Bath MP Wera Hobhouse slams ‘shambolic’ passport delays

28 June 2022

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has slammed passport delays as ‘shambolic’ and just ‘one part of broken Britain that the Conservatives are presiding over’.

One constituent from Bath reported having to wait four months for their passport to be returned after an application for a name change. Others have missed out on holidays and one family applied for a passport for their children, sent proof of parental responsibility but the Passport Office misplaced the child’s birth certificate and continued to ask for proof to be sent. In a recent case, one gentleman was poorly advised by the Passport Office and is unsure whether he can go on holiday this week as he waits for his daughter's passport to be returned.

In a Facebook post, Mrs Hobhouse advised residents to include application numbers and dates of birth in any correspondence with her office if they have a passport issue. Similarly, the MP warned that to be eligible for an upgrade, you have to have applied at least 6 weeks before and you need to be travelling within the next 2 weeks.

Wera Hobhouse MP has called for action to plug the gap in delays:

“Bath residents are suffering as a result of the Conservatives’ incompetence. Constituents have written to me over and over again to tell me about issues with the Passport Office. Some applications are taking months, whilst others have missed holidays because of delays in applications and changes to names on passports.

“The Passport Office seems to be in complete disarray and residents can no longer rely on this vital public service. The delays are just one part of broken Britain that the Conservatives are presiding over. Delay after delay. Missed holiday after missed holiday. Why are the Conservatives not taking any notice and refusing to act?

“I have been in touch with the passport office but they are clearly overstretched. Years of Conservative cuts and lack of investment is causing chaos with people’s lives.”