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15-05-2021, 07:03 PM
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Priti Patel accused of lobbying for face mask firm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57129745

In May 2020, Ms Patel wrote a letter to Mr Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, about a company called Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd that was in talks with the government about an order for face masks.

She said the government's "late stage" decision not to use the company had caused problems for the firm.

"I would be most grateful if you could review this matter urgently," she wrote in the letter to Mr Gove.

The contact at Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd was a man called Samir Jassal +, a Conservative activist who Ms Patel knew. According to his LinkedIn, he worked as an adviser to Ms Patel between 2014 and 2015 and on social media describes her as a "good friend".

Health Secretary Matt Hancock wrote back to Ms Patel to say the masks being offered by the firm were "not suitable for use in the NHS".

But the company was later awarded a contract in July 2020, worth just under £103m *, to supply a different type of mask.

The letters have come to light as part of a legal challenge by the Good Law Project. Jolyon Maugham, director of the campaign, said: “Why did Jassal, a man connected to past and present Tory PMs, ministers and peers, reach out to Priti Patel for help? What was his role in winning the £103 million contract? What relationship did his connections with the party have to the £103 million contract won by Pharmaceuticals Direct?"
+ Mr Jassal has stood as a Conservative candidate at two general elections and has met Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

* Sheer coincidence …..
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15-05-2021, 08:38 PM
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Re: Priti Patel accused of lobbying for face mask firm

.. .. "the company was later awarded a contract in July 2020, worth just under £103m , to supply a different type of mask".
So the correct type of mask was sourced and supplied in times of great need. That's a win for common sense and those in need of these masks, irrespective of the supplier or the supply route.
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15-05-2021, 08:39 PM
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Re: Priti Patel accused of lobbying for face mask firm

Originally Posted by LongDriver ->
.. .. "the company was later awarded a contract in July 2020, worth just under £103m , to supply a different type of mask".
So the correct type of mask was sourced and supplied in times of great need. That's a win for common sense and those in need of these masks, irrespective of the supplier or the supply route.
Of course it is .....
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29-05-2021, 01:39 AM
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Re: Priti Patel accused of lobbying for face mask firm

Priti Patel's SECOND bid to help her friend win PPE deal worth millions - amid calls for probe over whether her lobbying broke rules

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-millions.html

Priti Patel was last night facing fresh questions over whether she breached the Ministerial Code by lobbying to help her former adviser land multimillion pound PPE deals.

Leaked documents now show the Home Secretary pressed ministers and officials intervened to give a previously unreported £28.8million contract to a firm represented by Samir Jassal.

Her second intervention to help Mr Jassal came days after she tried to secure a separate £20million deal for the same firm, Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited (PDL) in an alleged 'glaring and flagrant' breach of the Code.
The documents relating to the new contract also show how No10 head of policy Munira Mirza introduced procurement officials to the company's sales chief, Surbjit Shergill, a former bricklayer.

The £28.8million deal for surgical masks was awarded to PDL without competition six days after Miss Patel contacted procurement officials and to tell them what the firm was offering. She also – at PDL's request – contacted Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on the firm's behalf.

And PDL went on to get a further no-competition contract for masks worth £102.6million for which the Government paid almost double its own 'benchmark' price.

Last night, Miss Patel insisted she did nothing wrong, and her spokesman described claims that she has as 'false'.
Well, she would, and he would, say that, wouldn't they .....

Call for Lord Geidt and the bucket of whitewash .....
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29-05-2021, 09:23 AM
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Re: Priti Patel accused of lobbying for face mask firm

Priti Patel suggested ministers - including herself - breaking the rules isn’t important because they’re doing “difficult jobs, actually.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politi...paign=exchange

And the Home Secretary, who was found to have broken the ministerial code over accusations of bullying, said the rulebook is currently being “reviewed” *.

Asked, considering her own breach of the code - and the fact that Boris Johnson is under investigation over alleged breaches of the same rules - whether the code still matters, Ms Patel told the BBC’s Andrew Marr:
“Well, look, the ministerial code is there for a reason - and there's work taking place at the moment in terms of reviewing that *. I think at this stage this isn't about breaking codes and things of that nature, we're all just getting on in government, doing very difficult jobs actually, coming out of this pandemic. All ministers are focused on doing their job.”
* Rewritten by BJ to let ministers get away with (almost) anything .....
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30-05-2021, 05:24 PM
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Re: Priti Patel accused of lobbying for face mask firm

Originally Posted by Omah ->
Priti Patel suggested ministers - including herself - breaking the rules isn’t important because they’re doing “difficult jobs, actually.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politi...paign=exchange



* Rewritten by BJ to let ministers get away with (almost) anything .....

Ooh like we give a shit
 

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