John Spellar: Decision to award blue Brexit passport contracts to France is outrageous and stupid

John Spellar, the Labour MP for Warley, is outraged that a French company is poised to win the contract to make the blue British passport. Writing for the Express & Star, he argues the decision shows the 'elitist' attitude that Whitehall has towards British industry and jobs.

Britain’s new post-Brexit passports may not be made in Britain.

The possible decision to award the contract for the new blue British passports to Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto instead of North-Eastern Gateshead-based De La Rue is disgraceful, outrageous and stupid.

Theresa May should perform yet another U-turn and intervene immediately to defend British industry and British workers, rather than selling what her Ministers have hyped-up as an iconic symbol of Britain leaving the EU to the lowest foreign bidder.

Ever since Britain voted to leave the EU, I have been pressing the Government to do all it can to support our industry and our jobs – urging Government Departments to prioritise buying British and awarding contracts to British-based firms, in the way other countries support their own industries.

In his reply to my question in Parliament, Business Secretary Greg Clark even claimed the Government “changed the procurement guidelines so that local value can be taken into account” – yet it seems the Government have now chosen to ignore the revisions to their own guidelines and cast British jobs aside.

Even after the vote for Brexit, deadbeat Civil Servants and complacent Ministers have still not got the message that people are sick of the contemptuous and elitist attitude Whitehall and Westminster evidently have towards British industry and jobs.

Too often, their London-centric and neo-liberal attitude has just looked at contracts in terms of a short-term value for money basis – who can do the job for the cheapest amount. What they overlook is the positive impact on communities outside of London of having secure, well-paid jobs. This attitude also reduces Government Tax revenue and ups the benefit bill – but they’re too short-sighted to see that.

For too long, Whitehall Civil Servants and Ministers who have failed to get a grip of their departments have simply claimed that EU regulations stopped the Government from prioritising its own industries for Government contracts.

This was always nonsense – it is the exact kind of officious drivel which pushed many people across the Black Country and the UK to vote to leave the EU. Whitehall and Westminster have for too long simply sought to pass the buck by blaming the EU – as Brexit approaches this excuse has gone.

What is even more insulting to the British people about the Government’s decision is that no other EU country acts the way the Government has chosen to and is so hostile to its own industry and workers.

The PM and Home Secretary Amber Rudd should take up the invitation of Martin Sutherland, CEO of incumbent supplier De La Rue, to speak to the Gateshead workforce in person – rather than hide behind excuses, then they should reverse the decision.

Meanwhile, I and Parliamentary colleagues will continue to press the Government to start taking British industry and British jobs seriously.