A new report by Transparency International UK has uncovered corruption ‘red flags’ in government Covid contracts worth over £15 billion. The review, which examined more than 5,000 contracts from 400 public bodies, identified 135 high-risk contracts where investigations are warranted due to multiple concerns over transparency and fairness.
Among these, at least 28 contracts, valued at £4.1 billion, were awarded to individuals with known political ties to the Conservative Party, representing nearly 10% of the total pandemic spending. Additionally, 51 contracts passed through the controversial “VIP lane,” of which 24, worth £1.7 billion, were referred by Conservative politicians or their offices.
The report, titled Behind the Masks, also revealed that more than £30.7 billion in high-value contracts were awarded without competition, accounting for almost two-thirds of all Covid-related contract spending.
While acknowledging the urgency of the pandemic response, Transparency International criticised the government for a lack of transparency and over-reliance on non-competitive procurement, even as the initial crisis subsided. The report suggests that Covid contracts boosted some suppliers’ profits by as much as 40%, with some contracts showing up to eight warning signs of potential corruption.
Daniel Bruce, CEO of Transparency International UK, highlighted the collapse of normal checks and balances during the pandemic and called for reforms to restore public trust. He said: “The scale of corruption risk in the former government’s spending during the Covid pandemic was profound. The systemic weaknesses and political choices allowed cronyism to flourish, all enabled by woefully inadequate public transparency.”
Bruce also pointed out that no other country used a system like the UK’s VIP lane during their Covid response, underscoring the uniqueness of the UK’s approach and the risks it posed.
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