Before you read
Subject: ”。A new UK passport design was launched Tuesday with tougher security measures - but immediately sparked a sexism row
Excerpt: English text from the archived bilingual edition · Chinese edition
Reference text and retained source material
”。A new UK passport design was launched Tuesday with tougher security measures - but immediately sparked a sexism row
Officials say it will be the 'most secure passport ever issued in the UK' and contains innovative features to make it more difficult for fraudsters to forge copies
These include printing using UV and infrared light, inks and watermarks and using a single sheet of paper for the personal details and a page adjoined to the back cover to prevent it being tampered with
But the Passport Office was hit by accusations of sexism as the passport features SEVEN men and only TWO women
- William Shakespeare, the playwright, who appears in a new high-security watermark
Labour MP Emily Thornberry tweeted: "Here we go again - new UK #passport has 7 men featured and just 2 women. #weexist"
But Mark Thomson, director general of the Passport Office, defended the design
He said: "It wasn't something where we said let's set out to only have two women
"In trying to celebrate the UK's creativity we tried to get a range of locations and things around the country to celebrate our triumphs over the years, so there we are."
Asked about the omission of female icons such as Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, he said: "Whenever we do these things there is always someone who wants their favourite rock band or icon in the book
"We've got 16 pages, a very finite space. We like to feel we've got a good representative view celebrating some real icons of the UK- Shakespeare, Constable and of course Elisabeth Scott herself."
The new passport also depicts scenes from famous landmarks including the London Underground, the Angel of the North, the Titanic Belfast and the Globe Theatre
It will be rolled out in a phased approach with the first due to be in circulation from December 2015
Commercial passport producer and designer De La Rue says it has already made 28 million of the new documents
A new passport is released every five years to keep security features up to date and the theme for the latest version is 'Creative United Kingdom'
Representing all four countries in the UK, the new designs also incorporate the latest in printing technology to ensure the security of the document remains the top priority
Documents for submission: using this material
Pay attention to source coverage, consistent names, seals and annexes. Before submission, check the recipient’s list for languages, statements, stamps and any further formalities.
