Britain will start re-introducing traditional blue passports next month, the interior ministry said on Saturday, replacing the burgundy European Union documents that have been in use since 1988.

Reverting to the dark blue of pre-EU days has been a point of pride for many Britons who voted to leave the bloc in a 2016 referendum - even though the new passport will be made by a Franco-Dutch firm.

“By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one,” Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said in a statement.

Britain formally left the EU at the end of January and introduction of the new passport will be phased in from early March. From mid-2020, all new passports will be blue.

The blue cover is a return to the original appearance of the British passport, with the colour first used in 1921, the ministry said.

The back cover will also carry its own symbolic design – the floral emblems of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

The new passport will incorporate new security features, including a super-strength polycarbonate data page. It also includes printing and design techniques to give better protection against identity theft and forgery.

Awarding the 260 million pound ($335 million) contract to a foreign firm, Gemalto, with a French parent company Thales, generated some awkward headlines three years ago for then Prime Minister Theresa May.

"Sacre Bleu" commented the Daily Mail, while the former CEO of the British De La Rue printing company that lost the contract did not mince his words.

"I’m going to have to go and face (our) workers, look them in the whites of the eyes and try and explain to them why the British government thinks it’s a sensible decision to buy French passports not British passports,” Martin Sutherland told BBC radio at the time.

Britain will start re-introducing traditional blue passports next month, the interior ministry said on Saturday, replacing the burgundy European Union documents that have been in use since 1988.

Britain will start re-introducing traditional blue passports next month, the interior ministry said on Saturday, replacing the burgundy European Union documents that have been in use since 1988. Reverting to the dark blue of pre-EU days has been a point of pride for many Britons who voted to leave the bloc in a 2016 referendum - even though the new passport will be made by a Franco-Dutch firm. “By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one,” Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel said in a statement. Britain formally left the EU at the end of January and introduction of the new passport will be phased in from early March. From mid-2020, all new passports will be blue. The blue cover is a return to the original appearance of the British passport, with the colour first used in 1921, the ministry said. The back cover will also carry its own symbolic design – the floral emblems of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The new passport will incorporate new security features, including a super-strength polycarbonate data page. It also includes printing and design techniques to give better protection against identity theft and forgery. Awarding the 260 million pound ($335 million) contract to a foreign firm, Gemalto, with a French parent company Thales, generated some awkward headlines three years ago for then Prime Minister Theresa May. "Sacre Bleu" commented the Daily Mail, while the former CEO of the British De La Rue printing company that lost the contract did not mince his words. "I’m going to have to go and face (our) workers, look them in the whites of the eyes and try and explain to them why the British government thinks it’s a sensible decision to buy French passports not British passports,” Martin Sutherland told BBC radio at the time.

Back to blue: UK passports revert to old colour from next month

The Australian government on Wednesday said three of its citizens had been detained in Iran, the latest in a series of Westerners to be seized by authorities in Tehran.

The Australian government on Wednesday said three of its citizens had been detained in Iran, the latest in a series of Westerners to be seized by authorities in Tehran. "The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the families of three Australians detained in Iran," news agency AFP reported quoting a spokesperson. "Due to our privacy obligations, we will not comment further," he added. Three Australian citizens – two of whom also hold British passports – have been arrested and detained in Iran, reported The Guardian quoting sources. One of the women, a British-Australian academic who has been teaching at a university in Australia, was arrested several months ago, the report further said. According to the report, while two of those arrested hold dual citizenships, the Australian government is leading negotiations with Tehran over the conditions and potential release of all three arrested. The arrests come amid increasing tensions between Iran and a small US-led coalition – whose only other members are the UK, Australia and Bahrain – which will send naval warships to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.

Three Australian citizens detained in Iran: Government

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Back to blue: UK passports revert to old colour from next month

Three Australian citizens detained in Iran: Government