UK passports: Firm appeals move to make them in France

De La Rue boss Martin Sutherland
The existing manufacturer of British passports is appealing against the decision to use a Franco-Dutch supplier after Brexit.

De La Rue lost the £490m contract to Gemalto, which is based in France, in March.

The British company admitted its bid was not the cheapest but said it was "the highest quality and technically most secure".

The Home Office said the chosen firm met the needs of the passport service.

The burgundy passport, in use since 1988, will revert to its original blue and gold colour from October 2019. However, people are expected to keep their current passports until they expire.

A spokesperson for De La Rue 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."

source:www.bbc.com