Government use of VIP lanes to award PPE contracts unlawful, court rules

PPE contract system was unlawful court rules

The government’s use of a so-called VIP lane to award PPE contracts to two companies during the first wave of the pandemic was unlawful, the high court ruled on Wednesday. A legal challenge was brought by campaign groups the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor who argued the bid process conferred unlawful preferential treatment on those with political connections, Sky News reported. The concerned the awarding of more than £340m in contracts in 2020 to pest control firm PestFix and a contract worth around £252m to the hedge fund Ayanda Capital. The judgement comes as Boris Johnson is set to face MPs at Prime Minister's Questions at midday amid calls for him to resign and after he dodged an earlier attempt to make him face the music over the Downing Street lockdown party in May 2020. It also comes off the back of a Tory sleaze scandal with Labour claiming there is a "cash for access" culture within the Conservative party. Related Links

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