The Home Office Minister for Immigration, James Brokenshire, pictured, launched the new passport at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. A new passport is launched every five years and the theme for the latest version is ‘Creative United Kingdom’.
The latest design features such British cultural figures as William Shakespeare, Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and Anish Kapoor, and landmark structures like the Angel of the North and the Titanic Belfast. The new designs also incorporate document security features.
James Brokenshire, pictured, said: “The UK passport has an international reputation as a trusted and secure travel document, and we work tirelessly to stay one step ahead of the criminals who attempt to abuse the UK’s immigration laws. By using some of the most advanced technology and security measures around, the latest passport design is the most secure that the UK has ever issued.”
The latest passport is claimed by the Government to be the most secure ever produced in the UK and contains new anti-forgery features, including: security printing with features that show under ultraviolet (UV) and infrared light, inks and watermarks; and use of a single sheet of paper for the personal details page through to the page adjoined to the back cover to prevent the passport from being tampered with.
Her Majesty’s Passport Office Director General, Mark Thomson, said: “HM Passport Office is committed to ensuring the integrity of the passport, and the chosen designs have allowed us to make use of evolving technology to further enhance its security. Not only are we constantly striving to stay one step ahead of those who seek to undermine the passport, but we have created a document that marks just some of the greatest creative achievements in the UK.”
The new passport will be rolled out in a phased approach with the first due in circulation from December.
