With the embattled United Kingdom (UK) government of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson ‘aka ‘Boris’ facing strong allegations of corruption and cronyism, the BBC is reporting that its investigation has unearthed that the owner of a dog food firm brokered Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) deals worth £258m between the government and a Hong Kong firm. Photo: Telegraph

London-based Zoe Ley, a dog food vendor, is likely to have been paid at last £1m by the firm for her work in securing the deals last spring when the UK was short of PPE, the BBC reported on March 15, 2021. Photo: Getty Images

The UK Government has faced repeated claims of cronyism over its £18billion rush to source PPE and other equipment during the COVID-19 crisis, with ministers criticised for handing lucrative contracts to personal contacts with no experience in the sector. Photo: Pickfords

London-based Zoe Ley is likely to have been paid at last £1m by the firm for her work in securing the deals last spring when the UK was short of PPE, the BBC reported on March 15, 2021.

Ms Ley, according to the BBC, says she was approached by the UK's COVID-19 taskforce when it was "seeking urgent assistance" to get PPE.

The government of PM Johnson denies this.

Cronyism?

The BBC reported that when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, rising global demand for PPE - including orders for gowns, gloves and face masks - led to shortages and a scramble for supplies for NHS workers.

Because of this, the UK government began awarding PPE contracts under emergency terms in which deals were handed to companies based on price and quality but without direct competition.

“This has led to concerns over a lack of clarity about why particular suppliers were chosen and accusations that a so-called high-priority lane favoured firms with political connections,” the BBC stated.

More revelations!

It was also noted by the BBC that the contract for one of the Worldlink deals - a £178m agreement to buy protective goggles for health workers - was only made public last week, after Panorama contacted the government. It blamed an "admin error" for having not published the deal earlier.

It also said the contract for one of the Worldlink deals was one of 100 Covid-related contracts that remained unpublished when Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs last month they were "on the record for everyone to see".

In a ruling on Friday, February 19, 2021, Mr Justice Chamberlain said: ‘There is now no dispute that, in a substantial number of cases, the Secretary of State, Matthew J. D. Hancock, breached his legal obligation to publish contract award notices within 30 days of the award of contracts.

“There is also no dispute that the Secretary of State failed to publish redacted contracts in accordance with the transparency policy,” the judge stated.

The UK Government is required by law to publish a ‘contract award notice’ within 30 days of the award of any contracts for public goods or services worth more than £120,000.

Indictment ‘should spell the end of the culture of cronyism’

Labour MP Debbie Abrahams had said in a tweet: ‘The significance of this ruling cannot be underestimated. It seems odd having to make this point but the Government must act within the law when awarding contracts.’

Green Party’s Caroline Lucas had said: ‘This indictment of Government secrecy should spell the end of the culture of cronyism which has swallowed billions of pounds of public money during COVID crisis.’