Yet another example of the government handing out contracts to friends.

Dinahmo You've raised some very interesting - and concerning- issues. No doubt the Covid situation will be used as an excuse to cover up all sorts of unusual procedures, though your post notes that similar things were happening in 2010.

In The I today is an article about "unlikely NHS contracts" being allocated for the manufacture of PPE. Apparently Jolyon Maugham, who is a QC, and who runs the Good Law Project (a not-for-profit group which is seeking a judicial review of at least one of the PPE deals) has expressed particular concern about a PPE contract being given to an "opaque family fund owned through a tax haven" and said:

"The more we uncover about PPE contracts awarded by Government, the more questions arise. Enormous sums of public money have been dished out on the basis of a highly unusual process that breaks all the normal procurement rules".

Rich Head
9 hrs
"LOOK AT ALL THE MONEY WE STOLE FROM YOU AND GAVE TO OUR MATES WHILST WE LET THOUSANDS OF YOU DIE AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS RISK THEIR LIVES, BUT HERE'S A TENNER FOR A NANDOS"

Thank you to Gordon Young for compiling the list. Please share it if possible.

"£252m of public money given to Ayanda Capital, registered in Mauritius for tax dodging, to supply PPE that never appeared.

£186m of public money given to Uniserve Ltd of Essex, the UK’s largest privately owned logistics and global trade management company, to supply PPE that never appeared.

£116m of public money given to P14 Medical Ltd of Liverpool, which had liabilities exceeding assets by £485,000 in December 2019 with just £145 in the bank, for PPE that never appeared.

£108m of public money given to PestFix, with 16 employees and net assets of £19,000, for PPE that never appeared.

£14.2m and a subsequent £93.2m of public money given to Clandeboye Agencies Ltd, a confectionery wholesaler in Co Antrim, for PPE that never appeared.

£40m of public money given to Medicine Box Ltd of Sutton-in-Ashfield, despite having assets of just £6,000 in March, for PPE that never appeared.

£32m and a subsequent £16m of public money given to Initia Ventures Ltd, filed for dormancy in January this year, for PPE that never appeared.

£28m of public money given to Monarch Acoustics Ltd of Nottingham, makers of shop and office furniture, for PPE that never appeared.

£25m of public money given to Luxe Lifestyle Ltd, to supply garments for biological or chemical protection to the NHS. According to Companies House, the business was incorporated by fashion designer Karen Brost in November 2018. It appears to have no employees, no assets and no turnover.

£18.4m of public money given to Aventis Solutions Ltd of Wilmslow, with just £322 in assets, for PPE that never appeared.

£10m of public money given to Medco Solutions Ltd, incorporated on 26 March (three days after lockdown) with a share capital of just £2, for PPE that never appeared.

£1.1m of public money given to Bristol shoemaker Toffeln Ltd, had seemingly never supplied any PPE whatsoever in the past, for PPE that never appeared.

£825,000 of public money given to MGP Advisory, described as a venture and development capital business that was in danger of being struck off the companies register for failing to file accounts, for no one knows what...

Meanwhile the nurses and carers, of whom over 300 have died whilst trying to save over 65,000 lives that have now been lost, had to resort to wearing bin bags."

It really is sad that people don't seem to care. It's weird because so many claim to care about their country.

Jolyon Maugham, QC, of The Good Law Project, is seeking a judicial review of three of the PPE contracts.

There is information here about the action, including copies of the pre-action correspondence between Maugham and the government Legal Department. You can contribute to the crowdfunder if you want, link's on that page.

goodlawproject.org/news/the-ppe-fiasco/

There are details of yet another dodgy contract here:

www.crowdjustice.com/case/a-river-to-my-people/?utm_source=Good%20Law%20Project%20Updates&utm_campaign=2713f3a05c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_10_06_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_87c5650d82-2713f3a05c-66205043

It's a crowdfunder page but obviously you can read the details without having to contribute.

There have been a worrying series of contracts being awarded without full bid evaluations taking place. Covid19 is being used as a convenient excuse to sidestep proper procedure and democracy.

This is a corker, also reported in FT. bylinetimes.com/2020/07/09/another-strange-contract-the-loophole-allowing-the-government-to-avoid-ppe-procurement-rules/

GagaJo

You’re making jabs at ‘lefty’ media while admitting the current right wing government are corrupt Riverwalk? Do you see the irony there?

I think that Riverwalk was intending to forestall the 'What do you expect from the lefty Guardian' type remarks, GagaJo.

I quite often purposely avoid linking to the Guardian because I know that some people shoot the messenger (i.e the newspaper) and don't bother with the message

Riverwalk

According to the Financial Times Boris Johnson's mythical garden bridge cost taxpayers £43 MILLION.

Garden bridge

NB. The Financial Times, not the Guardian, BBC or any other lefty outfit.

That's correct. The remainder was donations. I wasn't quoting the taxpayers' cost. I suppose that one should be thankful that some Tory benefactor's money was wasted.

Er, no jabs from me Gaga - you must have missed my irony!

Or missed my many posts over the years.

You’re making jabs at ‘lefty’ media while admitting the current right wing government are corrupt Riverwalk? Do you see the irony there?

According to the Financial Times Boris Johnson's mythical garden bridge cost taxpayers £43 MILLION.

Garden bridge

NB. The Financial Times, not the Guardian, BBC or any other lefty outfit.

You're right, should be £53 million total cost. Thanks for pointing that out.

I’m not disagreeing with your OP, but I think your Maths are a bit awry ref the Garden Bridge