Thread by @JenniferMerode

Why didn't UK take part in EU procurement?
No 10: 'We didn't get the email in time'.
Michael Gove: "Communication confusion".
NEW: Official minutes show UK took part in four EU meetings where bulk buying supplies discussed. The first was 31 January.
theguardian.com/world/2020/mar…

These are minutes of the EU's health security committee on Covid 19, which has met 12 times since it was created at start of year. The UK has attended eight of those meetings. At four meetings attended by UK EU procurement came up.

The minutes give a very limited glimpse of EU procurement on Covid19. They don't tell us when deadlines were set for countries to join. But they do show procurement was being discussed at an early stage of outbreak in Europe. And that the UK was part of those discussions.

MEP @peterliese - also a medical doctor, who sits on the European parliament’s public health committee, told me there had been telephone calls between British and EU officials about the scheme.
“If you are interested you don’t wait for an email.”

There might be very good reasons for the British gov not to take part in any of the four EU procurement schemes launched to buy more medical supplies faced with Covid-19.
But we haven't heard an explanation from the government. Instead a shifting story...

1 DHSC: no comment
2. No.10 at first 'We are not an EU member state'
3. No 10. later 'We missed the email'
4. And now....?

UPDATE: I asked Cabinet Office how Michael Gove's "communication confusion" comments could be squared with EU docs showing the UK present in meetings on procurement since January.
Response: they just resent the Marr transcript.
Other words: a no-response response.

*And* gov officials maintain they missed an invitation to join four EU procurement schemes.
Doesn't make sense. Four schemes were all conceived at different times in February & March. Seems highly unlikely there was just one email. And EU minutes show discussions ongoing.