Opposition Day

Asks whether civil servants accompanied Ministers during meetings, highlighting the necessity for such records in maintaining democratic integrity.

Supports the need for transparency and suggests that wasted taxpayers’ money should be reclaimed to spend on necessary projects like building new hospitals.

Critiques the absence of Conservative Members, suggesting their lack of attendance is indicative of knowing they are in the wrong.

Congratulates the Good Law Project for uncovering evidence and raising questions about Ministers’ use of private communications for official matters.

Calls for accountability from the Prime Minister, noting previous records of corruption during his tenure as London Mayor.

Questions why companies with expertise in safety equipment were not awarded contracts despite having suitable PPE available for the NHS.

Points out that Ministers using WhatsApp to make procurement decisions undermines proper probity checks inherent in official processes.

Suggests the current procurement process has been exploited, highlighting that emergency legislation powers were misused for personal gain rather than public good.

Critiques the unprecedented boycotting of an important debate, suggesting it undermines trust in the democratic process and integrity of the Government.

Highlights constituents' anger over cronyism, corruption and wastage of taxpayers’ money through substandard procurement decisions.

References a Byline Times article about the extent of contracts awarded to Conservative donors, further questioning Government integrity.

Raises concerns over continued preferential treatment for Randox in current procurement processes, suggesting potential ongoing issues with fairness.

We have risen to meet the greatest public health challenge in a generation, by working together. The equipment we had was in universities and NHS labs but they did not have the scale needed, so we built the largest testing infrastructure in Europe with the ability to test millions of people daily.

The Minister keeps referring to the House as “you”, which is inappropriate and confusing. The Government, not Opposition MPs, dealt with contracts.

Clarifies that the Government did not deliver the moonshot and diverted £100 billion to local councils and authorities for vaccine roll-out. Cautioned against twisting the truth.

Acknowledged the wonderful team effort in finding and developing vaccines but criticised issues with equipment contracts and testing contracts not being transparent or above board.

Asked why Arco, a long-standing supplier to NHS for 135 years, was blocked from the VIP lane.

Noted that faulty Randox tests had been withdrawn but then awarded £350 million contract subsequently. Asked why this happened.

Asked for minutes of telephone conference call involving Owen Paterson and Randox, questioned the exact benefit company had from engaging services of Owen Paterson.

Asked the Minister to give way on a point.

Welcomed the Minister’s comments but reminded her that the process was not followed and there are questions about how Ministers fast-tracked through a VIP lane. She mentioned that part of the reason for tabling this motion was due to transparency issues.

Suggested that what happened in England and UK during the pandemic was similar to what happened elsewhere, citing examples from Scotland where £500 million-worth of contracts were given without competition.

Asked the Minister to give way, then mentioned that he has a lot of time for her but criticised Lord Bethell's actions as unacceptable in procurement. He highlighted systemic issues within Government and provided an example from his experience.

Corrected the Minister’s statements regarding Exercise Cygnus, Exercise Alice, and the publication of contracts which she found to be unlawful. She detailed how Government actions led to procurement issues.

Asked the Minister directly about the voting position on the motion regarding transparency in Government procurement during the pandemic.

Inquired if there was any material held by Departments that would not be disclosed under the terms of the motion for full transparency.

Supported the motion proposed by Angela Rayner regarding full transparency on procurement issues during the pandemic. He criticised the Government's defence and highlighted concerns about political connections influencing contracts.

Complained that he was not allowed to intervene earlier, then pointed out issues with Lord Bethell holding meetings during the period of fast-tracking pandemic contracts without proper documentation.

Defended Randox as a major employer and highlighted its capability in delivering large-scale testing at the time when capacity was needed most.

Takes accusations of corruption seriously but suggests that given the emergency situation, mistakes were bound to happen. Advocates for comprehensive transparency and publication of procurement processes despite risks.

Highlights the importance of discussing potential corruption in government actions during emergencies and criticises the lack of integrity and transparency from the Government. Emphasises that the public has no confidence in the current situation.

Raises concerns over contract allocation for Randox tests, emphasising serious shortcomings identified by civil servants. Criticises delay and lack of transparency from the Government regarding test kit availability and failures in procurement processes.

The Government's actions during the pandemic reveal a systemic issue of corruption facilitated by an absence of strict rules and oversight. The use of VIP lanes for awarding contracts without competition demonstrates that the system enables rule-breaking rather than preventing it.

The National Audit Office reported a lack of necessary paperwork to provide a full and correct report on contract awards, indicating potential impropriety. Companies with questionable practices were awarded contracts worth millions of pounds, such as Topham Guerin, which had misleading election ads and received £3 million from the Government. The NAO also found that a company was mistakenly placed in the VIP lane but still managed to secure a £350 million contract.

The situation with Randox is alarming due to the lack of transparency in awarding contracts worth £500 million without proper tendering or competition. The Government's actions, such as warning people not to use Randox testing kits and recalling 750,000 tests because they were not up to standard, highlight failures that cost lives during the pandemic. Dodds calls for transparency in releasing all documentation related to these contracts and procurement processes.

Minister responds by suggesting the Government will publish documents related to the debate, but does not provide specifics on the scope of information that will be released. She acknowledges concerns raised about transparency and conflicts of interest but refrains from committing to full disclosure.

The Government are not intending to vote against the Humble Address. They will review what information they hold in scope, come back to Parliament and deposit it in the Library of the House. The debate addressed important issues such as how to ensure a fast and fair system during challenges. One lesson is that when we work together, incredible things can be achieved. Randox laboratories have carried out over 15 million tests for covid-19 with positive assessments from independent reviews, helping to control the pandemic. All contracts are awarded in accordance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and monitored closely against key performance indicators. The Government's partnership with Randox reflects facing a global pandemic with genuine fears of running out of testing equipment. Arco was also awarded contracts for PPE.

Asked the Minister about 750,000 testing kits put into care homes that were no good at all and what she has to say about it. Also questioned if Randox was given special treatment.

Suggested that while the Minister praised partnerships among universities, health service, and private sector, university research facilities and NHS testing labs could do with more funding than what has been allocated so far.

Asked the Minister to confirm that the public did not pay for test kits that Randox threw away, suggesting the Minister missed most of the debate and failed to address conversations had earlier.