Legal action is being taken to force the government to come clean about £3 billion of private contracts related to the pandemic.
Three MPs and the non-profit-making Good Law Project, have filed a judicial review against the government for breaching the law and its own guidance.
They argue that there are mounting concerns over coronavirus procurement processes.
Green MP, Caroline Lucas, Corbyn front bencher MP Debbie Abrahams and Lib Dem leadership contender MP, Layla Moran, say that despite the Department of Health and Social Care’s recent spending disclosures more than £3bn worth of contracts have not been made public.
Jolyon Maugham QC, director of Good Law Project, said: “Huge sums of public money have been awarded to companies with no discernible expertise. Sometimes the main qualification seems to be a political connection with key government figures.
“And I have seen evidence that government is sometimes paying more to buy the same product from those with political connections.
“We don’t know what else there is to discover because the government is deliberately keeping the public in the dark.”
Lucas added: “When billions of pounds of public money is handed to private companies, some of them with political connections but no experience in delivering medical supplies, ministers should be explaining why.
“It’s completely unacceptable that, as an MP, I’m prevented from being able to scrutinise those decisions.”
Abrahams said: “The persistent failure to publish the details of Covid contracts leads you to wonder what this government has to hide.”
The DHSC said due diligence was carried out on all government contracts awarded. The government has 21 days to respond.
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