Covid-19: Boris Johnson gave more than the GDP of 140 nations and territories in contracts to crony companies
Spaffer: Johnson spaffed £52.5 billion up the wall in so-called Covid-19 contracts to Tory crony firms – and got practically nothing in return.
Boris Johnson used the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to give cash totalling the Gross Domestic Product of 140 nation states and territories – your money – mostly to companies that were run by Tory donors or friends of people in his Conservative government.
And now he’s saying the cost of the Covid crisis means he’s cutting overseas aid. Doesn’t he mean there’s no money for Johnny Foreigner because he’s spaffed it all up his fatcat crony donor friends?
Of £52.5 billion in contracts, £27.5 billion was awarded without competitive tender. Experience shows that this means the cash went to cronies of the Tory government, many of whom had no experience and had literally just set up a company name in order to take the money. Meanwhile, experts in their field were denied any funding at all.
Profiting most from the handout was a firm called Innova Medical Group, with whom most of the contracts were for test kits that the US government has said are inaccurate and should be thrown away.
The National Audit Office says only 96 million out of 691 million Innova test kits have been registered as used.
The travesty is explained in excruciating detail by The Citizens, below:
🚨Breaking:
Over £22.4bn has gone to just 50 companies in UK Gov Covid-19 contracts since the start of the pandemic.
In total, over 1,500 companies were involved in a UK contract bonanza worth £52.5bn – more than the Gross Domestic Product of 140 nation states and territories. pic.twitter.com/hnclCSPQn8
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
1,593 firms have been awarded contracts since March 2020. These total £33.1bn (not including framework agreements), a figure greater than the GDP of Paraguay or Cameroon.
The top 5 firms make up almost 1/3rd of the value of total contracts.
The top 50 make up 2/3rds (67%).— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
Most of the Innova contracts were for Covid test kits, which the US government says are inaccurate and should be thrown away. HuffPost reports that the DHSC has now bought test kits from China-based Zhejiang Orient Gene Biotech “at undisclosed cost”. https://t.co/zhCilUoxY2
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
Out of the total value of £52.5 billion we have so far seen awarded in response to the pandemic, we calculate that at least £27.5 billion of that has been awarded without competitive tender.
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
Around 2/3rds of the total awarded in individual contracts – £22.4 billion – went to just 50 companies.
So 0.03% of companies awarded contracts have won 2/3rds of the total value of government money awarded – a significant concentration of wealth towards a small number of firms
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
IMF data also shows that the UK has spent a larger proportion of its GDP on its Covid19 response than any other European country. Only the US has spent a greater proportion of its GDP on its pandemic response. https://t.co/BZTdgBm7sG
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
Last year, the UK borrowed almost £300 billion, according to the BBC, and the cost of the furlough scheme is currently around £100 billion on its own. https://t.co/dUY8RmxWpb
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
The government has serious questions to answer about why they have spent so much money when the UK has had one of the worst economic and health impacts of any country from Covid.
— The Citizens (@allthecitizens) July 12, 2021
Yes, the government has serious questions to answer.
Sadly, it is a government led by Boris Johnson so we know that all the answers will be twaddle.
Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.
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