British-based passport firm boss urges Theresa May to 'come up and explain' French contract award
2 min read
The boss of UK passport manufacturers De La Rue has demanded Theresa May and Amber Rudd explain to workers why the new blue passports will be made by a Franco-Dutch firm.
Martin Sutherland said the decision to hand the contract to a foreign company after Brexit despite it being an “iconic” symbol of British identity was “disappointing and surprising”.
The document is set to return from burgundy to blue from next year, however last night it was revealed that French firm Gemalto will produce them after winning the £490m contract.
An angry Mr Sutherland said the Prime Minister and Home Secretary should travel up to the Gateshead factory, which has been producing UK passports for the last decade “without a single hiccup", to explain the move.
“We have a very skilled, proud workforce and I’m going to have to face those workers, look them in the whites of the eyes, and try to explain to them why the British Government thinks it’s a sensible decision to buy French passports and not British passports,” he told the Today programme.
“I’d actually like to invite Theresa May or Amber Rudd to come to my factory and explain to a dedicated workforce why they think this is a sensible decision, to offshore the manufacture of a British icon.”
He added: “I find that a disappointing and surprising decision. I think we’ve heard over the last few weeks and months ministers more than happy to come on the media and talk about the new blue passports and the fact that the blue passport is an icon of British identity and now this icon is going to be manufactured in France.”
The De La Rue boss added that his own firm was the “largest commercial producer of passports in the world” and responsible for making the documents for over 40 countries.
He also questioned whether the decision by the Government would benefit Britain generally, adding that ministers should be “supporting" UK firms after Brexit.
“To me it doesn’t feel sensible for the British taxpayer. If you look at this in the round, is this a good decision for the British economy,?” he added.
“I think the British government should be supporting British business in the post-Brexit world, they should be helping us to go and ply our trade around the world and this decision doesn’t do that.”
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