead plant? In order to secure more jobs in France/Amsterdam?

I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if the Franco-Dutch company didn't make a loss on the contract just to have a damned good laugh at our expense. Or am I being paranoid?

Westminster are the ones to answer your questions gilly........and pigs will fly!!

I think your right Agus .

I couldn’t care less either Grandma70 but in my case I have no preference as to colour and this whole passport thing is silly.We have to have new ones for when we leave the EU, so why not blue?
I don’t think from what I heard on the radio that it’s a done deal as to who actually makes the new passports, but I expect the cheaper option has been chosen to save public money.

It is what Brexiters voted for - free trade

It is NOT a done deal yet lemon as I stated above.

Looks as though I should have put this on the Politics Thread as it has become hijacked yet again by Brexit.

The point that I was, obviouslybadly, making, was that an item of our personal security was going to be made abroad, I would have made the same comment if they were to be produced in China.
What price cost when it risks 600 jobs in the UK?

Oh crumbs, I hadn't thought of this. My passport will have to be renewed soon, which means I'll have a red one for the next 10 years. I hope they'll let me back into the UK!

I remember once being told that you couldn't send a passport by post between countries. Then they centralised the passport office and I had to send off to the UK - first send them my current one - leaving me without ID for a while - and then I got the new one back from London. The old one, cancelled, was also sent back in a separate delivery by expensive courier service. I am not happy about my passport being in another country than me.

But will the ones produced in France contain the personal data, or will that be added at the passport office as and when required?

It will be nice to have the old style ones back, even if they were bulkier.

The British firm's bid was £120 million more than the French-Dutch firm's bid - I'm sure such a huge amount of savings could be used better elsewhere
www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/22/contract-to-print-uk-passports-abroad-will-save-120m

Next time the contract comes up Britain will no longer be an EU member and will be free to pay as much as they like over the odds for a british firm to win.

It will be nice to have the old style ones back, even if they were bulkier.

You do know you are not getting the bulky hardback passports back? It will be like the current passport but blue instead of burgundy. The old-style ones cannot be used in the scanning machines used at borders

My understanding is that the passports will be blank when they are made, sensitive/personal information will be added in Britain. As far as where they are made, I just don’t care. The French company are £50million cheaper, that money can be put to much better use than a passport contract.

Conflicting reports say £50 million cheaper and £120 million cheaper. Seems a massive amount of money doesn't it?

I can imagine the French/Dutch going on strike (as they do) just when there's a rush on and we'll all be stranded.