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7 Nov, 8 tweets, 3 min read
It has been another deeply concerning week for Tory cronyism.

A thread on some of the most troubling stories surfacing over the last few days. 👇
Worth noting up top that Labour's calculations have found *at the very least* £1 billion has been awarded to businesses with clear links to friends and donors of the Tory Party, since the pandemic began.

mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
First story this week: a dossier revealed minsters squandered £millions on PPE that can't be used safely or within use by dates.

Experienced businesses were overlooked - but a Tory councillor's biz and another owned by a constituency chairman won out...
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8…
That follows the important and troubling work done by the @GoodLawProject last week, which found that this Tory Government set up special channels for “VIPs”, to gain advantages to access and win valuable PPE contracts.
labourlist.org/2020/10/tories…
On Wednesday, we saw a Scottish business that's given sizeable donations to the Tory party win a £93million emergency PPE contract.

dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/…
Then, the very same day, the Tory government awarded another £347 million to Randox - who have not only failed in parts of their delivery, but pay £100,000 per year to Tory MP Owen Paterson as an adviser.

theguardian.com/world/2020/nov…
This is adding up.

This list alone shows how billions in public funds were awarded in contracts since the pandemic started, often to woefully unfit or politically adjacent entities - without any official oversight.
In the summer I called for a National Audit Office investigation into the Tory government's handling of public contracts during this pandemic.

It reports soon, but the public concerns are real and growing - they have got to be addressed by government and fast.

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More from @RachelReevesMP

Rachel Reeves Profile picture
16 Oct
At the last general election Boris Johnson said he had an oven-ready deal, ready to go. He has yet to deliver it. Today we’ve had hot air and excuses over actual solutions. It’s time to take responsibility, Prime Minister. 1/6
This is now the third deadline Boris Johnson has set himself which he’s then missed. It's becoming a habit. Initially he said a deal with the EU would be sorted by July, then September, and then this week. 2/6
Of course everyone needs to prepare as best they can - but how on Earth can ministers lecture businesses to get ready, when the government can't even say if industries from farming, food and car manufacturing will face prohibitive tariffs to their biggest market in 10 weeks? 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
23 Sep
We're close to double digits. It's 100 days till the transition period ends.

This Tory Government says it's prepared, but there are still too many unanswered questions. ⬇️Thread⬇️
1. Haulage: I met with the @RHANews last week. They are tearing their hair out.

They since met with the Secretary of State and described the meeting as ‘a washout’.

This is not good enough. They need clear answers on their questions - and fast.

2. Lorry parks: In September, the Govt gave itself powers to build lorry parks in 29 local authorities, without consulting residents.

But where are these actually going to be? They still can't tell us. This basic info is the least local people deserve.

Read 10 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
10 Sep
#OTD in 1909 Alice Bacon, the first woman MP to represent a Leeds constituency, was born in Normanton. She was a miner’s daughter rooted in West Yorkshire. When she joined the Labour Party aged 16, she said it was “as natural as breathing”. (1/5) Image
First elected in the 1945 Labour landslide, Alice Bacon was one of 21 Labour women elected as MPs. In total 24 women MPs were elected in that year. (2/5) Image
When Labour came to govt under Harold Wilson in 1964, Bacon became a Home Office Minister. She worked to get many liberalising reforms on the statute books, including legalising abortion, decriminalising homosexuality, and abolishing capital punishment. (3/5) Image
Read 5 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
6 Sep
We have 117 days till UK’s transition period with EU ends - but still no sight of the Conservatives ‘oven ready deal‘. Despite ramping up their bluster on negotiations this morning, they have lots to do to ensure we're ready. Here's the start of their to-do list for next week ⬇️
1. Border plans are far from ready, with the logistics sector issuing grave warnings that vital IT systems are still not in place. We need ministers to listen and take action now to prevent border chaos.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
2. Last minute lorry parks: the govt has plans to build these across the UK - but won’t say where & won’t engage with local communities. Given the shambles so far, we need to see their plans to avoid disruption to residents, commuters, businesses & ports.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Read 6 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
21 Aug
Last December Boris Johnson told the country he had an 'oven ready' deal. In June he claimed it could be delivered by the end of July. The negotiations for August have finished and there's still no deal in place. This only adds to the uncertainty for UK industries. 1/5
When Prime Minister returns from his holidays he needs to get a grip of the negotiations. The Government and the EU must rapidly accelerate talks and deliver the deal he has promised the UK electorate. 2/5
So many businesses are working incredibly hard in response to the economic challenges of Covid-19. They need to know the Government is negotiating with people's livelihoods in mind. People don't want to see rising food costs, more bureaucracy & Britain's businesses held back. 3/5
Read 5 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
5 Jul
On this day in 1948, the National Health Service came into existence thanks to a Labour government. They knew that wealth should not be a barrier to access to health and care. Our principles of fairness were put into practice once in power. (1/8) Image
Nye Bevan was the minister entrusted by Attlee to create the NHS. Bevan was 1 of 10 children – only 6 of whom survived into adulthood – born into a Welsh mining community at the end of the 19th century. He worked in the pit from the age of 13 and experienced real hardship. (2/8) Image
Bevan was inspired by the Tredegar Workmen’s Medical Aid Society, which insured local miners and steel workers: "All I am doing is extending to the entire population of Britain the benefits we had in Tredegar for a generation or more. We are going to Tredegar-ise you." (3/8)
Read 8 tweets

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