BRITAIN’S new blue passports should be manufactured in Westhoughton, a Bolton MP has urged.

Chris Green is calling for De La Rue, which has a base in Wingates and is behind the new polymer banknotes, to be awarded the contract to develop the country’s new post-Brexit passports.

De La Rue is the only British company currently bidding for the contract and a decision is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, the Bolton West MP said: “De La Rue has been manufacturing and innovating in the UK for nearly 200 years including at its factory in Westhoughton in the heart of my constituency.”

The Prime Minister replied: “I’m sure he is aware that this will be an open and fair competition and that I cannot comment on individual bids, but I’m sure that he will make his voice heard.

“But it is right from autumn 2019 we will issue new blue and gold passports – that’s always been the UK’s colour of choice for our passports. I think it is absolutely right after we leave the European Union we return to deciding the colour of passports that we want, not the European Union.”