From North East to Far East
ANGER OVER BREXIT PASSPORTS’ NEW HOME
EASTERN Europe and the Far East have been touted as locations where post-Brexit UK passports could be produced, the Commons has heard.
Labour’s Ian Mearns expressed frustration at British firm De La Rue appearing to have “thrown in the towel” by not appealing against the Government’s controversial move to hand the £490million contract to Franco-Dutch company Gemalto.
The Gateshead MP said the company has examined the successful bid and has suggested the cost means British passports post-2020 could be “mainly produced in eastern Europe or in the Far East”.
His claim emerged as he called on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to appear before MPs to explain where and how passports will be produced under the new contract.
Shares in De La Rue dropped and the firm also issued a warning over profits after announcing it would not challenge the decision, blaming the £4million in bid costs for the contracts.
Trade union Unite said it was a “dark day for UK manufacturing”, with the loss of the contract coming as a blow to De La Rue’s passport printing factory in Gateshead. The Government claims the new deal will save £120million during the lifetime of the eleven-and-a-half year contract. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Mearns said: “I’d like a statement from the Home Secretary about exactly where and how our passports will be produced post-2020. “De La Rue has done an awful lot of work looking at the bids put in by Gemalto and Thales, and it seems to them – and probably to me, I think – that it looks very likely that the costs which have been provided (means) our passports post-2020 will probably be produced, or mainly produced, in eastern Europe or in the Far East. That is not a satisfactory situation for the UK passport post-Brexit, and for an independent nation, proud of itself, to have its passport produced far and far away.” Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom replied: “He will appreciate De La Rue actually prints passports and does security documents and money for countries right across the world. The UK, as we seek to leave the EU, will be a global champion for free trade. So it can’t only be one-sided. We do need to accept that as well as our brilliant UK businesses generating income and profits from overseas, so other businesses must be able to compete in the UK market.”