Yet more Tory dodgy business exposed

HarryVegas

HarryVegas

Well-known member
...courtesy of The Good Law Project...

On Monday we published a short post, pointing out that the so-called “transparency” data - which is supposed to list all of the external meetings Ministers have - failed to mention a meeting on 1 April 2020 that Lord Bethell had with Abingdon shortly before his department awarded it the first of two contracts worth up to £87.5m in total.

The contracts - which Good Law Project is challenging in the High Court - are highly controversial not least because Government’s own lawyers advised they were unlawful.

Government blamed the missing meeting on an “admin error” and responded on Tuesday by publishing an updated list of the external meetings Lord Bethell had, including the 1 April meeting with Abingdon:
84642792-53ed-fe54-6e94-4e4878d017a7.png
The problem is that the updated list is also wrong.

First, the updated list doesn’t make any mention of a meeting Matt Hancock had on 1 April 2020 with a group of would-be test suppliers.
6ee19152-c575-a8d9-7ac8-a468de104e89.png
We know that it took place because we have the emails.

Here is an invitation to a conference call at 5pm issued to “Excalibur Health” - no mention of this meeting appears in the so-called transparency data. We also know that other providers including Abingdon received the same invitation.
5cc3a2e9-6359-2ae9-3a28-50d1ce4d4a30.jpg
Indeed, it looks very much as though Matt Hancock had two meetings with Abingdon.

Here is a further email setting out that Matt Hancock wanted to join a second, follow-up, private call with Abingdon later that evening at 19.10.
24673c59-0b3f-99ec-a644-decb954ff51d.jpg
The so-called transparency data, even in its revised form, fails to mention his attendance at either.

Government will, no doubt, say they made a second “admin error” in correcting the first “admin error”. And perhaps you are inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it is merely gross, and repeated, incompetence.

But even the most sweetly trusting of us must wonder whether the real explanation is that this is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public as to the former Secretary of State’s involvement in the ill-fated and unlawful Abingdon deal.

Thank you,

Jo Maugham
Director of Good Law Project
 
HarryVegas said:
...courtesy of The Good Law Project...

​
On Monday we published a short post, pointing out that the so-called “transparency” data - which is supposed to list all of the external meetings Ministers have - failed to mention a meeting on 1 April 2020 that Lord Bethell had with Abingdon shortly before his department awarded it the first of two contracts worth up to £87.5m in total.

The contracts - which Good Law Project is challenging in the High Court - are highly controversial not least because Government’s own lawyers advised they were unlawful.

Government blamed the missing meeting on an “admin error” and responded on Tuesday by publishing an updated list of the external meetings Lord Bethell had, including the 1 April meeting with Abingdon:
​
84642792-53ed-fe54-6e94-4e4878d017a7.png
​
The problem is that the updated list is also wrong.

First, the updated list doesn’t make any mention of a meeting Matt Hancock had on 1 April 2020 with a group of would-be test suppliers.
​
6ee19152-c575-a8d9-7ac8-a468de104e89.png
​
We know that it took place because we have the emails.

Here is an invitation to a conference call at 5pm issued to “Excalibur Health” - no mention of this meeting appears in the so-called transparency data. We also know that other providers including Abingdon received the same invitation.
​
5cc3a2e9-6359-2ae9-3a28-50d1ce4d4a30.jpg
​
Indeed, it looks very much as though Matt Hancock had two meetings with Abingdon.

Here is a further email setting out that Matt Hancock wanted to join a second, follow-up, private call with Abingdon later that evening at 19.10.
​
24673c59-0b3f-99ec-a644-decb954ff51d.jpg
​
The so-called transparency data, even in its revised form, fails to mention his attendance at either.

Government will, no doubt, say they made a second “admin error” in correcting the first “admin error”. And perhaps you are inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it is merely gross, and repeated, incompetence.

But even the most sweetly trusting of us must wonder whether the real explanation is that this is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public as to the former Secretary of State’s involvement in the ill-fated and unlawful Abingdon deal.

Thank you,

Jo Maugham
Director of Good Law Project
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It feels like it is time to start building a gallows.

Rotten to the core, but we'll go after benefits claimants and disabled people with two empty bedrooms.
 
I’m pretty sure that anything that can be will be attributed to the recently resigned Hancock, rightly or wrongly he’ll be the go to guy for any indiscretion or bad practice, his availability to blame has come at a good time for others with involvement in this racket and reduces his chances of any front bench redemption, expect a seat in the Lords and a footnote in history, alongside a non-executive directorship honorarium for services rendered.
 
American_Mary said:
I’m pretty sure that anything that can be will be attributed to the recently resigned Hancock, rightly or wrongly he’ll be the go to guy for any indiscretion or bad practice, his availability to blame has come at a good time for others with involvement in this racket and reduces his chances of any front bench redemption, expect a seat in the Lords and a footnote in history, alongside a non-executive directorship honorarium for services rendered.
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Lord Hancock by 2022. Thereto to be nicknamed Lord of the Lies.
 
American_Mary said:
I’m pretty sure that anything that can be will be attributed to the recently resigned Hancock, rightly or wrongly he’ll be the go to guy for any indiscretion or bad practice, his availability to blame has come at a good time for others with involvement in this racket and reduces his chances of any front bench redemption, expect a seat in the Lords and a footnote in history, alongside a non-executive directorship honorarium for services rendered.
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He’ll be back on the front bench in the next reshuffle imo. It’s how Boris rolls, todays news is tomorrow’s chip shop paper.
 
American_Mary said:
I’m pretty sure that anything that can be will be attributed to the recently resigned Hancock, rightly or wrongly he’ll be the go to guy for any indiscretion or bad practice, his availability to blame has come at a good time for others with involvement in this racket and reduces his chances of any front bench redemption, expect a seat in the Lords and a footnote in history, alongside a non-executive directorship honorarium for services rendered.
Click to expand...
I reckon he was always set up to be the fall guy, only it's come sooner than they wanted. Bets on Gavin Williamson being the next fall guy?
 
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