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| De La Rue will appeal decision to give blue British passport contract to Franco-Dutch firm | De La Rue will appeal decision to give blue British passport contract to Franco-Dutch firm |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| De La Rue has confirmed it will appeal the decision to award the contract for the blue British passports to a Franco-Dutch firm after Brexit. | De La Rue has confirmed it will appeal the decision to award the contract for the blue British passports to a Franco-Dutch firm after Brexit. |
| The group’s current contract, worth £400m, comes to an end in July, and from that point on, British passports are set to be produced by Gemalto. | The group’s current contract, worth £400m, comes to an end in July, and from that point on, British passports are set to be produced by Gemalto. |
| De La Rue said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. | De La Rue said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. |
| A De La Rue spokesperson said: “We confirm that we are taking the first steps towards initiating appeal proceedings against the provisional decision to award the British passport contract to a part state-owned Franco-Dutch company. Based on our knowledge of the market, it’s our view that ours was the highest quality and technically most secure bid.” | |
| The group’s appeal follows a campaign by the Daily Mail, including a petition which gathered more than 227,000 signatures, to overturn the government’s decision to award Gemalto the contract. | The group’s appeal follows a campaign by the Daily Mail, including a petition which gathered more than 227,000 signatures, to overturn the government’s decision to award Gemalto the contract. |
| The announcement that the new, blue passport would be made by an overseas firm was met with outcry by pro-Brexit politicians and groups. At the time, Tory MP Sir Bill Cash, chairman of the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, said the decision was “incongruous to say the least”. | The announcement that the new, blue passport would be made by an overseas firm was met with outcry by pro-Brexit politicians and groups. At the time, Tory MP Sir Bill Cash, chairman of the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, said the decision was “incongruous to say the least”. |
| “It is completely unnecessary and it is symbolically completely wrong,” he added. | “It is completely unnecessary and it is symbolically completely wrong,” he added. |
| “Whatever the conditions which led to the decision in terms of pricing, the fact is that this is a symbolic event.” | “Whatever the conditions which led to the decision in terms of pricing, the fact is that this is a symbolic event.” |
| Additional reporting by news wires | Additional reporting by news wires |