Rifkind firm awarded NHS contract despite charging £7 million more than NHS – Pride’s Purge
Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
Tom Pride is incandescent in his pursuit of Malcolm Rifkind today. He writes:
The Cameron government has awarded an £80 million NHS contract to a private firm despite the company charging taxpayers £7 million more than an NHS consortium bidding against it:
Stoke NHS hospital scanning contract won by private firm
The government, however, hasn’t said why the firm – Alliance Medical Group – won the contract despite its bid being so much more expensive.
That’s because the bidding process was for some reason secret.
He goes on to suggest that it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact that a director of the firm is none other than disgraced ‘cash for access‘ Tory MP Malcolm Rifkind.
Read the full article on Pride’s Purge.
Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
bringing you the best of the blogs.
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
nice, same thing happenes everywhere!!
It was never about saving money only redirecting it to themselves getting their grubby fingers on the tax payers pot jeff3
Corruption, corruption, corruption.
I enjoyed Rifkind’s terminology from on high collapse before elevenses; “I will fight these allegations with all my MIGHT” and “I am ENTITLED to more than an MP’s salary” Just two statements proving we are governed by an out of touch elite and backed up, no, I would say defended vigorously, by Michael Heseltine on Newsnight who stated that an MP has a lot of free time so some decide to boost their income with other jobs as long as those jobs are within the allowable criteria of being a Member of Parliament. (More pertinent questions were met with, “You will need to ask David Cameron that”)!
As DC seems to be a pathological liar and unable to answer a question with a direct answer nowadays (perhaps the reason he won’t commit to live tv debates – well that, and the fact he is in the impossible position of not being able to defend over 100 lies the coalition has made over the past 5 years) what is the point in asking the man anything because he is as equally out of touch with reality as the rest of his party?
I think the tv programme on the House of Commons proved what an antiquated, decrepit, overbearing, broken and inadequate building Westminster Palace actually is. Unfortunately, our political system and the Tory party mirror that building exactly. What chance new, dynamic, vocational MP’s lost in traditions and customs with little relevance to modern society where it takes at least their initial term in office to understand what the hell is going on? How much easier is it for the privately educated and old Etonians whom grew up in similar institutions with their crony-ism, rituals and emphasis on historic, ruling class mentality to “get on” in the Commons? (As for inappropriate terminology and descriptive nonsense, I rest my case on that one – commons).
In our new, big society with transparency where the coalition is, supposedly, our servants and not our masters, why is there no procedure in place for open opposition and accountability especially in cases where the government can decide on secret bids for contracts? The public get bamboozled with excuses and outright lies but if any wrong-doing does come to light we then get the matter in question lost in reviews and tribunals or re-examined privately where it then has to follow legal protocols laid down by the House that ensure the matter is buried or is so time consuming, the contract has already been enforced.
Rifkind’s brag that it’s surprising how much free time MP’s have and Heseltine’s complete agreement (“it’s only when you become a Cabinet Minister you have a job that demands your full time attention” – although I note they get an additional £67k for that) were shocking. We all mock the amount of recesses they have but to have it on record that we should understand being an MP is nothing but a part-time jolly seems to shout out that we should not be surprised the country is in a mess.
I’ve commented on previous posts that I despair at the poor PR people the Conservatives seem to employ and the speed at which a suggestive piece is leaked to the media and then the crux of the piece comes out in full the next day. I asked to at least be given credit to mull over the implications of the news story and not treated like an imbecile by given, sometimes, just a few hours for the penny to drop. I do not know when this contract was awarded but it leaves a bad taste when the public are led to believe Mr Rifkind has been penalised for his greed on the one hand, then one of the companies he is a Director of will be rewarding him, if not already, on the other hand.
I must go now as I want to ensure my family have the lifestyle they expect and I get what my background and qualifications COMMAND. What I would appreciate some help on is should I replace my boiler system with the cheapest quote at £1,875.00 from an established Plumber or the dearest quote at £7,001,875.00 from a company with some expertise in the plumbing sector who will outsource the job to a guy on £6.50 per hour?
Well said, Sir, well said indeed.
I concur
Your neighbour has just contacted me to say that for a mere £750 +VAT fee for consulting me on your specific contract, he will recommend you to accept my bid for the boiler contract, a mere £3.5K, on the basis that I will offer the sub-contractor a better pay deal at £7.01 per hour.
I thank the honourable gentleman for his disclosure and feel this necessitates an independent inquiry as to the best way forward. I will, of course, need the services of a distant relative’s law firm, my best friend from school as a neutral observer and my Mum to make the tea during what will be, and I cannot emphasise this in stronger terms, what will be a costly and time consuming review. I have, of course, privately emailed you with my signature at the end to disclose the outcome prior to this event being held and as your security to “have something on me” should the need arise for you to threaten blackmail or I do, indeed, become accountable when I will vehemently deny being party to such an obnoxious slur on my character and blame “someone in my office”.
P.S. As an aside, I must request your restraint in matters of financial remuneration. Are you aware that £7.01 is approaching what these people regard as a living wage and the suggestion of such preposterous amounts of money will only encourage them? Restraint, sir, I beg of you.
P.P.S. You seem a worldly fellow. By chance do you know of someone to facilitate the extension of my boiler’s life by, say, 18 to 24 months (or until the review has reached its outcome)? Unable to put on expenses as it’s not my main domain but willing to pay cash in hand providing:
a) a receipt can be issued to me so I know tax will be paid on the amount transferred for services
b) if a bank worker doing their bit and performing a second job fixing boilers; a) does not apply
c) if a Member of Parliament; see b) above
d) total amount commensurate not to exceed National Minimum Wage pro rata
e) a limited company may be formed for the duration of the works whereby I will become a Non Executive Director of said company
My apologies for stretching the point even further but it is a crazy, crazy world we are expected to accept and live in.
You neglected to include your nanny in the list of people whose services you’ll require. They’re absolutely vital, as Jacob Rees-Mogg can tell you.
Brilliant!!! There’s no way I could top that! Best thing I’ve read all day and my wife is still giggling.
Just sorry I can’t reply in kind ;)
How to get the human being party into power .
This corruption has to stop the politicians are shameless and seem to think they can get away with anything.If ever we needed an Oliver Cromwell its now.He would have weeded out this blatant thievery and disbanded parliament.Its a shame we don’t have an honest overseer to root out this dishonest behaviour. R Cross
Said this re. Oliver Cromwell many times and we need an Oliver Cromwell more than ever now
This government should be thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authority and made to give full reasons for any contract it awards where any of its members have even the slightest interest or connection. I am incensed by the arrogance of some people who were elected (as no more than managers of the country) but who have abused the privilege by turning into dictators and giving themselves airs and graces which they are obviously unable to live up to.
Any MP of any party who is potentially guilty of abusing his or her privilege should be dismissed and prosecuted in the courts just as any other member of the public would be.
By the way, yes the NHS consortium bid was 7 million pounds cheaper, but guess what the private company have then gone on to do? Sub contracted back to the NHS!!
This outright bare faced corruption cannot go on. We’re dealing with nothing better than criminal gangsters feigning to want to ‘look after’ the neighbourhood whilst taking a hefty fee to do so.
Now Alliance sub-contracts it to the NHS consortium and takes £7M profiit for doing f*ck all, seemples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW0Zr8lsJ3Q
[Taking from the Poor to Pay the Rich (David Cameron is a W*****) by Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group]