Blue Passport

For those who suggested this has been over-hyped because there are only a very few people who care what colour their passport is, I think some of the comments on here show that there are indeed a number of people who feel happy about the prospect of a blue passport. Strange.

Quite right BlueBelle - until we float off elsewhere the UK will remain geographically in Europe.
Anyone else like me with neither driving licence nor passport? Now that does sometimes make officialdom doubt my legal existence. Luckily I possess a birth certificate and, as I’m a home owner, utility bills. The PO hands over parcels after a glance at my debit card.

Well when we get to the airport for a holiday we will be in a different queue to the other Eu countries because it will be blue again.
Thanks to all those people who didn’t want to remain.

Peaseblossom you may not like it but you are a European as U.K. is part of the continent of Europe We may not still be in the European Union after 2019 but you are still an European and having a blue, green, or rainbow coloured passport cover will not stop you being an European

Yes I still have a very old black one. Personally couldn't care less what colour it is. Current one has a few years to run anyway. I like purple though or rainbow colours!

Great that it means having to queue everywhere, too#whatfun Or do many people think that if we wave a British Passport wherever we go people will get down on their knees and worship us ...

I’m glad we are going to get our British passport back. I hated having a European one. I am British and was never European. I know many people who are also glad we are to be rid of it.

Just heard that when the EU countries passport contracts run-out around 2020, they will all change to

BLUE

to match the EU logo. Hurrah (this made my day - I know - silly but ...)

Kim19 The old one was slightly larger and had a hard cover.

Like Vampirequeen I don't have a passport and wonder what would happen if I was required to show it at some point. I do have a driving licence, which has details of date of birth etc so hopefully that would do, but what if I have to give up driving (82) what happens to me then.

Your prerogative of course- but would you mind why you 'detested the (red) Burgundy one?

My second passport (or is it my first) is bright RED.

Having a blue passport might tempt me to renew mine... I haven't been abroad in years and detested the red one.

I don't drive and many years ago my passport had expired so it was very difficult to provide identification so I got a new passport just for that. Luckily I did also need to travel later on.

although I did consider that it was too late on another thread to amend a throwaway remark I made for which I received an excoriating reply

I don't particularly mind what colour the new one turns out to be. Would be helpful if it was easily distinguishable amongst all my other docs. I seem to remember the old blue/black one was slightly larger and not as pocket friendly as the maroon one. Hope I'm either wrong about that or, at least, the current size is maintained

It's never too late MaizieD

well now, I can't wait to see what colour mine will be next year (a mixture - purple perhaps?)

I was 63 before I had a passport. I couldn't tell you what colour it is without looking. Colour s only window dressing. It doesn't defign you as a person . What nonsense to care so much.

I have to apologise for overhyping fake news on the 'lunacy' thread (but it's wandered too far off the point now for me to eat humble pie on there)

However, I think what got many people really upset on social media was the gloating tweet, ostensible from Theresa May (but probably just from and employee at conservative central office) which went :

"The UK passport is an expression of our independence and sovereignty – symbolising our citizenship of a proud, great nation. That's why we have announced that the iconic #bluepassport will return after we leave the European Union in 2019. www.conservatives.com/sharethefacts/2017/12/blue-passports …"

Personally, I'm happy to find that I've another 7 years worth of travel left in my burgundy passport...

I thought that this is the total cost of passports over the next ? years, not for changing from red to blue. Fake news again!
(there is another thread somewhere on here about it).

Surely no-one thinks that changing the covers will cost £500m !

maryhoffman, £500 million isn't, and never was, being spent on the passport colour change. That was a fake news story that was started by James Caan tweet. He has since admitted that he made the story up.

The contract for producing passports is due for renewal in 2019 (so I read) it makes sense then, to decide what the requirements, by way of design will be, as people have to tender for the contracts.

Whether EU or not we can apparently choose our own colour so nothing lost there.

I was just listening to Laurie Lee's writings on the radio he and many others, went off to Spain in the 30's, walked mostly so passed through other places............travel did exist before the EU. It will all be fine.

I simply can't understand the point of spending £500m on this when we have homelessness at record levels, more people needing food banks than ever, an NHS in crisis etc. etc. And the two billion bung to the DUP to give May a shaky majority when all of the above are so much more important.I couldn't give a flying f* what colour the passport is but I would rather it would still show us to be part of the EU.

A nice little business for someone would be to make good quality Burgundy covers for the new passport- with the EU symbol on top- it would sell like hot cakes, I'm sure.

It has indeed been overhyped in the populist media AND Mrs May, for being a symbol of our return to Sovereignty and freedom from the tyranny of the EU -

and quite rightly, the daftness of this was picked up for what it is and exposed - fair enough I say.

Baggs I agree. The Guardian is very exercised about this. It seems from a number of other sources some of which are generally reliable that the figure was exaggerated and that the passports were to be changed anyway because they are regularly to prevent fraud in the same way as bank notes are.
Sounds like overhyped nonsense. I have never heard an individual who cares about this but plenty of media reports saying that people do. Who are these people? How easy life must be for people who see this as an issue (in either direction).