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Opposition Day
17 November 2021
Lead MP
Angela Rayner
Debate Type
General Debate
Tags
Standards & Ethics
Other Contributors: 40
At a Glance
Angela Rayner raised concerns about opposition day in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Calls on the Government to publish all details, including minutes of meetings and correspondence related to the Randox contracts awarded by the Department for Health and Social Care. Questions the integrity of the process and emphasises that there is something to hide if the Government refuses transparency.
Tony Lloyd
Lab
Manchester Central
Asks whether civil servants accompanied Ministers during meetings, highlighting the necessity for such records in maintaining democratic integrity.
Alex Cunningham
Lab
Stockton North
Supports the need for transparency and suggests that wasted taxpayers’ money should be reclaimed to spend on necessary projects like building new hospitals.
Chris Elmore
Lab
Bridgend
Critiques the absence of Conservative Members, suggesting their lack of attendance is indicative of knowing they are in the wrong.
Dawn Butler
Lab
Brent East
Congratulates the Good Law Project for uncovering evidence and raising questions about Ministers’ use of private communications for official matters.
Sam Tarry
Lab
Ilford South
Calls for accountability from the Prime Minister, noting previous records of corruption during his tenure as London Mayor.
Emma Hardy
Lab
Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Questions why companies with expertise in safety equipment were not awarded contracts despite having suitable PPE available for the NHS.
Southgate and Wood Green
Points out that Ministers using WhatsApp to make procurement decisions undermines proper probity checks inherent in official processes.
Angela Eagle
Lab
Wallasey
Suggests the current procurement process has been exploited, highlighting that emergency legislation powers were misused for personal gain rather than public good.
Barry Sheerman
Con
Harrow West
Critiques the unprecedented boycotting of an important debate, suggesting it undermines trust in the democratic process and integrity of the Government.
Lilian Greenwood
Lab
Nottingham South
Highlights constituents' anger over cronyism, corruption and wastage of taxpayers’ money through substandard procurement decisions.
Dawn Butler
Lab
Brent East
References a Byline Times article about the extent of contracts awarded to Conservative donors, further questioning Government integrity.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
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.
Chris Elmore
Lab
Bridgend
The Minister keeps referring to the House as “you”, which is inappropriate and confusing. The Government, not Opposition MPs, dealt with contracts.
Dawn Butler
Lab
Brent East
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.
Karl Turner
Lab
Kingston upon Hull East
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.
Alistair Carmichael
Lib Dem
Orkney and Shetland
Asked for minutes of telephone conference call involving Owen Paterson and Randox, questioned the exact benefit company had from engaging services of Owen Paterson.
Dawn Butler
Lab
Brent East
Asked the Minister to give way on a point.
Angela Rayner
Lab
Ashton-under-Lyne
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.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
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.
Debbie Abrahams
Lab
Oldham East and Saddleworth
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.
Chris Elmore
Lab
Bridgend
Asked the Minister directly about the voting position on the motion regarding transparency in Government procurement during the pandemic.
Alistair Carmichael
Lib Dem
Orkney and Shetland
Inquired if there was any material held by Departments that would not be disclosed under the terms of the motion for full transparency.
Brendan O'Hara
SNP
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
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.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham and Chislehurst
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.
Nigel Mills
Con
Amber Valley
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.
Tony Lloyd
Lab
Worsley and Eccles South
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.
Kate Hollern
Lab
Blackburn
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.
Owen Thompson
Lab
Taunton Deane
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.
Dawn Butler
Lab
Brent East
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.
Anneliese Dodds
Lab Co-op
Oxford East
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.
Gillian Keegan
Con
St Albans
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.
Maggie Throup
Con
Erewash
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.
Karl Turner
Lab
Kingston upon Hull East
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.
Dawn Butler
Lab
Brent East
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.
Government Response
The Minister maintained a cautious approach, stating the Government would publish documents in the House Library without specifying the exact scope. She acknowledged concerns about transparency but did not commit to releasing all requested documentation.
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