Tory failures blamed as Passport Office pays out record sums for delays

Documents show ministers knew of problems with office before it was overwhelmed by post-Covid surge

The government has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ cash after being forced to pay record levels of compensation to people affected by disruption at the Passport Office.

New figures show that £3.1m was paid out in “reimbursements” in the seven months to December 2022, significantly more than the £2.2m paid out in the whole of 2021-22.