British firm to launch appeal against decision to print blue passport in France
2 min read
The British firm which prints the UK's passports has launched an appeal against the decision to give the contract to a French firm after Brexit.
De La Rue discovered last month that it had lost out in the bidding for the £490m deal to Gemalto.
It is understood that their bid was £120m more expensive than their rival's.
Downing Street has also suggested that the French company offered more guarantees about the security of the passport-holders' data.
But a spokesman for the company said: "We can accept that we weren't the cheapest, even if our tender represented a significant discount on the current price.
"It has also been suggested that the winning bid was well below our cost price, which causes us to question how sustainable it is."
A furious row erupted when it emerged that the passports - which will return to their iconic blue colour once Britain leaves the EU - will be produced overseas.
Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer is among those who has said they should be made in the UK.
He said: "The passport is such an important issue of course it should be a British company. The story of the passport sums up the Government's approach really to Brexit.
"It starts by saying it's going to be blue and then it's not going to be blue. It starts saying it's going to be the UK and now it's France. Over-promising and under-delivering, which for me categorises year one of the negotiations."
