Theresa May will not stop post-Brexit passports being made abroad, Downing Street says

'The aim of the contract is to deliver a high-quality product which offers the best value for money for the taxpayer'

The Prime Minister's spokesman said the contract was not finalised - but she would not step in (EPA)

Theresa May will not intervene to stop the new post-Brexit blue passports being made abroad – although No 10 insisted the contract had not yet been finalised.

The contest to find a manufacturer is a “fair and open competition” to deliver the best value for taxpayers, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said, even if that means the work going overseas.

The stance appeared to confirm that Gemalto, a Franco-Dutch firm, will grab the contract, after undercutting a bid by North-East company – to save taxpayers £120m, the Home Office said – despite the anger of some Brexit-backing MPs.

Asked if Ms May would step in – after Gateshead firm De la Rue condemned the expected decision and said it would appeal – her spokesman replied: “No.”

He said he was unable to comment on details of the procurement process, because it was still ongoing. It is expected to conclude within weeks.

But he said: “The aim of the contract is to deliver a high-quality product which offers the best value for money for the taxpayer.”

The spokesman also rejected comparisons with France, which insists on making its own passports, because it uses a state-owned company and does not procure the work.

Some Tory MPs had demanded a rethink, including former cabinet minister Priti Patel, who told The Sun: “This should be a moment that we should be celebrating. The return of our iconic blue passport will re-establish the British identity.

“But to be putting the job in the hands of the French is simply astonishing. It is a national humiliation.”

Sir Bill Cash, the chairman of the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, branded the move “completely wrong and unnecessary”, adding: “The fact is that this is a symbolic event.”

Earlier, Martin Sutherland, the chief executive of De La Rue, protested that France did not allow a foreign company to manufacture its passports.

Pointing to the workers at his plant in Gateshead, he said: “I would like Theresa May to face them and explain to the workforce why they think this is a sensible decision to offshore a British icon.”

However, Mr Sutherland admitted that his company had been outbid for the contract for the new passports, to be introduced after Britain leaves the EU.

He also acknowledged that his company makes passports for many other countries around the world, thus benefitting from free trade rules.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman ducked questions about whether she would meet De La Rue workers, saying: “We are getting ahead of ourselves.”

According to the Home Office, the preferred bid will save the taxpayer approximately £120m over the lifetime of the eleven-and-a-half year contract.

Up to 70 jobs will be created at factories in Fareham, Hampshire, and Heywood, Greater Manchester. While the blank books may be manufactured overseas, passport holders' personal details and pictures will be added in the UK.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake told the Press Association: “The blue passport saga is turning into a farce.

“First it was established that we did not have to leave the EU to have blue passports. Now we learn that the passports will be printed by a foreign company.

And to add insult to injury, we will pay over the odds for them because the value of the pound has fallen since Brexit and they will have to be imported.”