Hardly surprising after two years of travel restrictions, that this year there would be more people than usual seeking to renew their passports, but the Home Office does not seem to have made any provision.
Passports are now taking more than the stated 10 weeks. I am busy chasing urgent cases via the MP’s hotline, but even that seems overwhelmed, and I would strongly advise, wherever possible, that you ALLOW CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN TEN WEEKS to get a passport application processed.