Government ministers have been accused of paying over the offs for personal protective equipment (PPE) from China after rejecting an offer from a British company to supply surgical gowns, the government instead went directly with its Chinese supplier.
The British start-up’s employees are said to have spent a week and around £10,000 to source items, including paying distributors in China to translate specifications to ensure they met NHS requirements.
It was asked by HM’s Government to provide the names of the manufacturers it worked with only to receive a message that the Covid-19 response team at the Department of Health and Social Care nearly three weeks later that the offer had been rejected.
The business was them informed by its Chinese supplier; the British Government had bought a million gowns of a lower specification for 25pc more than the company had offered. A spokesman for the supplier said it had no previous government orders.
The business owner said: “This is the Government’s strategy: get all the information and go in directly,
“A lot of time, money and effort went into this to try to do something that’s right, only for someone to waste taxpayers’ money. The Government is stripping information and good will out of smaller companies, entrepreneurs and start-ups.”
Simon Festing, chief executive of the British Healthcare Trades Association, claimed that this was not an isolated incident, he said: “Some of our members have been quite disturbed by what appears to be a deliberate strategy by the Government to bypass them. That has included asking for details of their suppliers, despite assurances they wouldn’t bypass them.”
Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses urged the government to involve small businesses where possible, he said: “If a small firm is in a position to support the national effort by providing PPE that meets all necessary standards, then it should be looked on in the same light as a big company, particularly if it can beat large competitors on price.”
He continued: “Because of the useless negotiation skills of the buyer and the lack of contacts, the manufacturer is now aware of the prices the UK is prepared to pay – so has raised the price.”
Rachel Reeves, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “Front-line workers, unions and manufacturers were calling weeks ago for the Government to get its act together and work with British businesses that were willing and able to help support the national effort to get PPE to those who need it, yet still we are hearing stories like this one.
“The Government has contracted out many of the key aspects of our coronavirus response – not just PPE but also testing and tracing, and more – but it can’t contract out responsibility for public health.”
HM’s Government has so far declined to comment on the allegations.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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