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

Except the French and Germans have refused to put their passport contracts out for international tender, citing security issues. A free and open market?

So who decided that Maggiemaybe? This government. How about complaining to them?

Oh right, I'll send them a letter tomorrow.

Or perhaps I'll just stick to discussing the matter on this forum. Like everyone else.

There are media complaints about the government not buying British passports but regrettably, a lot of the general public will not buy British if it costs them more. During over 30 years in business I have been told by vast numbers of retailers that they were unable to sell eg Nottingham lace (superb quality) because customers wanted the cheaper Chinese product. Whatever the British product, there was a cheaper Chinese equivalent and that is what the public bought. Cheaper foreign imports are why our hosiery and knitwear factories closed down in Notts and Leics. How can the public criticise the govt for behaviour thats no different from their own? (patriotic gransnetters excepted, of course)

Spot on grannyjean

grannyjean
It's wonderful to see that the Levin brothers have resurrected the family lace making company in Nottingham.

People are quite happy to use companies eg Amazon that don’t pay their full share of taxes and thus contribute to our economic woes - there is hypocrisy and irony in full measure on this thread not to mention racism and bigotry

Oh grannyjean where have you been ? ( I think I’ve wrote a song ) . Yikes .

You are SO right ! And I’ve been in business for over 25 years !

If yours is near expiry, prices go up on 27 of March so worth doing now. Now going to be more expensive at post office than online, too. You can add up to six months of time from current one on to new one. This advice courtesy of Martyn Lewis moneysaving site!

fullfact.org/health/health-tourism-savings-wont-plug-hole-nhs-funding/

For you, Iam.
(Been out watching my granddaughter dancing.)

Despite claims to the contrary, there has been no bigotry or racism on this thread what so ever. What there has been are Gransnetters discussing a subject which interests them. The old familiar cry of racism at every turn from some people is a compete disgrace, mentioning facts about immigration/ immigrants is not racism. To say so is simply to try to put down the other person/poster, it’s very unpleasant.

newsthump.com/2018/03/23/blue-passports-will-need-to-be-collected-in-person-from-amsterdam/

More seriously...

infacts.org/mail-patel-cant-think-straight-blue-passports/

Thanks durhamjen, the link you've given confirms my memory, that 'health tourism' is a drop in the ocean in comparison with the investment needed for our NHS. Incidentally, I'm not suggesting that visitors from say the USA who have private health cover shouldn't pay for any treatment that becomes necessary during their stay. All responsible tourists take out health insurance and it should be used whichever country it's needed in.

More suspicious is that De La Rue have been printing passports for years . The French/ Dutch company have never printed passports. Therefore they will have massive set up costs , machinery outlay etc. This makes me even more convinced that there’s something “going on” .

So what do you say to De La Rue printing money for different countries?

I say it’s what they do isn’t it ? What else is there to say ?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemalto#Security,_public_sector_(e-Government)

I think it’s quite obvious what the credentials of this company are to print our passports - anyone would think the contract had gone to Hans and Pierre operating with their Epson printer in the garden shed.

Inconsistent, gillybob.
If De La Rue can bid for and win contracts for printing money from other countries, other countries can bid for and win contracts for printing our passorts.

But they aren’t even set up to print passports maryeliza which surely makes their price undercut of £120 million even more suspicious?

I think it’s all part of a great plan by the French. I think it’s highly likely that the government are subsidising the bid (to get the work) as there’s no way they could come in so much cheaper than a company already set up to print passports

It’s not about that DJ. Yes of course they can. It’s about the actual price. Far too much of a gap for my liking .

Also bear in mind De La Rue have plants all over the world they are not just in Gateshead although that is there headquarters.

Very impressive, maryeliza.
If anyone wants to protest they can always change banks.
Customers of HBOS, HSBC and Santander already use Gemalto smartcards. If you are a customer of Barclays, they provide your cardreader.

I know it’s a massively different scale ...... but when we bid for contracts we put a very details plan together and offer our price. We outline how we got to that price and it is non negotiable. (We state that if we reduce the price then we reduce the package offered). Other companies bid in a similar way, one or two would reduce the price and reduce the price to win the work, others know they can’t do it for that price and take a chance to come back for more money later, others might be able to offer a very low price because they are being heavily subsidised by a manufacturer.

When we lose a contract we go back and ask why? They are not always forthcoming but often the buyers are happy to disclose XYZ were a little bit cheaper than you or we liked ABC’s plan better than yours etc. But the prices are never very much different unless we are not quoting like for like.

I would like to see HOW /WHY there is such a massive gap? And if I was the buyer of the passports I would particularly want to know how they arrived at such a low price compared with De La Rue ? Can they actually do it ?

"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 !"

So you didn't mean this, did you not, gillybob?

Why are you assuming that the companies bidding for the passports did not do as you do, gillybob?