I am no luddite, but I really think the UK ought to go back to passports covered with stiff blue card on the outer. Also with hand written details (I used to like inside where it said ’Occupation’ and I had ‘Government Service’ written next to it). Okay, if they must have biometrics on an inside page then so be it.

I still have my stiff blue passports from the 1970’s/80’s (with the corners now snipped) and they are still in much better shape than my ‘EU’ one issued only 3 years ago.

The blue ones went through both the Falklands War and first Gulf War unscathed – I dread to think how the newer ones would fare in those situations!