Unfortunately, there are some are some counter-flows in UK government
At one time, some time ago, consulates and embassies actually did something to justify their existence like processing passports. Now, in an effort to reduce passport issuance costs - but not deployed diplomatic staff levels - passports are processed in various world regional centres, prior to the documents being forwarded to the UK for actual passport manufacture/issuance.
The next stage is supposed to be the complete process is handled entirely within the UK with the present outposts being retired.
This means that passport issuance will often occur when thousands of miles separate the applicant from the issuing office.
When I renewed my passport a couple of years ago, having been out of the UK continuously for 40 years, I, once again, used the same picture as five years before, just skillfully aged by a Photoshop craftsman, and with facial hair added and a few tweaks about the eyes/eyebrows. Not one official verified anything about me in person!
'Mad Hatter' MAY is besotted with technology. Technically minded people know that the more 'machines' and the fewer people involved the greater the increase in failure.
Take telephone 'Blueboxing'. Forty years ago practitioners had to know how to use operator phraseology convincingly but as automation increased so did the ease of placing fraudulent calls. The only thing that has changed of late is the alternative 'free' technologies such as VOIP.
The ever-crazy MAY thinks technology is the answer to spying on everyone is a multi-billion Pound 'toy' for GCHQ which already dated with the introduction of Silent Circle which costs USD$20/month - well within terrorists budgets.
China, with blanket CCTV coverage, and minimal civil rights, with detailed ID cards with biometrics, still has trouble actually locating/tracking people. Identification technologies might be good in ideal circumstances but in real, every day life, there is, thankfully, much to be desired - .far too many false 'hits'
Next time you bump into an eye scanner, cross your eyes or wear heavy framed eyeglasses. The finger print scanners really 'love' you pushing hard on the sensors.
But the civil servants will convince themselves things are safe until the next 'incident' occurs (an airline expression). Then they will buy more high-tech junk and the farce will repeat.