By Liz S
Talking of PPE and on the BBC website but currently hidden under the ‘Health’ section.
Covid Inquiry reported by the BBC on 14 July this year stated this:
Headline “Covid inquiry PPE report – key findings”
“The VIP lane system was introduced in April 2020 in England“
The policy was sharply criticised by (Baroness) Hallett who described it as a “misguided attempt at prioritisation” that “embedded unfairness in emergency procurement”.
“Sharply criticised” , “misguided attempt at prioritisation” and also “unfairness” wow that’s reprimanding them………not.
“While she said there was “no evidence of cronyism or corruption” by ministers or officials when awarding contracts, the system was “inherently biased towards those with connections to the UK government”.
“It should never be repeated in any future pandemic, she said”
Is that not a contradiction ?
“no evidence of cronyism or corruption” by ministers or officials when awarding contracts” but “inherently biased towards those with connections to the UK government”.
So basically they , the ex Tory ministers, are going to get away with awarding PPE VIP Fast lane contracts to ex Tory politicians , current Tory politicians , donors of , friends of and also family members of those who were Tory Ministers, Tory Lords and Tory MP’s ?
Also the article stated that:
“The report did not include findings on a company called PPE Medpro due to an ongoing criminal investigation into the firm, which is linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone via her husband Doug Barrowman”
“PPE Medpro was awarded government PPE contracts worth more than £200m after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers“
(Wait a minute did the Guardian newspaper in 2022 not report on leaked emails that revealed Conservative peer Michelle Mone used private email addresses to lobby Michael Gove and other ministers to secure a £203 million contract for PPE Medpro in 2020. The correspondence indicated that Gove directed her to another minister, prompting Mone to push for the use of the government’s VIP lane) ?
“The company (PPE Medpro) has already been ordered to repay £148m to the government after the High Court found it had breached a contract to supply millions of surgical gowns”
“The National Crime Agency investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been brought so far and both Barrowman and Mone have denied any wrongdoing”.
I urge you to watch on Youtube “The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money” a programme that was originally made by ITV that did not , unlike Baroness Hallett, find that there was ““no evidence of cronyism or corruption” by ministers or officials when awarding contracts“.
The establishment protecting their own – an Inquiry that seems to not want to see any punishment for those who controlled the awarding of VIP Fast lane contracts to those that the Chair of the Inquiry conceded was a case of being “inherently biased towards those with connections to the UK government”. (but also not according to her “evidence of cronyism or corruption”).
Rules for some and rules for others……..always within their UK State.
Liz S
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As I listened to the news report I was immediately aware of the apparent contradiction in Hallet’s findings. It begs the question of who is in a position to challenge her ?
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Indeed Colpermc.
That contradiction that she , Hallett, gave was even quoted by Michael Gove in his response to a Q by Channel 4 news, as part of his response stated that ““The VIP was set up by officials, manned by officials, and within the inquiry report Heather Hallet states clearly there is no evidence of corruption or criminality or cronyism on the part of ministers or officials.”
He thinks that this will put to bed any further talk of accountability and punishment for him and other Tory government Ministers, yet in 2023 he was quoted by The Times newspaper as stating that he hoped for criminal charges to be brought against Baroness Michelle Mone as quickly as possible (while erasing his own involvement).
Of course that may just be all talk by him as he knows only too well that Michelle Mone knows where the bodies are buried and so if she gets charged then she may disclose some juicy information that could also be very damaging to others in the Tory party, including him.
(So I do wonder if she will ever be charged as the fallout for the Tory party and specific individuals within it could potentially be way way too damaging for them).
Liz S
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Corrupt to the core but will very likely get away with it. It’s the British establishment don’t you know. They don’t even answer to the British courts – Michael Gove being a prime example.
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