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Passport guidance & FAQ

With thousands of people across the country already having to wait longer than the 10 weeks service timeframe for their passport, I know many constituents will be feeling increasingly frustrated and want the latest information and advice on passport issuing and renewals.

I am continuing to follow-up applications and concerns in Westminster, questioning ministers and urging government to get a grip and clear the backlog as fast as possible.

The Home Office has advised not to book any travel until you’ve received your new passport. Despite the Government creating this huge backlog by failing to plan ahead, the Home Office say they cannot accept any responsibility for any pre-booked travel.

It is also important to note, the Home Office say the 10-week timeframe commences from when they have received all of the required supporting documentation, and not from the date you first submit your application. This includes 2 photos, the correct documents and the appropriate fee.

The Passport Adviceline (0300 222 0000) reportedly remains the best way for constituents to access help with their application, including if you wish to explore any options available to you to get your passport more quickly.

If you have been waiting more than 10 weeks for your passport, HM Passport Office say they will prioritise your case if you can evidence that you are due to travel within the next fortnight. Do not book an appointment for an urgent service if you have already applied, as this creates a duplicate application and may delay the service further.

FAQs –

  • What details do I need to provide when contacting Stephen’s office?

In order for Stephen to progress your case as quick as possible, please make sure you provide your:

    • First name and surname
    • Address
    • PEX code
    • Date of birth
    • Date your application was submitted
    • Date of travel (if applicable)
  • When does the ten weeks start?

Constituents should allow up to ten weeks from the date that any supporting documents requested by HM Passport Office are physically delivered. All time taken after this delivery date, which includes the updating the application tracker, is included within the ten-week timeframe.

  • My application has taken longer than ten weeks. What can I do?

The ten-week timeframe is not guaranteed, as a British passport will only be issued once all checks upon the application have been satisfactorily completed. However, where a UK-based customer has waited more than ten weeks and can evidence that they are due to travel within the next fortnight, HM Passport Office will prioritise their case. Constituents in these circumstances should contact the Passport Adviceline (0300 222 0000).

  • I’ve already applied, but less than ten weeks ago. Is there anything I can do to get my passport more quickly?

If a constituent has already applied, they should not book an appointment for an urgent service. This creates a duplicate application and may mean it takes longer for them to get their passport. Constituents travelling in the next two-weeks should contact the Passport Adviceline (0300 222 0000). If there are any options available to get the passport more quickly, these will be discussed when they call.

  • I need my passport urgently on compassionate grounds. What should I do?

HM Passport Office prioritises people who need a passport urgently on compassionate grounds. These include:

  • The serious illness of the constituent, or because of the death or serious illness of their family member or a friend
  • The constituent’s urgent medical treatment abroad which cannot be delayed, or if they are a carer for someone with urgent medical treatment abroad The constituent should call the Passport Adviceline (0300 222 0000) in these circumstances. They will be asked to provide evidence of their need to travel on compassionate grounds to be able to access this service.
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City MP to vote for new Community and Victim Payback Boards as number of criminals allowed to work from home trebles

Stephen Morgan MP is set to vote for Labour’s plan to create new Community and Victim Payback Boards that restore public trust in community sentences.  

Earlier this week, Labour research revealed that the number of criminals allowed to complete “independent” unpaid work projects had trebled nationally in 2021, with significant rises in most regions in England and Wales.  

Labour’s Community and Victim Payback Boards will determine how the unpaid work components of community sentences that see offenders giving back to their communities and victims are delivered.

Commenting on the findings, the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth, Stephen Morgan, said:

“This is yet more proof that the Conservatives are letting criminals off and letting victims down.

“Voters will be outraged that nearly ten thousand offenders who should be out repairing the communities they’ve damaged are being allowed to work from home while Ministers hound civil servants back into the office.

“Conservative MPs had a chance to show that they care about being tough on crime and tough on its causes, like Labour, but they refused to vote for Labour’s Community and Victim Payback Boards to restore public trust in the criminal justice system.

