Boris Johnson unveils new blue passport as Britain reverts back to the colour of its original document post-Brexit
- PM pictured holding a blue passport on a flight to Newcastle on day of Brexit
- The blue passports will be sent out at the end of March after 30-year hiatus
- British passports were dark blue from the inception of the old design in 1920
Boris Johnson has unveiled the long-awaited blue passport which will finally roll out next month after a 30-year hiatus.
The Prime Minister was pictured holding the new travel document on a flight to Newcastle Airport on the day Britain left the EU, in an image released by Downing Street.
The blue passports will be sent out at the end of March – but leftover burgundy stock will be used as a priority to get rid of them.
British passports were dark blue from the inception of the old design in 1920, until 1988 when they were changed to burgundy in line with most EU passports.
A return to dark blue was announced two years ago by then Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis, who said people wanted to ‘see that things are different’ following the vote to leave the European Union.
Boris Johnson has unveiled the long-awaited blue passports which will finally roll out next month after a 30-year hiatus
Brexiteers championed Mr Lewis’s decision to reintroduce blue passports – and they became a symbol of the Leave campaign.
The travel documents were lauded by members of the European Research Group, including Leader of the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg.
There was outrage after it emerged the contract for British travel documents after Brexit had been given to a Franco-Dutch firm called Gemalto.
The decision meant Gateshead-based firm De La Rue, who did it before, lost out on the contract and 170 jobs were lost.
The blue passports will be sent out at the end of March – but leftover burgundy stock will be used as a priority to get rid of them
British holidaymakers renewing their passports before the summer could miss out on getting a blue one because the old EU-style ones need to be used up first.
Britons whose passports run out before they go away on holiday this summer could be stuck with a burgundy one until 2030, as they last for 10 years.
Officials say printing machines will have to be adjusted to produce the post-Brexit passports, which will be a gradual process.
In an image released by Downing Street, the Prime Minister held the new travel document on a flight to Newcastle Airport on the day Britain left the EU
But they hope that all new passports will be blue by mid-2020.
But those who voted leave and are keen to get a Brexit passport as soon as possible will have to wait to renew their passports until next year if they want to ensure they get a blue one.
Those renewing before the summer won’t have any choice which colour they get, the Home Office added.
Passports that are still in date will remain valid until their expiry date, but you may need to renew your British passport earlier if you are travelling from January 1, 2021.