Passports should be a symbol of the best of British
I CaN remember how excited and proud I was when many years ago I got my first passport. It was inspiring to read the instruction inside: ‘her Britannic Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs requests and requires in the name of her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.’ It made me value my identity as a British citizen. So how sad and demoralising that the Government has decided to award the printing contract for the new blue British passport to a Franco-Dutch company. Our passports instil that sense of belonging that reflects our heritage and culture. I always feel proud when I go abroad to present my documents to passport control and pass through with a sense of protection. It’s not going to feel the same when we have a passport that has been printed abroad and does not feel part of us. We gave away the motorbike industry to the Japanese in the Sixties. Cars and most of our traditional industries are foreign-owned, and now we are giving away the production of our passports. It’s an insult to all of us for this national symbol to be produced abroad. and it’s a kick in the teeth to the British printing company De La rue and its skilled workforce. The Government is saying it’s all about procurement and competition, and that we still have to comply with eU regulations about taking the bid that provides the best value for money. Do other countries always play by the rules when it concerns their national interests? I am a former South Wales steelworker, and when France and Germany failed to comply with their steel quotas, it resulted in British workers losing their jobs. regardless of whether we voted to stay in or out in the referendum, this issue is about keeping the production of this national symbol in our own country.
Cllr JOHN WARMAN, Neath, West Glamorgan.