“Labour will put communities and victims at the heart of how offenders repay society and make sure justice is being seen to be delivered in Portsmouth.”

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City MP attacks Tory government as full extent of ‘Backlog Britain’ is revealed

Stephen Morgan MP has called for urgent government action on growing bottlenecks and delays, as Labour reveals a dossier detailing Tory ‘Backlog Britain’, on everything from driving licences and passports to major infrastructure projects bringing Britain to a halt.

 

With waits at the passport office leaving renewals taking ten weeks; queues at Dover; and holidaymakers spending hours and hours at airports, there are fears that ‘Backlog Britain’ will mar long-awaited family summers. 

 

Hold-ups are also hitting the NHS, with waiting times for A&E, cancer, dentistry and mental health services getting longer and longer. With a build-up in the courts, prosecutions and justice for victims are also on hold.

 

Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Pat McFadden, who will open a parliamentary debate on the issue today, has accused the Conservatives of being “a government without grip – it doesn’t function, it only campaigns.”

                                                                                                         

He has blamed the Prime Minister’s inability to plan and his sticking plaster, low growth, high tax approach to the economy as the root cause of ‘Backlog Britain’. 

 

The City MP’s postbag has seen a growing number of cases regarding passport renewal delays and driving licence issue hold ups, causing constituents a great deal of stress and anxiety as the summer holidays approach.

 

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, said:

“Instead of providing some security for our economy and planning for the future of our country, the Tories are lurching from crisis to crisis, opting to focus on campaigning to keep Mr Johnson in Downing Street instead of getting on with the job at hand.  

 

“Tory Ministers promised to level up Britain, but instead they’ve given us ‘Backlog Britain’ and are leaving Portsmouth behind, with the day-to-day consequences being further delays to basic services we all rely on like passports and driving licences.

 

“They need to stop making new promises they know they can’t deliver, and concentrate on delivering those they’ve already made. The Conservatives have lost grip – they’re out of touch and out of ideas.”

 

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Stephen Morgan MP reacts to key by-election results

Commenting on the by-election results of Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton, Portsmouth South MP, Stephen Morgan, said: 

“The message the country heard from Wakefield is clear: Labour is winning the trust of the British people and firmly on the path to power.

“The Prime Minister cannot ignore last night’s results. The chair of his party has already resigned and now even more senior Tories are calling for him to go. His time is up.

“Labour is on its way back to 10 Downing Street and today’s result is the birthplace of the next Labour government.”

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Conservatives have cut 4,500 GPs in the last decade

Patients in England are finding it impossible to get a GP appointment, after a decade of Tory mismanagement of the NHS has left England with almost 4,500 fewer GPs than a decade ago, Labour has warned.

Analysis of NHS data shows there were 32,200 GPs in 2013, which has fallen to 27,700 today, a reduction of 4,459 GPs.

In their 2019 manifesto, the Conservatives promised to hire 6,000 more GPs, but Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, has since admitted that the government is breaking its promise. Since the Conservatives made that promise at the general election, more than 300 GP practices have closed.

The findings come as Labour following a debate in Parliament on the crisis in primary care in Britain, tabling a motion calling on the Health Secretary to bring forward a plan to recruit the doctors which were promised at the last election.

It comes as research by the Nuffield Trust published in The Times recently showed Portsmouth has been the worst-hit area by the wider national fall in GPs since 2015, with just 40 GPs per 100,000 people, figures raised by the Portsmouth South representative when speaking in the House of Commons.

The debate also saw city MP Stephen Morgan call on Government to also take action on the crisis in NHS dentistry.

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan MP, said:

“Long before the pandemic, our NHS was already struggling to cope with the level of demand for its services, but things have just gone from to bad worse in Portsmouth under this Government.

“Multiple GP closures, record numbers of people waiting for care and waiting longer than ever before means my postbag is filling up with concerns over a range on access to local health services.

“As I said in Parliament this week, our city has become a new healthcare hell for patients. This is the record of this Tory government.

