Passports made abroad

SIR – I was so incensed at the news last Thursday that a Franco-dutch company had won the contract to print our post-brexit blue passports that I sought an emergency question from the Lord Speaker for Friday.

Rules dictated that I had to wait until Friday morning, so at 7am I sent my email request. This was approved at 10.40am and read: “To ask HMG why the UK has not followed the example of France and Germany, and restricted the tender process to Uk-based companies?”

The question was taken just before 1pm. I backed it up orally by asking whether the Government understood what a huge adverse effect the decision would have on British industry and the British people as they face up to Brexit. I pointed out the differential price per passport was not vast, and the French probably saw it as a chance to gain a new market and had priced it as a loss leader.

In my view, a wise Government will review its initial acceptance of the tender, recognising that after Brexit matters of security cannot be left in the hands of a foreign government. Lord Naseby

London SW1