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31 Oct, 7 tweets, 3 min read
THREAD:

Have you kept up with @allthecitizens five investigations so far into government mishandling of contracts issued under COVID-19 emergency regulations?
1. The £11 million in PPE contracts issued to a company owned by a major conservative donor:

2. The government rushing through contracts to companies whose capacity to undertake them is questionable:

3. The evangelical sect, with close ties to the Conservative Party, which have accrued almost £1bn (and perhaps over) in contracts since the start of the pandemic:

4. Members of the Behavioural Insights Team or 'Nudge Unit' who could potentially profit from private advisory roles while serving on the SAGE committee:

5. The Government issuing contracts to firms featured in the infamous @ICIJorg Panama Papers offshore database:

If these stories concerned you, and if you want to get involved and help @allthecitizens uncover more, please read the thread below, and search our database of over 1000 PPE contracts and see what you can find:

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More from @allthecitizens

The Citizens Profile picture
2 Nov
THREAD:

Billions in public funds have awarded in PPE contracts since the start of the pandemic, often to woefully unfit or politically adjacent entities, and without any official oversight.

Below we take a look back at 20 of the most shocking revelations uncovered since March: Image
1. Ayanda Capital - £252.5 million:

Eye-watering amount of money spent on 50 million FFP2 face masks bought from a "family office" investment firm based in a tax haven. None were usable.

Ayanda also have a senior adviser sitting on the board of trade.
goodlawproject.org/news/ppe-masks…
2. Meller Designs - £163 Million:

Firm co-owned by Conservative party donor David Meller, who has donated £60,000 to the party since 2009, wins multiple supply contracts.

The Citizens can confirm at least 6 contracts worth £163 million have been issued.
bylinetimes.com/2020/09/18/fir…
Read 24 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
30 Oct
THREAD: Thermoplastics Ltd.

Are major PPE contracts issued under emergency Covid regulations going to tax-avoiding companies, such as those listed in the Panama Papers?
We’ve found one contract issued under the emergency regulations going to Thermoplastics Ltd. It was awarded a £23.3 million contract for the supply of face shields on 30th April. Nothing wrong there.

ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NO…

contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/09909bc…
Thermoplastics Ltd have been operating since 1996, specialising in injection moulded plastic products such as toys, fittings, and more recently face visors.

But the address listed for the company on the contract is: A16A Industrial Estate, Marsa, MT MALTA, MRS-3000, Malta.
Read 8 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
29 Oct
The Citizens, Leigh Day and a cross party group of parliamentarians are holding our government to account. They have filed legal proceedings over the government's refusal to protect our democracy from Russian interference.

gofundme.com/f/legal-action…

More below:
"This summer's Russia Report was expected to answer the question over whether Russia interfered in political life.

But instead it raised more questions leading to this latest salvo."

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
"The parliamentarians argue that the government’s inaction breaches its obligation under article three, protocol one of the European convention on human rights. This requires genuinely free elections to take place." @lukeharding1968
theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
Read 6 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
28 Oct
Thread:

Have public servants been profiting from the pandemic while at the same time holding roles influencing pandemic policy?

The Behavioural Insights Unit is working closely on pandemic response, but should we be concerned its director sits on the SAGE advisory board? Image
We know that the BIT won 2 contracts in September totalling £1,162,000 for “Business analysis consultancy” and “research and experimental development services” providing behavioural science support during the pandemic:

contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/eea2276…

contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/21a2a10… ImageImage
We know that BIT or the ‘Nudge Unit’ - Behavioural Insights Ltd - works across the public sector to influence policy and inform public opinion.

BIT is part owned by its employees, part by the Cabinet Office, and part by Nesta ‘an innovation foundation.’

bi.team/what-we-do/our…
Read 9 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
27 Oct
THREAD:

Have you heard of the Exclusive Brethren?

An evangelical sect of Christianity with ties to the Conservative Party, with members sitting as directors on the boards of a large number of firms awarded huge value contracts during the pandemic...
@allthecitizens have found more contracts relating to Conservative-linked religious group the Exclusive (Plymouth Brethren).

The total amount now accrued by the network and it's associated companies sits at over £950,940,450
Contracts spanning 11 companies affiliated with the Brethren have now reached this figure, with the total potentially even higher, as some awards are group contracts which don't offer a breakdown of cost (see the Toffeln Ltd agreement below):

contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d52e875…
Read 9 tweets
The Citizens Profile picture
26 Oct
Throughout the pandemic, multiple contracts have been handed out to small firms with no background in PPE delivery, or with opaque financial histories, issued hastily under the emergency procurement legislation.
For instance, there's Bellagio Global Ltd, incorporated 2019, who won a £2,800,000 contract for 'protective and safety clothing' in April under emergency rules.

Bellagio sells watches and ‘VIP gifts’ (pens, robes, jewellery), and its director used to own ‘football watch shop'.
Bellagio has filed no financials as of yet, and the directors have operated related entities in the past, largely dissolved or dormant.
Read 6 tweets

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