Fun in the sun for family as baby’s passport arrives

A Fife family are heading to sunny Spain after receiving a passport with just hours to spare.

The document for Kirkcaldy baby Keir Hughes, thought to have been lost amid the passport crisis, arrived by special delivery on Thursday morning.

Mother Shirley McArthur had told The Courier she feared she and seven-month-old Keir would have to spend the next fortnight alone in Fife due to the delay, while partner Callum and son Jamie enjoyed the sunshine of Majorca.

After being promised the necessary documentation would arrive, all four are now set for their first family holiday together.

Miss McArthur said: “It’s fantastic. Finally, I can start packing instead of pacing the corridors and wondering if the passport is going to arrive.”

Miss McArthur, a primary school teacher, originally applied for Keir’s passport just days before news of a major backlog of applications broke.

HM Passport Office states it usually takes about three weeks for a new passport to be issued.

However, due to the highest number of applications in 14 years, this is often taking longer.