What are the current waiting times for UK passport renewal applications?

Thanks to 14 years of Tory austerity governance! Pisses me off seeing Boris Johnson, Liz Truss already, wearing hard hats visiting factories, laying bricks, etc., pretending to be hands on and one of the people when they should be visiting the passport office, DVLA, etc., and sorting out their own public service understaffed mess! Just remember all this when you next go to the ballot box.

I put my second passport in for renewal in the UK in June. Ten weeks later they allowed me to email them for an update. Got no reply for two weeks so emailed again. A week later they replied to say they had sent me a letter. Got someone to check at my UK house for any letters and there were none. Emailed them to tell them. No reply. Then yesterday, a week after my last email, I got a number withheld call on my mobile. A gentleman with a very very strong Indian accent asked me some odd questions which I assumed were the precursor for a scam, then he said he was calling about my passport application, I could barely understand what he was saying, but he wanted a letter explaining why I still need two passports. He emailed me half an hour later confirming our conversation and said I will receive my passport “soon”. If I only had one passport I would be absolutely stuffed! Nearly 15 weeks now and I need my passport(s) for work.

Oh god, this is bad news 😭

I'm onto 11 weeks of waiting now, I rang HMPO in Liverpool to track the progress and they said it hadn't been looked as of yet, so I think it's gonna be at least another 4 or 5 weeks.

Yes many reports across the forums that 12 weeks is the new minimum. Last time mine took 2. Pre covid.