Passport charges rise - first steps in ID program

The fee for a new adult 10-year passport is to increase by 29% from October, from £51 to £66.

The Home Office said the new passport - dubbed the ePassport - would be the "most secure ever produced by the UK".

The "biometric" passport contains a chip storing a scan of their photograph and other personal details.

The Conservatives criticised the price rise and said the government was using it as a way of raising money for any future ID scheme ...

... The latest price increase is the second of two rises to pay for upgrading passports to international standards and introducing anti-fraud measures.

These included "enhanced background checks" on applicants and preparations for face-to-face interviews for first-time adult passport applicants. ...

...Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "The home secretary likes to brag about customer satisfaction with the UK passport agency.

"This first instalment of the plastic poll tax that is the identity card system will completely undermine that."

Anyone requesting a new passports from 2008 will have their details stored on the National Identity Database.