Cost of going blue? Tories foiled in attempt to boost price of passport applications
Is it really worth having blue passports if it means the cost of applying for one shoots up to around £100?
The Tories seem to think so – they tried to sneak the proposal to increase the cost through Parliament via a Statutory Instrument (a change in the law that doesn’t require a Parliamentary vote).
One has to wonder whether this is another hidden cost of Brexit, with the Tories pushing a price rise through in good time to avoid anyone making the link.
Labour blocked the plan – and the new proposed cost will now go to a full vote in the House of Commons tomorrow (March 7).
The plans devised by the Home Office would see an increase of 27 per cent in the cost of children’s passports and 17 per cent for adults. This would effectively mean that a family of four applying by post would pay £287 for all their passports.
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said: “Labour is urging MPs to put party divisions to one side on Wednesday and do the right thing by voting against this unfair rise in the cost of getting a new passport.
“This whopping increase will hit families badly and could see some families being forced to cancel their summer holiday plans as the costs become too high.”
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No coincidence they try to increase the cost of passports, ahead of the compulsory ID roll-out for the May local elections.
Excellent point, which I missed!
Time for another “Brexit boast”! We Britons have the bluest, most expensive passports AND we stand in the longest queues at Customs ! Beat that! (And we have the longest tail backs of lorries at our Channel crossing ports. Half-way to London !)
What is all the fuss about blue passports? I have my of passport, issued in 1962, in front of me. There isn’t a trace of blue on it. It is black.