Rachel Reeves responds to new research from Transparency International UK on Covid contracts

Rachel Reeves MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, responding to new research from Transparency International UK on Covid contracts, said:

“The scale of corruption risk to vast amounts of taxpayer money revealed in this report is shocking, as is the evidence of endemic cronyism flowing through the government's contracting.

“Standards on public contracts have slipped so far under this Conservative government that this would be embarrassing if it wasn't so serious.

“Labour have consistently asked for the government to get the basics right – calling on them to publish the names of businesses that won lucrative Covid contracts through the ‘VIP fast lane’, ramp up transparency and come clean to taxpayers about the £2 billion worth of contracts that have gone to Tory friends and donors.

“Instead they’ve let cronyism and sleaze run through the core of their procurement and contracting.

“A Labour government would introduce an Integrity and Ethics Commission to clean up cronyism and raise standards for good.”