'Appalling' - MP McMahon blasts Home Office passport backlogs

Oldham West and Royton MP Jim McMahon

After people across Oldham had been in touch with Jim McMahon over the last few months concerned with the time taking to return passport applications, the Oldham West and Royton MP called the Home Office’s service to Oldhamers ‘appalling’.

Last week Mr McMahon wrote to the Home Secretary with a list of cases that his office sent to the Home Office ranging from March, April, May and June that have yet to receive a reply, and he attended a Home Office drop-in in Parliament to raise some of these cases in person.

Mr McMahon said: "The summer is always a busy time for chasing up passport applications, as you would expect with more people going away during the school holidays, but the level of delay this year seems unprecedented.

“The Home Office was warned that a surge in passport applications was likely once Covid travel restrictions ended and families had gone two years without a holiday abroad, but they failed completely to do the forward planning needed to prevent the chaos we’ve seen over the last few months. 

"It is the same lack of foresight and planning which has led to cancelled flights and summer misery for hard working holiday makers wanting to get away.

“I know of at least one person who applied for their passport in early March, ahead of their holiday in June, who in the end had to cancel their holiday as their passport did not arrive on time.

“The chaos in the passport office is just one example of the failure on this government’s watch.

"Boris Johnson and the Tories are presiding over backlog Britain, where waiting lists across government are crippling our economy, costing the taxpayer billions and preventing British people from getting on with their lives.”

Despite the delays and lack of responses from the Home Office and Passport Office, the Oldham MP is encouraging constituents to get in touch with him by email (jim.mcmahon.mp@parliament.uk) if they need support.

“The level of service that the Home Office has provided to my constituents in Oldham over the last few months has been appalling," added Mr McMahon.

"But we will continue to push the Home Office to do better and chase those cases who are waiting for a response.”

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