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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/03/black-or-blue-confusion-grows-over-traditional-british-passport-colour
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Black or blue? Confusion grows over traditional British passport colour | Black or blue? Confusion grows over traditional British passport colour |
| (about 15 hours later) | |
| Gov.uk’s online passport application form contradicts Home Office assertion that British passports have ‘never been black’ | |
| Martin Belam | |
| Wed 3 Jan 2018 10.22 GMT | |
| Last modified on Wed 3 Jan 2018 10.28 GMT | |
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| It’s been a debate to rival that surrounding the famous white and gold or black and blue dress. Just what colour were the old British passports? | It’s been a debate to rival that surrounding the famous white and gold or black and blue dress. Just what colour were the old British passports? |
| Since the government announced their post-Brexit return, it has preferred to refer to them as an “iconic” navy blue. But on 30 December, the Home Office went as far as to issue a rebuttal to news stories criticising the colour of the new design. | Since the government announced their post-Brexit return, it has preferred to refer to them as an “iconic” navy blue. But on 30 December, the Home Office went as far as to issue a rebuttal to news stories criticising the colour of the new design. |
| “The colour of the new passport will be returning to its previous navy blue,” the statement says. “The image alongside our announcement … is a mock-up produced for illustrative purposes before the final design is completed. The colour will be navy blue and the design embossed in gold.” | “The colour of the new passport will be returning to its previous navy blue,” the statement says. “The image alongside our announcement … is a mock-up produced for illustrative purposes before the final design is completed. The colour will be navy blue and the design embossed in gold.” |
| The statement goes on to say: “Since its introduction in 1921, there have been a few variants of that navy blue colour but it has never been black, as some commentators have suggested.” | The statement goes on to say: “Since its introduction in 1921, there have been a few variants of that navy blue colour but it has never been black, as some commentators have suggested.” |
| However, all that effort has been undermined by the online application process for obtaining a British passport. The form asks applicants if they have previously held a British passport. Then they are asked to specify whether it was “a dark red passport” or “a black or blue passport”. | However, all that effort has been undermined by the online application process for obtaining a British passport. The form asks applicants if they have previously held a British passport. Then they are asked to specify whether it was “a dark red passport” or “a black or blue passport”. |
| Elsewhere on the gov.uk website, users are advised to “follow the process for getting a first adult passport if the last passport you had was an old black or blue passport”. | Elsewhere on the gov.uk website, users are advised to “follow the process for getting a first adult passport if the last passport you had was an old black or blue passport”. |
| The new passport design will replace the present one from 2019. The current burgundy colour is recommended, but not mandated, by EU rules. Croatia, for example, issues EU passports in blue. | The new passport design will replace the present one from 2019. The current burgundy colour is recommended, but not mandated, by EU rules. Croatia, for example, issues EU passports in blue. |
| Brexit | |
| Passport Office | |
| Foreign policy | |
| European Union | |
| analysis | |
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