The British government told the official spending watchdog not to divulge the names of companies that were directed to a ‘VIP lane’ to win lucrative COVID contracts.
The National Audit Office (NAO) found that firms referred to the high-priority list were ten times more likely to be given government contracts to supply personal protective equipment (PPE).
But the spending watchdog has refused to publish a list of the 493 suppliers in the VIP lane after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Cabinet Office stepped in to block its release.
