More court details from the Good Law Project...

[HarryVegas]

"Dear Harry

Today in the High Court, Government's lawyers set out their defence to our legal challenge over PPE contracts handed to “VIP” companies. Government claims that companies in the VIP Lane did not materially benefit from their special treatment and that it was simply a different route by which they could win contracts.

The evidence tells a different story.

Emails between officials reveal that companies with a political connection were given priority. A key member of the VIP Lane team wrote, ‘Speaking personally, I don’t want a middling VIP lead prioritised over a credible high priority lead any more than you do...However, if two leads are otherwise equal priority and one is VIP, some weighting to the VIP is helpful.’

In another exchange, an official set out how companies placed in the “VIP” Lane should be treated, explaining “Follow standard procedure, but take a little more time over correspondence, ‘hand-holding’ the supplier where necessary”. They followed up to say, ”Personally, I’ve found VIP cases require about three times the time of a standard case.”

What is perhaps most striking about Government's defence of the “VIP” Lane is its apparent determination to keep quiet the details of the politically-connected beneficiaries - and which Ministers or senior officials referred them. When the National Audit Office, the official spending watchdog, investigated the award of PPE contracts, Government intervened to prevent it from revealing the names of companies in the “VIP” Lane.

If the Government really has nothing to hide, why doesn’t it just come clean? Thanks to information uncovered through this litigation, we will be publishing details of a slew of other “VIPs” very shortly. Watch this space.

Thank you,

Jo Maugham
Director of Good Law Project"

 

[Chris_Boro]

No material benefits, hmm, other than actually being awarded multi million pound contracts they would never have been awarded through competitive tender.

 

[Laughing]

No material benefits, hmm, other than actually being awarded multi million pound contracts they would never have been awarded through competitive tender.

Competative tender was never required after the introduction of the emergency covid bill. It's not even forming part of the glp litigation. The issue is simply low quality companies with no medical equipment expertise being prioritised over companies who not only had experience but had available stock, some within the UK.

 

[Chris_Boro]

Competative tender was never required after the introduction of the emergency covid bill. It's not even forming part of the glp litigation. The issue is simply low quality companies with no medical equipment expertise being prioritised over companies who not only had experience but had available stock, some within the UK.

Yes, not competitive tender in its normal sense but had a "VIP" lane not existed then natural competition would have meant these companies got nowhere near the front of the queue and likely would never even have bothered.

For the government to suggest they received no benefit by being a "VIP" is ludicrous.

 

[Laughing]

Yes, not competitive tender in its normal sense but had a "VIP" lane not existed then natural competition would have meant these companies got nowhere near the front of the queue and likely would never even have bothered.

For the government to suggest they received no benefit by being a "VIP" is ludicrous.

That's not the case either I am afraid. The vip Lane was set up to avoid mp's having to act as go betweens. That is the government's argument.

It was wrong and it was abused but I am not so sure that, from a legal perspective, it will impact the government much.

This is exactly why the flat scandal is being pursued because it has teeth in holding Johnson directly to account as do his over priced nandos.

The vip Lane, once set up was handled by the civil service procurement Committee and they will take most of the blame whilst the government gets a slap on the wrist.

 

[zzzzz]

I was an expert witness in a business case that ended up at the Royal Courts of Justice.
It invloved a guy so croocked that at one time he'd actually been on '"The Cook Report" if people of a certain age can remember that.
He was sueing a Company for NOT instlalling a major utility through his land.
His in-house legal expert was a struck-off Barrister

The case lasted a couple of weeks and not only did he win he also got the costs as well. An utter miscarriage of justice.

Up to that point I'd often heard that you could buy results in court and never really believed it. The gangsters's legal firm was the same one the Queen uses and the Utility Company had employed a very competent (they did everything they could well) but non-connected Legal firm.

Nothing that comes out of the courts surprises me any more.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

I was an expert witness in a business case that ended up at the Royal Courts of Justice.
It invloved a guy so croocked that at one time he'd actually been on '"The Cook Report" if people of a certain age can remember that.
He was sueing a Company for NOT instlalling a major utility through his land.
His in-house legal expert was a struck-off Barrister

The case lasted a couple of weeks and not only did he win he also got the costs as well. An utter miscarriage of justice.

Up to that point I'd often heard that you could buy results in court and never really believed it. The gangsters's legal firm was the same one the Queen uses and the Utility Company had employed a very competent (they did everything they could well) but non-connected Legal firm.

Nothing that comes out of the courts surprises me any more.

Corrupt UK

 

[zzzzz]

what was your expertise ?

"He was sueing a Company for NOT instlalling a major utility through his land."

 

[Caesium137]

"He was sueing a Company for NOT instlalling a major utility through his land."

So you were in the Army?

 

[Chris_Boro]

That's not the case either I am afraid. The vip Lane was set up to avoid mp's having to act as go betweens. That is the government's argument.

It was wrong and it was abused but I am not so sure that, from a legal perspective, it will impact the government much.

This is exactly why the flat scandal is being pursued because it has teeth in holding Johnson directly to account as do his over priced nandos.

The vip Lane, once set up was handled by the civil service procurement Committee and they will take most of the blame whilst the government gets a slap on the wrist.

Not arguing against any of that, my point is purely on the statement that those companies gained no material benefit from being in the "VIP" lane.

It's very existence was a material benefit.

 

[bear66]

Not arguing against any of that, my point is purely on the statement that those companies gained no material benefit from being in the "VIP" lane.

It's very existence was a material benefit.

The name gives it away . . .

 

[BlindBoyGrunt]

If you put the names of all the interested companies into a hat, how hard would it be to randomly pick out so many that had no track record and a connection to the Conservative Party?

 

[Laughing]

Not arguing against any of that, my point is purely on the statement that those companies gained no material benefit from being in the "VIP" lane.

It's very existence was a material benefit.

Yup you're right. I guess my point was not so much that the tories did nothing wrong, of course they did, but I am not sure the VIP lane will get them in to much bother. The case finishes tomorrow I believe. It will be interesting to hear the ruling.

I read in the guardian today some of Jolyon Muagham's comments were interesting. He said, amongst other things that the governments lawyers are rooting for him as they are cheesed of with the level of incompetence and corruption in government.