The government’s use of a fast-track ‘VIP lane’ for suppliers of PPE during the pandemic was unlawful, the High Court has ruled.
In the legal challenge brought by The Good Law Project and campaigning organisation EveryDoctor, it was ruled “operation of the High Priority Lane was in breach of the obligation of equal treatment… the illegality is marked by this judgement.”
Some £1.7bn of PPE contracts went through the VIP lane, with 47 suppliers awarded contracts. A report by the Public Accounts Committee found that of these, 12 were introduced by MPs, seven by peers and 18 by officials.
In its judgement, the court found the government awarded contracts to bids in the VIP lane on a “flawed basis”, with evidence that “opportunities were treated as high priority even where there were no objectively justifiable grounds for expediting the offer.”
The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor brought the judicial review against the awarding of contracts to pest control company Pestfix and hedge fund Ayanda.
The judge found that, even though Pestfix and Ayanda received unlawful preferential treatment via the VIP lane, they would likely have been awarded contracts anyway.