More than 50,000 passport applications past 10-week wait, MPs told

Director apologises for delays and says 550,000 applications were in the system at end of June

The Passport Office has admitted that more than 50,000 Britons have been waiting more than 10 weeks for their passport, as civil servants struggle with a record number of applications before the summer holiday getaway.

MPs were told on Wednesday that there were 550,000 passport applications in the system at the end of June and that one in 10 had exceeded the 10-week turnaround that people are advised by the Passport Office to allow for.