U.K. Said to Drop Plan Requiring Passports on Travel to Ireland

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government will drop plans to tighten passport controls between Britain and its surrounding islands after resistance from lawmakers, a person familiar with the matter said.

The Home Office abandoned its effort to require people to show passports on request on journeys in the Common Travel Area, which includes the U.K., Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, according to the person, who declined to be identified.

Brown, who fought off a leadership challenge last month, is scaling back controversial policies including measures on identification cards and pensions as his Labour Party trails the Conservative opposition in polls.

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