UK passport delays affected ‘hundreds of thousands of people’ this year

Watchdog says HM Passport Office must learn from chaos and prepare for similar level of demand in 2023

Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by delays in processing passport applications and many had travel plans disrupted as a result this year, Whitehall's spending watchdog has found.

HM Passport Office (HMPO) processed a record number of applications amid unprecedented demand" as Covid travel restrictions were lifted but struggled to keep up with higher demand from customers, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).