You couldn't make this up.
The new British passports set to be issued after Brexit will be manufactured in a European Union nation state, it has emerged.
The current burgundy document, brought in 30 years ago, will revert to its original dark blue and gold colour-scheme from October 2019.
The boss of UK supplier De La Rue revealed that Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto have won the £490m contract on BBC Radio 4' Today.
Martin Sutherland described the move as "a disappointing and surpising decision".
He added: "I think we have heard over the last few weeks and months ministers more than happy to come on the media and talk about the blue passports and the fact that the blue passport is an icon of British identity.
If the British company, De La Rue, had submitted a better tender, deemed to be the Most Economically Advantageous Tender, they would have won the contract. They did not. That's all.
— Ben Kelly (@TheScepticIsle) March 22, 2018
"Now this icon of British identity is going to be manufactured in France."
However, Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock claimed a final agreement had not yet been reached.
He said: "As I understand it this procurement is not fully complete".
In a statement, the UK Home Office confirmed the process is ongoing - suggesting the decision could possibly be reversed.
A Home Office spokesman said: "We are running a fair and open competition to ensure that the new contract delivers a high quality and secure product and offers the best value for money for customers.
"All passports will continue to be personalised with the holder’s details in the United Kingdom, meaning that no personal data will leave the UK.
“We do not require passports to be manufactured from the UK. A proportion of blank passport books are currently manufactured overseas, and there are no security or operational reasons why this would not continue.”
