In Their Position, Why Would You Not...
News11 mins ago
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.All current passports which were issued in the UK are machine readable. If you obtained your passport overseas it may not be.
http://www.ukpa.gov.uk/news/news.asp?intElement=1010
You can apply to renew your passport up to 9 months before expiration and have the extra time creditted to the new one.