This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/british-blue-passports-contract-decision-brexit-postponed-de-la-rue-appeal-theresa-may-a8286221.html
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
British passport contract decision postponed after De La Rue appeal | British passport contract decision postponed after De La Rue appeal |
(35 minutes later) | |
The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue, the prime minister’s spokesperson has said. | The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue, the prime minister’s spokesperson has said. |
The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rue’s contract ends in July. | |
The British firm 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 on Tuesday that it would appeal the decision. | |
A spokesperson for the company 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 news comes after a campaign by the Daily Mail to reverse the decision to award Gemalto the contract. | |
A petition to award the contract to the British firm had gathered more than 266,000 signatures by Monday night. | |
Around 200 UK jobs are thought to be affected by the decision. |
Previous version
1
Next version