Time to bend the rules?

DURING my 51-year career in the printing industry, I worked at one of the largest suppliers to government departments, with the Home Office being our largest customer, so I know a lot about EU tenders.

We are stupid in this country because we always keep to the rules, while other countries bend them every which way they like and get away with it.

The incumbent holder of the passport printing contract should have been asked to quote first and, if it was in line with the required price, the new contract should have been awarded to them.

France would ban De La Rue from printing French passports on national security grounds, so we should have done the same.

MICHAEL CARR, Ashford, Kent. THE passport fiasco is nothing new. For many years I worked for UK manufacturing companies that supplied parts to a major infrastructure company. Then this company invited EU companies to supply the UK market.

The French, German, Austrian, Italian and Spanish infrastructure companies have only ever bought parts from manufacturing firms in their own countries.

They circumvent the EU policy on sourcing, so why do we continue to belittle ourselves in this way?

T. J. SMART, Bedlington, Northumberland.