Charles Jarrold, BPIF CEO: a “disappointing and questionable decision”
The BPIF has added its voice to the outcry that greeted the news that British passports will be printed in France after the UK’s exit from the European Union, calling for the government to reverse its decision.
In response to the news that BPIF member De La Rue will lose the UK passport business as a result of Brexit, with the potential loss of hundreds of print jobs, the federation has allied with the GMB union and Daily Mirror to campaign to lobby prime minister Theresa May to overturn the decision and keep production of the “iconic” blue passports in the UK.
BPIF chief executive Charles Jarrold commented, ‘This is a disappointing and questionable decision from the government. When UK productivity is so clearly a government priority, and the UK is home to world class security printers, a decision which threatens both UK jobs and undermines a leading UK industry should be reconsidered. If the government is not prepared to reconsider its decision it should explain how this decision has been made, and given the lost opportunity to UK industry, why it reached this conclusion.’
The campaign group has started an online petition to have the topic debated in parliament and is encouraging its members and other interested parties to sign.
