Following the High Court’s ruling that it was illegal for Ministers to use a “VIP lane” for multi-million-pound PPE contracts, fresh calls were made for the Covid-19 public inquiry to investigate.
Earlier in the week, the High Court ruled that the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) use of a “VIP lane” to award contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) to two companies was unlawful. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor took the legal action, claiming the DHSC unlawfully awarded contracts to supply PPE – such as gowns and medical quality facemasks – during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The groups took legal action over more than £340m in contracts awarded to pest control product supplier PestFix, and a contract worth about £252m to hedge fund, Ayanda Capital.
Covid-19 Public Inquiry to Start Now:
Deputy Labour Leader, Angela Rayner called for the Government to start the inquiry “now” and include detailed examination of how PPE contracts were awarded.
“While hard-working NHS staff were going without PPE. Tory politicians saw an opportunity to line their cronies’ pockets,” she said. “A judge has now ruled the VIP lane unlawful but that may be just the tip of the iceberg.” Chaired by Baroness Hallett, the Covid-19 public inquiry is due to start work in the Spring.
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said the VIP lane “must be part of the public inquiry into Covid.”
The Judge, Mrs Justice O’Farrell ruled that while the use of the VIP lane, officially known as the “high priority lane” was unlawful, she found that both companies’ offers “justified priority treatment” on their merits and were “very likely” to have been awarded contracts even without it.
Ayanda and PestFix rejected accusations of “cronyism.”
