🚨 Civil Servants Felt Pressured Into Giving ‘Special Treatment’ to Conservative-Connected COVID PPE Supplier Emails reveal officials felt threatened by firms benefiting from “back-scratching” by Conservative ministers My latest report for @bylinetimes.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/c... - ThreadSky

russellscott1.bsky.social • 9 days ago

🚨 Civil Servants Felt Pressured Into Giving ‘Special Treatment’ to Conservative-Connected COVID PPE Supplier

Emails reveal officials felt threatened by firms benefiting from “back-scratching” by Conservative ministers

My latest report for @bylinetimes.bsky.social

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/covid-inquiry-vip-fast-lane/

Comments

russellscott1.bsky.social•9 days ago

Officials joked somebody should submit a FOI to ascertain how many VIP lane suppliers had “party connections”, because “it would be on the high side based on what I have seen going on”.

Another official described the. VIP lane as: “Definitely a thing for mates … lots of back-scratching!”

fryern10.bsky.social•7 days ago

Michelle Mone laughing from her yacht, drinking champagne.

russellscott1.bsky.social•9 days ago

👀 Civil servants were concerned by the “noise” from VIP supplier who was threatening “escalation to Tory Peer Lord Feldman”

The pressure appeared to pay off and the offer was processed “ASAP”

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/covid-inquiry-vip-fast-lane/

russellscott1.bsky.social•9 days ago

👀 In an email sent on 31 March 2020, just one week into the first national lockdown, officials flagged the risk of VIP suppliers complaining to Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and Gove if they didn’t respond promptly enough to the supplier.

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/covid-inquiry-vip-fast-lane/

russellscott1.bsky.social•9 days ago

👀 Civil servants felt “totally swamped” by the number of VIP cases that kept coming in and despite working up to 15 hours per day could not keep up with the “volume of emails”.

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/covid-inquiry-vip-fast-lane/

russellscott1.bsky.social•9 days ago

👀officials reported of “unfair” behaviour of PPE supplier close ties Tory MP Robert Jenrick.

“I was concerned about Mr Morris because his persistence was extreme and he threatened to report me to Mr Jenrick when he met him later that evening in one phone call. I thought his behaviour was unfair.”

russellscott1.bsky.social•9 days ago

Full report here: https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/21/covid-inquiry-vip-fast-lane/

zegthedalek.bsky.social•7 days ago

The other side of the coin was the companies that had the capability to produce PPE but didn't have the connections. Their offers disappeared into the luminiferous ether.

ellenfraser.bsky.social•4 days ago

What's happened with:
1. The Covid corruption inquiry
2. The corruption Czar
3. Michelle Mone
4. Dido Harding
5. UK tax payer missing NHS Covid T&T £billions + £billions
- Asking for a friend...

martinput.bsky.social•9 days ago

Is this deliberate mischief, releasing such articles on the day BoJo wants the headlines to be about his Friday piece for the Daily Fail?

colinwilson.uk•7 days ago

📌

adybee.bsky.social•8 days ago

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