“I will keep pushing Ministers to listen to the people of Portsmouth, intervene, clear the backlog and finally delivers the NHS services our city needs and deserves.”

Wes Streeting MP, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, added:

“People are finding it impossible to get a GP appointment when they need one, leaving them in pain and discomfort and meaning serious conditions will be missed.

“As the Culture Secretary recently admitted, a decade of Conservative mismanagement left our NHS ‘wanting and inadequate’ before Covid hit. Now the Conservatives are breaking their promise to hire the GPs we need.

“The longer we give the Conservatives, the longer patients wait. Labour will put patients first and make sure they can be seen on time.”

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Armed Forces Day: City MP praises contribution and sacrifice of Armed Forces community

Stephen Morgan MP has paid tribute to the Armed Forces community for their ‘crucial role in defending others at home and abroad’ following a flag raising ceremony at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to mark Armed Forces Day.

The Armed Forces Day event also included a special performance from the Royal Marines Association Band, as well as other fun activities for the whole family to enjoy.

The City MP presented awards to winners of the Junior Field Gun competition, which Portsmouth area schools participated in.

Armed Forces Day is held each year on the last Saturday of June to celebrate the service and sacrifice of our UK Armed Forces, veterans, and their families.

It comes after the Portsmouth MP invited local members of the armed forces community to a reception in Parliament this week, with Labour Leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey, to celebrate the contribution of service personnel, veterans and their families, both at home and abroad.

Despite the contribution of service personnel, government has cut the Army to its smallest size in 300 years. Labour has said it boost veterans’ mental health support by £35m.

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, said:

“On Armed Forces Day, we pay tribute to the crucial role they play in defending our communities at home and abroad.

“They showed total professionalism with their support during the pandemic and continue to do so now in defending the UK and our NATO allies from Russian aggression.

“Labour’s commitment to our Armed Forces is unbreakable. I am deeply proud of our service men and service women, veterans and their families in Portsmouth, and I want to thank them for their incredible service as we mark Armed Forces Day.”

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Refugee Week: Portsmouth MP pays tribute to the contribution of local refugees after securing their safe passage

Stephen Morgan MP has paid tribute to the contribution of local refugees following a meeting at Saint Simons Church today with Ukrainians he helped to secure visas for and flea the war in their home country.

The Portsmouth MP met with the recently arrived Ukrainian family at a monthly meeting set up by volunteers at Saint Simons Church, which provides support, advice and activities and classes to local refugees, including art classes, crochet, table tennis, flag making, as well as an opportunity for guests to sit and chat.

It comes as the country marks Refugee Week, with this year’s theme focusing on healing.

Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan, said:

“I was delighted to be able to welcome new members of our community to Portsmouth this Refugee Week, and play a part in securing their safe arrival.

“Refugees make a huge contribution to our city and it’s vital Portsmouth does its bit in providing sanctuary to those fleeing persecution in their home countries. The work of volunteers at Saint Simons Church is inspiring and a shining example of our close-knit community.

“Sadly, government has made shamefully slow progress on Ukrainian refugees. Less than a quarter of Ukrainian refugees issued with a visa have actually arrived in the UK.

“The British public have shown strong support, but shambolic Home Office bureaucracy and delays are letting everyone down. I will continue to hold Ministers to get a grip of this and fix the Backlog Britain our country is fast becoming.”

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Portsmouth MP grills Minister for ‘dental desert’ city has become

Stephen Morgan MP has attacked the government during a debate in the House of Commons for the ‘dental desert’ the city has become as he continues to speak up over the lack of access to NHS services in the constituency

Portsmouth continues to face historic challenges in access to NHS dentistry, with research by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) showing that Portsmouth area has the 7th lowest amount of NHS dentists per 100,000 in the country, at 42.

The City MP also said during the parliamentary debate on Tuesday, that “Tory Ministers have claimed the additional £6.8 million of piecemeal funding for dentistry in the region will help, but during the local dentistry forum I convened with practitioners and representatives…they made it clear it doesn’t even begin to meet the scale of the challenge.”

