It turns out the savings for the British taxpayer thanks to the Franco-Dutch passport deal are £120 million over five years, not £50 million, according to a government source. What would Remainers and protectionists cut just so the contract can go to an expensive British firm?

Twitter Remainers and a few protectionist Brexiteers seem to think the contract for blue passports going to a Franco-Dutch company is a bad thing. It seems like good news to Guido and anyone who believes in free trade. Remainers have spent the last 21 months claiming Brexit Britain would be an inward-looking nation and that trade with the EU would suffer. What better symbolism to dispel that nonsense than having the French and Dutch make our new blue passports? Remainers also lied that the new passports would cost an extra half a billion quid, despite there being no extra cost. In fact, it appears Gemalto won the contract by bidding to do it for £50 million less than their British rival. This is obviously a win for the taxpayer and should be welcomed by anyone who wants value for money. It is certainly odd to see Remainers like Tom Brake using jingoistic language about “foreign companies”. More evidence Britain will enjoy a strong trade relationship with Europe, despite Brexit…

* Turns out it’s £120 million.