The Guardian view on British passports: blue is the colour. So what?

The new blue British passport will replace the old burgundy one. ‘Any national identity imperilled by the colour of its documents must be pretty feeble to begin with.’ Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

It is “the first real, tangible victory”; an end to “humiliation”; a proud expression of our national greatness. Friday’s speakers were not heralding a military triumph, diplomatic rout, scientific breakthrough or seminal work of art. They were lauding the news that UK passports, which already bear the British lion and unicorn, will in future be navy blue rather than the burgundy prescribed (not absolutely required) by EU membership. This, it seems, is what makes Brexit worthwhile to its loudest champions. We have traded the shade of our passports for the guarantee of simple, visa-free travel and the right to live and work in the EU – not to mention the broader economic benefits of membership. On one estimate British households are each more than £600 a year worse off following the vote. We cannot afford such self-indulgence. Any national identity imperilled by the colour of its documents must be pretty feeble to begin with: all the more reason for politicians to focus on its real challenges, instead of fixating on symbolism or making cheap gestures. Only a fragile or foolish nation would judge a passport by its cover.