Workers Threatened Over Passport Pile-Up Leak

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Workers have been threatened with disciplinary action over leaked photographs that revealed the scale of the backlog at the Passport Office.

The images, which showed documents piling up in a meeting room in Liverpool, ramped up the pressure on ministers who were forced to admit there was a major problem developing.

The Home Office had previously denied there was any backlog, claiming instead that the Passport Office was dealing with 97% of "straightforward" cases within three weeks despite unprecedented demand. 

The letter sent to Passport Office workers

They said it was a sign of an improving economy that people wanted to go on holiday.

But after the publication of the pictures the Prime Minister admitted there was a backlog of 30,000, and Passport Office staff were asked to take on seven-day working and extended hours to clear it.

Theresa May has also changed the rules for Brits overseas, who have been hit particularly hard, and ordered two reviews of HM Passport Office (HMPO).

The letter warns: "This is being viewed as a serious security breach and I have notified the Internal Investigations team accordingly. They will be making a full investigation and if there is clear evidence linking a member of HMPO, Steria or our contracted staff to the breach, formal misconduct procedures will be considered.

"Whatever the motives behind the leak, there does not appear to be any recognition of the impact this has had on colleagues working exceptionally hard to manage the unprecedented levels of demand currently being experienced."

It reminds workers that the use of mobile phones is only allowed in designated break-out areas and during breaks from work, and warns that failure to adhere to the rule will lead to an all-out ban.

Files filled with applications in the Liverpool office

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of PCS – the union that represents workers at the Passport Office, called it a "ludicrously over-the-top response".

He added that it "will do nothing to restore the goodwill that has been lost in recent days and weeks, as officials and ministers have sought to cover up the extent of the problems caused by a chronic shortage of staff.

"Arguably, if it wasn't for those photographs, we wouldn't have had the debate in the Commons today and there was clearly an overwhelming public interest in publishing them," he said.

According to Sky sources, a Home Office excellence awards ceremony that had been planned for Thursday night has now been cancelled so workers can focus on the passport crisis.

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