IN YOUR OWN WORDS... VERDICT ON OUR CAMPAIGN
THE Daily Mail is to be congratulated on its petition. It is likely that the true cost of awarding the contract abroad, in terms of lost VAT, income tax, National Insurance and unemployment benefit, will prove how stupid ministers have been. I am sure the Daily Mail will monitor the number of people thrown out of work and lost tax revenues and publish the true cost to the taxpayer. ANDREW STEVENS, Chelmsford, Essex WELL done to the Daily Mail for highlighting the passport farce. When will we get some politicians with backbone and common sense? We need strong people to speak up for our country. Name supplied, Poole, Dorset THE Mail’s passport petition is to be commended. British passports should without question be printed by British printers because it is the only way to ensure they are secure. ROBERT PUGIN, Norwich I WILL always remember how proud I was when I got my first passport. It made me value my identity as a British citizen. Our passports instill a sense of belonging that reflects our heritage and culture. It’s not going to be the same if we have a passport that does not feel part of us. Cllr JOHN WARMAN, Neath, West Glamorgan MUCH is being made about the £12million extra cost if the passport contract is awarded to De La Rue. Simple calculations for corporation tax, National Insurance and PAYE would indicate an even greater amount being paid back to the Government. Money earned here will be spent in the UK and the Government will benefit from the 20 per cent VAT rate. JOHN HARPER, Wokingham, Berks WHAT hope is there for our manufacturing sector after Brexit if the Government fails to support a home-grown firm to print our passports? As for the claimed saving in printing abroad, how can we be sure of the final cost without knowing the exchange rate after Brexit and what trade deals we will reach with the EU? JUDITH HOWARD, London SW11 PART of my 51-year career in the printing industry was at one of the largest suppliers of print to Government departments, so I know a lot about EU tenders. We are stupid in this country because we always keep to the rules when other EU countries bend them and get away with it. France would ban De La Rue from
printing the French passport on national security grounds, so we should have done the same. MICHAEL CARR, Ashford, Kent OUR passports should be printed in the UK, irrespective of the price. It seems that whenever the Government needs something important made, they go outside of the UK. The Prime Minister should reverse this irresponsible decision. COLIN LANG, Brandon, Suffolk TAKING the business away from De La Rue and giving it to a FrancoDutch firm because they are cheaper is short-term thinking. De La Rue has heaps of experience. Also what about the French unions – we all know what they’re like! GLENDA HUNTER-ROWE, Reigate, Surrey IT IS ridiculous to even consider having British passports made anywhere but in Britain. Surely we should be encouraging business in the UK, not farming it out. D. McCOLE, Chepstow, Gwent DON’T we care about British jobs, British quality, British security? This decision must be reversed in the interests of national security alone. The French or Dutch would never let this happen to such an important document, unlike our craven ministers. D. M. BOON, Newbiggin-by-theSea, Northumberland IF costs are the only consideration with such an important issue as our passports, what will be next? So much for Brexit. SUE STAMP, Woking, Surrey DOES the claimed saving of £12million take into account the cost of paying benefits to the loyal workers thrown out of work by the decision? MICHAEL PEARSON, Farnborough, Hants IT appears that in awarding the new British passport contract to a French-Dutch company, the Government has proved that it may know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. TOM GARTLAND, Addlestone, Surrey PASSPORT printing, foreign takeovers of our companies, fishing quotas, illegal immigrants. As usual it’s soft touch, give way, after you, doormat Britain. ALAN SHARPE, Melton Mowbray, Leics