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The change comes just nine months after a redesign to get rid of the EU stars following Britain’s split from Brussels. It is intended to be more inclusive of Northern Ireland which is not a part of Great Britain which consists of England, Wales and Scotland. However, the GB sticker has been used on cars from all parts of the UK when travelling abroad.<\/p>\n
It means that people will now need a UK sticker to be legal on foreign roads. Any penalties for failing to comply will depend on the rules in specific countries. <\/p>\n
The AA said the move amounted to “losing another element of British motoring”.<\/p>\n
MPs are now urging Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to think again, branding the move a waste of time and money.<\/p>\n
Previously new plates showed GB under a circle of EU stars, but on January 31 this year Mr Shapps said that would change to GB under the Union flag.<\/p>\n
“Brits will be able to drive on the Continent without GB stickers thanks to NEW reg plate with Union Flag & GB,” he tweeted.<\/p>\n
Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger hit out at the change.<\/p>\n
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“I can’t see the point. It seems to me to be a complete waste of money when we don’t need to be wasting money,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It also seems to be a slap in the face for people who are proud to be GB.”<\/p>\n
He added: “It is a waste of time, a waste of money and I don’t know why we are bothering.”<\/p>\n
Edmund King, the president of the AA, said: “From a heritage point of view, we have lots of classic cars, such as Jaguars, Spitfires, and so on, that have metal GB signs on the rear of the car.<\/p>\n
“Now I don’t propose that they take them off but what they will now have to do is have a tacky plastic UK sticker alongside it.<\/p>\n
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“So from a historic perspective, we have lost the tax disk on the windscreen and we are now losing another element of British motoring, the famed GB sticker.”<\/p>\n
Government sources said the change will make things more inclusive of Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
They said using the ‘UK’ badge will help to “promote the whole of the UK abroad”.<\/p>\n
Some number plates in Northern Ireland feature the different country code of ‘NI’ but ‘GB’ is the only officially-recognised code.<\/p>\n
The attempt to show UK unity comes amid a rumbling post-Brexit row with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol which has inflamed community tensions.<\/p>\n