EMBARGOED until 22.30hrs, WEDNESDAY
7th JULY 2021
Labour has today demanded the publication of all emails and
correspondence relating to Covid testing contracts to stop “the
cover up” of a “racket”, after evidence emerged of a “fast-track”
for VIP contacts of Conservative Ministers seeking government
contracts.
The total sum of taxpayers’ money set aside for Test and Trace is
£37 billion, significantly higher than the amount spent on PPE.
Court cases, the National Audit Office and parliamentary
committees have already confirmed the existence of a VIP
“fast-track” lane for PPE contracts, with companies connected to
Conservative Ministers ten times more likely to be awarded a
contract.
Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster Angela Rayner will use Cabinet Office questions in the
House of Commons this morning [Thursday] to demand that publishes all Test and Trace contract correspondence
after Gove twice refused to turn up to Parliament last week to
take questions from MPs on government contracts and Ministers
using private emails to hand out contracts.
Labour is demanding:
- The release of all emails and correspondence relating to
Covid Test and Trace contracts after evidence emerged of a
“fast-track” VIP lane for personal contacts of Conservative
Ministers
- Details of the work carried out by staff describing
themselves as leading “VIP stakeholder engagement”, working with
Health Minister
- That , a Health
Minister who donated to Matt Hancock’s Conservative Party
leadership campaign and was appointed by Hancock to oversee
government contracts, be sacked for using a private email
account to hand out government contracts and failing to declare
meetings with firms that were awarded over £1 billion of
taxpayers’ money
- The publication of all private emails in which Ministers
discussed contracts, and immediate action to secure private
emails for the Covid public inquiry
- A fully independent investigation into Covid contracts,
fast-track VIP access and the use of private emails across
government
, Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor of
the Duchy of Lancaster, said:
“Fast tracks and VIP access for government contracts is what we
would expect from people running a racket, not governing in the
national interest.
“Under the cover of this deadly pandemic Conservative Ministers
have done everything in their power to funnel taxpayers’ money to
their friends – breaking the law in doing so and trying to avoid
scrutiny of their dodgy dealings by using their personal email
accounts and not declaring meetings.
“We cannot have more cover-ups of this abuse of taxpayers’ money.
We need a fully independent investigation into the VIP fast-track
lane for testing contracts and the endemic use of private emails
across government.”
Ends
Notes to editors
