Joe Issa, who would have been familiar with the ‘iconic’ blue colour passport held by United Kingdom citizens when he went to study at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 1987 – the year before its colour changed to burgendy upon joining the European Union – mulls its return to blue after Brexit in March 2019.
“I remember the blue British passport…it was what they used until 1988 when they joined the EU (European Union). I see nothing wrong in going back to the original blue colour as, despite the cost involved, it’s one of the less painful consequences of leaving Europe.
“Moreover, from what I have read, Britons seem to be happy with going back to the blue colour passport without the EU insignia at the top of it as it brings back their national identity and pride,” said Issa, who now heads a large retail conglomerate which he is leveraging internationally, including the UK and Europe.
Issa, who has hosted former British Prime Minister John Majors and his
wife, was commenting on an article by The Telegraph recently, in which it was said that British passports will return to having blue covers after Brexit.
Stating that the move has been confirmed, it said the new design, which will no longer include the European Union insignia, will replace the burgundy cover that has been a feature of the UK passport since the 1980s once Britain leaves the EU in 2019.
Home Office Minister Brandon Lewis was quoted saying that the new passport would be the “most high-tech and secure we have ever seen”, making it more resistant to fraud and forgery.
“A £490 million contract to redesign and produce a new version of the document was announced earlier this year..
“The passport is routinely redesigned every five years and Eurosceptics view the new contract as a way to ditch the EU burgundy cover in favour of a return to the colour of the past,” the report said.
“Leaving the EU gives us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path for ourselves in the world.
“That is why I am delighted to announce that the British passport will be returning to the iconic blue and gold design after we have left the European Union in 2019.
“It will also be one of the most secure travel documents in the world, with a raft of new security measures to protect against fraud and forgery,” Lewis reportedly said
The new passports will be phased in after the UK leaves the EU on March 29, 2019.
Burgundy passports would continue to be issued, although without the European Union markings, until the current supplier’s contract expires in October 2019.
The new blue and gold design will then be issued to people renewing or applying for a new passport, the article said.
Blue was first used for the cover of the British passport in 1921, but the design changed in 1988 after the UK joined the European Economic Community and burgundy was chosen as the common colour, according to the report.
Among the new design features will be a new picture page made of a “super-strength plastic polycarbonate material that will be more difficult to alter”, the Home Office reportedly said.
British passport holders do not need to do anything until their renewal date.
Brandon Lewis, the immigration minister, is said to have failed to commit to making the new blue passports in the UK.
He reportedly told Radio 4’s Today programme that “at the moment our passport is made both here in the UK and some of them are made overseas, but all of the security measures are done here in the UK and for security reasons that final part, that personalisation, always will be.”
“I can’t give you more detail on that at the moment because we are in the middle of a procurement process but we will be outlining the outcome of that pretty soon.”
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is said to have tweeted after the announcement: “Happy Brexmas!” He added: “In the 2016 referendum, we wanted our passports back. Now we’ve got them back!”
Conservative MP Anna Soubry, a Remain supporter, was said to be sceptical on Twitter.
Joseph Issa goes Global! 