Immigration minister Brandon Lewis confirmed today (December 22) that the current burgundy EU passport would be ditched for a blue and gold design when the UK leaves the EU in 2019.
The Home Office said that the move was being made to “symbolise our national identity”. It also claimed that the new passport would be “one of the most secure travel documents in the world”.
“Leaving the EU gives us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path for ourselves in the world,” added Lewis.
“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.”
The new blue passport will be introduced in phases from October 2019 to those renewing or applying for a new travel document. The government said that a supplier of the new passports would be appointed in spring 2018.
UK passports first featured a blue cover in 1921 before replaced by the current burgundy EU passports in 1988.
