Hancock and Patel referred to SFO; Test and Trace lose 600 million tests and Javid’s back as health secretary

Matt Hancock and Priti Patel have been referred to the Serious Fraud Office for their roles in awarding PPE contracts. The prime minister’s longstanding advisor Munira Mirza has also been referred to the SFO along with the home secretary and former health secretary by the Good Law Project They claim to “have uncovered evidence that […]

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High Court rules Hancock acted unlawfully over multibillion-pound Covid contracts

Health secretary Matt Hancock acted unlawfully by failing to publish details of multibillion-pound coronavirus contracts awarded by the government, a High Court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Chamberlain said Hancock had “breached his legal obligation” by failing to publish details of the contracts within 30 days, adding the public has a right to know where […]

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NAO report on government’s £18bn Covid contracts; Starmer v Corbyn; and the PM’s green plan for UK

The highly critical National Audit Office report into the government’s awarding of £18 billion in procurement deals has been overshadowed by infighting in the Labour party and the prime minister’s green plan for the UK. The parliamentary watchdog made a number of startling findings including a lack of transparency, failures to explain why certain suppliers […]

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Govt’s warning to BBC over political bias amid PPE crisis rings hollow

The government’s warning to the BBC that the broadcaster risks losing public confidence amid accusations of political bias during the coronavirus crisis is ringing hollow. Culture secretary Oliver Dowden’s letter to the BBC’s director-general Lord Tony Hall urges him to “uphold the highest standards in relation to integrity and impartiality” while warning “any damage” to […]

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