The new British passports are not being made in the UK (Picture: Crown Copyright/Getty)

Britain’s new post-Brexit passports are actually being made in a factory in Poland, it has emerged.

The new colours have been championed by Brexiteers as a symbol of ‘regaining our national identity.’

However, the contract for the newly-issued documents was awarded to a French company and they are reportedly being manufactured in the Polish town of Tczew.

Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have posed with the new design, which will be rolled out next month.


As well as the colour change, the back cover of the new passports will now feature embossed floral emblems of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the blue passport is ‘entwined with our national identity.’ (Picture: PA)

Ms Patel said that by returning to the ‘iconic’ blue and gold design, the passports will ‘once again be entwined with our national identity’.



She added: ‘Leaving the European Union gave us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path in the world.

‘By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one.’

But in a twist of irony, the Times reported that the £260 million contract for making the blue passports was secured by Gemalot, a subsidiary of the French group Thales.

They will be personalised with the holder’s details in this country.

The new blue passport will also feature the floral symbols of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (Picture: PA)

British competitor De La Rue lost out in the bidding process for the new documents.

At the time of the contract being awarded, the company’s chief executive Martin Sutherland challenged Theresa May to ‘explain to my dedicated workforce why it’s sensible to off-shore the manufacture of a British icon.’

At the time, they said they believed they came out ahead of their foreign rival on both quality and security – and was undercut only on price.

The new passports are said to be the greenest and most technologically advanced yet, with new and updated security features to keep personal data secure.

Blue passports were first used in 1921, and remained the colour of choice until the UK joined the EU (then the European Economic Community).

A change to burgundy was later agreed to harmonise designs across member states.

British burgundy passports can still be used for travel until they expire.