Johnson threatens to ‘privatise the arse’ off Passport Office and DVLA

Boris Johnson has threatened to “privatise the arse” off the Passport Office, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and other under-performing public bodies.

The Prime Minister told cabinet colleagues that he wanted to end the  “post-Covid mañana culture” among arms-length public bodies, which now have huge backlogs, by increasing scrutiny.

Senior government sources also say that that Johson delivered a “very bullish challenge” to ministers to grow the economy as the cost of living crisis begins to bite.

The Passport Office is facing an influx of applications from people looking to go on overseas holidays for the first time post-Covid, after millions of people did not renew their passports during lockdown.

This has led to thousands of applications breaching the body’s 10-week target and forcing many Brits to cancel their overseas holidays.

Others have been forced to pay £150 to fast-track their application in a bid to make their flight.

The DVLA is facing similar post-Covid backlogs, particularly among those with medical conditions or who have submitted paper applications for a new driving licence.

It has been reported that 200,000 people with medical conditions have waited for more than 10 weeks to get their results.

Speaking about the Passport Office delays, immigration minister Kevin Foster said: “We would advise people this is a virtually unprecedented surge in demand, and if people are planning to travel this summer we would advise them to get their application in as soon as possible.”