The UK government has started issuing British passports without the words “European Union” even though the UK remains a full member of the bloc. It removed the two words from passport covers issued this week on the working assumption that Brexit day would have been 29 March.
The Home Office said some passports with the words European Union would still be issued while the remaining stock is used up, and that members of the public would not be able to choose between the two.
But the move has angered those applying for new passports who were hoping to hold on to an emblem of EU membership.
Susan Hindle Barone, who was one of the first to receive the new-look passports, said: “I was shocked because we haven’t left the EU yet. I assumed we would get the same old passport. It’s not so much about that but it’s the first tangible sign of us leaving the EU.“
A change in the design of the UK passport has proved a rallying point for Brexit supporters, with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage describing the 2017 decision to bring back the dark blue design as “Brexmas”.
Via The Guardian / The Independent / BBC
