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Charles Powell said the clamour for the old-style travel document was "part of the nostalgia on which the predominantly elderly Brexit constituency thrives". Mr Powell also confirmed that it was Mrs Thatcher’ government who “chose” to drop the old blue passport in the 1980s. After a decidedly rocky year for the Prime Minister Theresa May, she had hoped to end it on a positive note by announcing the return of the navy passports once Brexit was complete and saying it was an expression of "independence and sovereignty". Mr Powell said: "So long as they are content with symbols, rather than substance, I see no harm in letting them have their way."

Getty/PA A one-time aide Margaret Thatcher has dismissed the Brexiteers rejoicing over the passport colour

Mr Powell, who served as private secretary to Thatcher from 1983 to 1990, added: "If we get their agreement to full alignment with the single market in return, it's a good deal." The European parliament's chief Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, wrote on Twitter: "There is no EU legislation dictating passport colour. The UK could have had any passport colour it wanted and stay in the EU." In a later barb, he tweeted a photo of the Passport to the European Union booklet, with a blue EU flag on the cover. He wrote: “If we had known in advance that blue was so important to the UK, we could simply have replaced our passports by this one.”

Top 10 facts about passports Wed, May 10, 2017 10 fascinating facts about passports. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 11 Top 10 facts about passports

There is no Brussels regulation which states that EU countries' passports have to be a certain colour, simply a non-binding European Council resolution from 1981 which recommends burgundy red. Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy described the move as “embarrassing” and claimed: "Brexit is beginning to feel like a huge effort to turn the clock back with some misguided imperial overtones." Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon was another who tweeted that the episode risked further damaging UK's reputation on the world stage, denouncing the return of the navy blue passport as "insular, inward-looking, blue passport-obsessed nonsense". Labour MP Chuka Umunna said: "What utter nonsense. This belittles our country and your office."

PA The old and current British passports

The party's former leader, Ed Miliband, added: "It is an expression of how mendacious, absurd and parochial we look to the world." Remainers have been incensed by the decision to return to the blue passport, but their claim it will cost £500million has been shot down in flames. The redesign, which routinely happens every five years, will come as part of a £490million contract which also includes printing and assembling passports and runs for 11-and-a-half years. The Prime Minister's director of communications Robbie Gibb said the £500million figure was “fake news” that “harms our democracy”.

Getty Former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher