Afzal Khan, Labour MP for Gorton in Greater Manchester, says he ‘may have broken Boris Johnson’ after grilling the PM on passport waiting times.
During yesterday’s PMQs, the Prime Minster was seen grimacing as Mr Khan addressed him over the the long turnaround times for passports.
The politician said that he had also received a late-night ‘angry letter’ from Home Secretary Priti Patel, accusing him of ‘scaremongering’.
Travellers are currently being advised to allow up to 10 weeks for new passports to be processed, owing to a surge in demand for international travel after the pandemic.
Labour MP for Gorton, Afzal Khan, discussing passport wait times at PMQs. Credit: Parliament TV
The Passport Office has insisted that there is ‘no backlog in passport processing’ but that there has been an ‘unprecedented demand’ for British passports now that travel restrictions have been lifted.
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Mr Khan began his address to the House of Commons by saying: “Mr Speaker, I’d have more sympathy for the words ‘Get on with the job’ if it had actually started in the first place,” a statement that was greeted with laughter.
He then said: “Two weeks ago, the Prime Minister told the House: ‘To the best of my knowledge, everybody is getting their passport within four to six weeks.’
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“However, the passport office is currently quoting a 10 week service time, with many of my constituents waiting well over that period.
“Cancelled summer trips could cost families over £1bn. Does the PM accept that the passport office backlog is placing additional pressure on families already struggling with the cost of living crisis?”
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Mr Johnson insisted that 91% of people are receiving their passports within six weeks, and that hundreds more staff are helping the Passport Office to catch up with demand.
He added that the huge demand is a sign of ‘the robustness of the economy’.
Labour MP for Gorton Afzal Khan at PMQs. Credit: Parliament TV
Sharing a clip of their exchange in the Commons, the Gorton MP said: “I think I may have broken @BorisJohnson.”
He later posted: “I clearly cut too close to the bone with my question on passport delays yesterday because at half past ten last night @pritipatel sent me an angry letter accusing me of scaremongering ¯_(ツ)_/¯”
The Passport Office advises: “We urge people who need a new passport to apply for one as soon as possible to ensure their passport arrives in time for the peak summer season. We do offer urgent services for applicants who need a passport more quickly. However, in busy periods these are booked quickly.
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“Customers can also help to ensure there are no delays with their application, such as using a high quality photo with a digital code, applying online and applying for a new passport more than 10 weeks before they are due to travel.
“And it is important to stress, you should not book travel until you have a valid passport – your new passport will not have the same passport number as your old one.”
Featured image: Parliament TV
UK News
The new James Bond game is full of Easter eggs – including a nod to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Even if you’re not a big gamer, you may have seen that a rather popular new James Bond game recently dropped: 007 First Light – and if you’ve played it yourself, you will have no doubt come across many Easter eggs and references throughout, including one to Manchester United.
As we happen to be currently playing it for ourselves, we’ll admit that hearing any mention of our hometown or even just quintessentially UK nods that any Brit would enjoy was likely to result in putting a grin on our faces.
That being said, apart from whenever the next FIFA—sorry, EA Sports FC drops, we weren’t expecting to hear Man United brought up in one of the biggest video games of the year.
In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that nobody has this on their 2026 bingo card.
Credit: @CaptPierce93 via r/Manchester (screenshots shared to Reddit)
It may just be a slightly tongue-in-cheek throwaway line in a cutscene, but it’s still been enjoyed by many around the world.
As player ‘CaptPierce93’ writes in his caption of his Reddit post sharing the snippet: “The game has a good splash of product placements that don’t get overwhelming; an earlier portion of the game even has radio chatter of a Manchester City and Liverpool match as well.”
He’s right as well: we’ve come across lots of different little interesting nuggets and cameos during our limited playtime, and it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to seeing what else we can spot.
While any Mancunian or true, dyed-in-the-wool United fan will no doubt squirm a little at the use of ‘Man U‘ (we’re thinking like when people ‘Manny’), it’s still pretty cool nonetheless.
You can see the specific scene in full down below.
Such a surreal few seconds.
There’s something very satisfying about hearing ‘Greenway’ – played by recognisable British actor Lennie James (Snatch, The Walking Dead, Blade Runner 2049) – utter the words “Stretford End”.
And before you ask, no, he isn’t a Red: the South Londoner is a Spurs fan and is also said to have a soft spot for Valencia, as it happens.
We’re pretty sure there aren’t any other Manc references to keep your eye out for, but we’ll let you know if we stumble upon more as we continue playing the game.
There’s something about videogame Easter eggs, in-jokes and refs like these that we never tire of; you just never know what little tidbits are going to inspire someone…
Featured Images — IO Interactive/Screenshots via Reddit
UK News
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Daisy Jackson -
9th June 2022 
