British passports to have EU treaty stickers

British passports to have EU treaty stickers

Last Updated: 1:30AM BST 12/05/2008

British tourists will be asked to put stickers declaring the rights of European Union "nationals" on the back of their passports, it emerged on Sunday.

The European Commission has told the Government that stickers quoting the EU's founding treaty must be distributed to as many people as possible.

But the Tories have called the move another attempt to encroach on Britain's consular power and said the Government should tell the EU to back off.

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, above, said: "Once again the EU is desperate to muscle in on passports. Our Government should remind them that British passports are still primarily Britain's business. The danger is that this is all part of a broader Brussels agenda to extend their control over how people are looked after abroad," he said.

"Now it's passports – next it could be visas and embassies."