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Because Government Press Officers are claiming Ministers were exonerated by the National Audit Office report, let's take a look at what it actually says.
(1) we cannot give assurance that government applied appropriate commercial practices
(1) we cannot give assurance that government applied appropriate commercial practices
(2) departments failed to document why particular suppliers were chosen or how conflicts of interest were managed
(3) no source was recorded for about half the VIP cases. So how could you manage conflicts of interest?
Where sources were recorded they were likely to be the private offices of Ministers.
Was Hancock's publican VIP laned?
Where sources were recorded they were likely to be the private offices of Ministers.
Was Hancock's publican VIP laned?
(4) an advisor to Liz Truss, who also had a financial stake in the Ayanda deal, lobbied civil servants to override financial concerns about the deal. The NAO seems to think his lobbying had an effect.
Remember Government had the NAO report for what it calls "fact-checking". Nevertheless it contains basic factual errors favourable to the Government. The Regs don't "recommend" details be published "within 90 days". They *mandate* publication within *30 days*.
And once you understand what Government did and didn't "fact check" you begin to read the NAO report with a far more cynical eye.
Thread inspired by this quote.
The truth is that, even in a tiny sample, Ministers did put people into the VIP lane, Ministerial advisers did lobby for their own commercial interests, and much that should have happened to identify Ministerial conflicts of interest did not.
The truth is that, even in a tiny sample, Ministers did put people into the VIP lane, Ministerial advisers did lobby for their own commercial interests, and much that should have happened to identify Ministerial conflicts of interest did not.
And if you believe that Matt Hancock had nothing to do with his ex-publican winning a lucrative contract to supply Matt Hancock's department, well, I have several 747s worth of dodgy, overpriced PPE to sell you.
