PM refused to rule out privatisation is the Passport Office cannot deal with the backlog of applications for new documents.
26 April 2022
Boris Johnson has said the public deserves a “cheaper, faster” passport service as he refused to rule out privatisation if it cannot clear the backlog of applications.
Earlier, a senior Government source said the Prime Minister was ready to “privatise the arse” out of the Passport Office amid fears families could miss out on their summer holidays due to delays in renewing their documents.
In an interview with TalkTV, Mr Johnson said his sole concern was to “deliver value and a good service” to the public.
“I am not going to rule anything out. I don’t mind whether it is in the public or the private sector,” he said.
“What I want is for it to deliver value for money and help people’s costs. If you want to go on holiday with your family it can cost hundreds of pounds to get new passports.
“You deserve to have a cheaper, faster service.”
Mr Johnson was also said to have put the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and other “arm’s length” bodies on notice in comments to Cabinet ministers, according to the source who attended Tuesday’s meeting.
The Prime Minister is understood to be “horrified” at the backlog in dealing with passport applications and will summon the agency’s leadership for urgent talks at No 10 on Thursday.
He is said to be concerned that families wanting to go on summer holidays are under pressure to pay up to £100 extra per passport for fast-track applications because of delays.
The source cautioned that privatisation would not be the starting point, but warned that Downing Street could look to businesses to take over if passport bosses could not meet the 10-week target for standard applications costing £75.50.
In his interview, Mr Johnson acknowledged that he had criticised “post-Covid, work-from-home, manana culture” at some of the bodies for not adapting after the easing of coronavirus restrictions.
As well as the Passport Office, MPs have been raising concerns over significant delays in turning around applications for licences at the DVLA.
“I think that we have a general issue in some of our approach to public services. We all got used to working from home, Zoom calls,” Mr Johnson said.
“I am the custodian of the public purse I have to ask myself whether it is as productive as all that.”
