It's official: the government will resurrect the old, pre-EU blue passport after Brexit.

Immigration minister Brandon Lewis said leaving the EU gives us a "unique opportunity" to restore the blue passport, which was first introduced in the UK in 1929.

The new document will be introduced in October 2019, said Lewis, and will include updated security features including a super-strength plastic polycarbonate picture page, designed to protect against fraud.

The statement also made clear it will contain "no reference to the European Union".

Want one straight away? Too bad: British passport holders will have to wait until their passport renews. "There is no need for British passport holders to do anything ahead of their passport renewal date," added the Home Office.

Lewis said:

Leaving the EU gives us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path for ourselves in the world.

That is why I am delighted to announce that the British passport will be returning to the iconic blue and gold design after we have left the European Union in 2019.

It will also be one of the most secure travel documents in the world, with a raft of new security measures to protect against fraud and forgery.

French and German firms vie for contracts

It was reported in September that a French and German company had been shortlisted to make the new passport, alongside British banknote printer De La Rue.

That created outrage among many, with

Andrew Rosindell, chairman of the parliamentary flags and heraldry committee, telling the Sunday Times he wanted the new passport to be "manufactured in Britain in a British factory employing British people".

Today the Home Office will announce the winner of the contract in the Spring.

Design competition

In April design magazine Dezeen launched a competition for designers to create post-Brexit passports.

The shortlisted results included a suitcase-inspired version which had a different luggage item on each transparent page, and a weather-inspired document featuring "graphic interpretations of different weather phenomena".

The winner, though, struck a compromise between the burgundy passport of the EU and the old blue passport with a gradual fade between the two. Its creator, Ian Macfarlane, said it was an "honest reflection" of Brexit.