LONDON: Britain will return to a blue and gold passport design after the country leaves the EU in 2019 “to restore our national identity,” its interior ministry announced on Friday.
The country will phase out the current burgundy color travel document — used across the EU — following Brexit, when it will no longer be required to conform to the bloc’s rules.
“Leaving the EU gives us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path for ourselves in the world,” immigration minister Brandon Lewis said in a statement.
He added the new passports would be “one of the most secure travel documents in the world” and feature a raft of updated security measures to protect against fraud and forgery.
The current paper-based picture page will be replaced with a new, super-strength plastic polycarbonate material that will be more difficult to alter, according to the ministry.
The new blue and gold design — a return to the colors Britain used for decades following its adoption in 1921 — will be issued from October 2019, when a new contract for passport provision begins.
The existing burgundy passport, in use since 1988, will initially continue to be handed out without references to the EU after Brexit, which is set for March 29, 2019.
Britain’s pro-Brexit tabloid The Sun led a campaign “to scrap the EU’s burgundy model forced on the nation,” demanding a return to the “iconic” dark blue passport.
It hailed the decision as “a stunning campaign victory,” with Lewis penning a column for the right-wing newspaper proclaiming the move.
Euroskeptic lawmakers also celebrated the change.
“A great Christmas present for those who care about our national identity — the fanatical remainers hate it, but the restoration of our own British passport is a powerful symbol that Britain is back!” Andrew Rosindell, a Conservative MP, wrote on Twitter.
Others appeared less enthusiastic.
“People are more concerned with their jobs, their rights and the economy than the color of their passport. Plus, why have blue when you can have red?” opposition Labour lawmaker Danielle Rowley tweeted.
UK passports to change from burgundy to blue after Brexit
UK passports to change from burgundy to blue after Brexit
Harry Styles announces first album in 4 years, ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’
- It follows the critically acclaimed synth pop “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards
- “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon
NEW YORK: In this world, it’s just him: Harry Styles has announced that his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive this spring.
Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” and out March 6, the album is Styles’ first full-length project in four years. It follows the 2022, critically acclaimed synth pop record “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star the top prize of album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
In a review, The Associated Press celebrated “Harry’s House” for showcasing “a breadth of style that matches the album’s emotional range.”
On Instagram, Styles’ shared the cover artwork for “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which features the 31-year-old artist in a T-shirt and jeans at night, standing underneath a shimmering disco ball hung outside.
According to a press release, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” will contain 12 tracks and is executive produced by Kid Harpoon. The British songwriter and producer has been a close collaborator of Styles’ since the beginning of his solo career, working on all of his albums since the singer’s 2017 self-titled debut.
“Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” is now available for preorder.
It is also Styles’ first project since his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died in 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