Sharing a response to a dental survey he has encouraged local people to complete, the Portsmouth South MP also explained during the debate how one family had to travel to Watford every six months for dental check-ups, with no option to register with an NHS dentist in Portsmouth.

The latest action by Mr Morgan follows a range of interventions he’s been making to lobby for access to quality local health services.

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan MP, said:

“The disgraceful mismanagement and chronic underfunding of our NHS by the last twelve years of this Tory government has left Portsmouth to become a dental desert.

“It is clear Ministers are happy to simply paper over the cracks, rather than engage with the scale of the challenge at hand, clear the backlog and deliver the dental services my constituents need and deserve.

“I have been doing all I can to push decision-makers on this and to end the crisis. I have met with NHS commissioners, spoken up in debates in Parliament and questioned ministers, hosted an online forum with local dentists to hear views and ideas, met with the BDA and local dental committee, raised concerns in the local and national media and liaised with Healthwatch England and Healthwatch Portsmouth to understand patients’ views. I also launched a survey to hear the views of local residents alongside taking on casework of constituents. 

“I will continue to raise our city’s concerns with decision-makers and call on Ministers to intervene urgently to deliver the dental services my constituents need and deserve”.

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Armed Forces Week: Portsmouth MP hosts local Armed Forces community members at reception with Keir Starmer

Stephen Morgan MP welcomed a number of local members of the armed forces community at a reception in Parliament this week, with Labour Leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey, as the country prepares to mark Armed Forces Day this Saturday.

The event was attended by other Labour MPs and members of the armed forces community from across the country to celebrate the contribution service personnel, veterans and their families, both at home and abroad.

The Portsmouth South MP highlighted that from deployments abroad in response to the invasion of Ukraine, to deployments at home during the COVID 19 pandemic, the Armed Forces are essential to our national defence, our national resilience and our national NATO obligations.

Mr Morgan also stressed that the Conservatives have left our Armed Forces with weakened foundations. The Conservatives have cut the Army to its smallest size in 300 years and Ministers must halt army cuts now. Labour would also strengthen support for veterans – and boost veterans mental health support by £35m.

Armed Forces Day is held each year on the last Saturday of June to celebrate the service and sacrifice of our UK Armed Forces, veterans, and their families. This year’s events in the city will be taking place at the Historic Dockyard this Saturday.

The Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan MP, said:

“I was delighted to welcome members of our city’s armed forces community to Parliament this week to celebrate Armed Forces Day with Labour Leader Keir Starmer.

“Our Armed Forces play a crucial role in defending our communities at home and abroad. They showed total professionalism with their support during the pandemic and continue to play a crucial role in defending the UK and our NATO allies from Russian aggression.

“Labour’s commitment to our Armed Forces is unbreakable. I am deeply proud of our service men and service women, veterans and their families in Portsmouth, and I want to thank them for their incredible service as we prepare to mark Armed Forces Day later this week.”

Photo of Stephen Morgan MP with Louise Purcell and Chris Purcell. Chris is a Falklands veteran and HMS Sheffield survivor. Both Chris and Louise have raised a fantastic £1m for the Poppy Appeal from Portsmouth.

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City MP responds to High Court’s AQUIND Judicial Review ruling

Responding to news that the High Court has granted AQUIND permission to bring a Judicial Review against the Secretary of State’s decision not to allow AQUIND to go ahead, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:

“AQUIND’s desperate attempt to re-run the argument doesn’t change the facts, and it shouldn’t change the outcome. The project would bring untold disruption to our city and offers no benefits.

“Statistically these cases have a very low chance of success and I remain confident that the government’s original decision reflects Portsmouth’s united opposition to the project.

“I am pleased that the Council is discharging its responsibility to the people of Portsmouth to oppose the appeal. I will continue to work with local campaigners Let’s Stop AQUIND, follow legal proceedings closely and do everything in my power to ensure this project is stopped once and for all”.

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