It is a superficial change, but one that has reverberated sharply since its announcement.
On December 22, British Prime Minister Theresa May proclaimed that post-Brexit, British passports will revert to their previous blue colour, albeit a lighter blue than the old near-black navy. This change was trumpeted by May – who sought to close 2017 on a high note – as a victory for British “independence and sovereignty” and reflected the “citizenship of a proud, great nation” but her claims were swiftly denounced as irrelevant and insular by her detractors. The government has said that the reinstatement of blue passports, which were phased out in 1988, will mean enhanced freedom for Britons, but EU officials have warned they could spell travel delays and extra paperwork because of diminished travel rights post-Brexit.
Some branded May’s statement as premature as any special privileges are still to be determined in negotiations on issues of free movement after Brexit. At present, the Schengen borders code only applies to EU citizens or people with free movement rights. British passport-holders could lose the right to use fast-track citizens’ lanes when travelling on the continent and may also be obliged to use the visa waiver scheme. The EU travel information and authorisation system (Etias) is modelled on the US Esta scheme and could require British travellers to Europe to register in advance and make a small administrative payment.
It has also been noted that there was never any Brussels regulation stating that EU countries’ passports had to be a certain colour. Britain could have retained the blue passport all along in defiance of the legally non-binding European council resolution from 1981 that recommends burgundy, however Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government agreed to the change in a joint resolution of member states in the European council. This agreement to harmonise certain design features followed a backlash over more ambitious plans for a community-wide passport, and it also included rules to put the words “European Community” in front of the name of the member state. The other changes that have been made to the document since this time have been to comply with international aviation and security agreements and these provisions will continue to dictate the size and content of the travel documents regardless of Brexit.
British Labour MEP Claude Moraes warned that the new passports could become a symbol of what British nationals stand to lose from Brexit. “What is being lost with the burgundy passport are the freedoms to move in the EU27 and other related freedoms. There is every risk now that with the UK passport you will be subject to greater queues, greater checks and more inconvenience.”
The new passports will be introduced after the UK leaves the EU on March 29, 2019.
