Renewing my passport was futile – will I be compensated?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Tens of thousands responded to the government’s passport advice (Getty/iStock)

Q Because of the multiple warnings about a no-deal Brexit and the effect on Easter holidays, I felt forced to renew my passport early, losing almost one year’s validity. Now that leaving the European Union has been postponed, it would have been fine for travel in April. Since this was a needless expense will I be compensated for the lost validity?

Name withheld

A You are among many tens of thousands of people who responded to the intense government advertising campaign that was carried out up to 10 April in case of a no-deal Brexit.

Passports renewed unnecessarily early were just one of many expenses that travellers incurred. Others included expensive health insurance in case the free EHIC cover for medical treatment in the European Union was lost; International Driving Permits (one for Spain, Cyprus and Malta, a different one for most other countries) for fear that UK licences might lose their potency; and vets’ bills preparing cats and dogs for the worst-case Brexit scenario.

It would make an interesting test case to see if your financial harm, or any of travellers’ other lost costs could be compensated through the courts, on the basis that the government was never going to let the UK leave the European Union without a deal in place. But I fear that, like the billions of pounds of taxpayer cash wasted in preparing for a no-deal Brexit, there is no prospect of recouping the money lost.

Perhaps you can content yourself with knowing that leaving the European Union without an agreement would have damaged the UK economy even further than the damage done already. And do let me know if you would like one of my International Driving Permits, which are now surplus to requirements.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder