Just now at #PMQs @Keir_Starmer spoke about NEW figures of £130 million spent on comms consultants.

As we wait for the results of the National Audit Office investigation I've called for in the summer, here's a reminder of how this is just the tip of the iceberg 👇
The most recent one, reported only yesterday - was one for £670,000 handed out to a family friend of Dominic Cummings with little experience.
ft.com/content/6159d5…
Then there's also this one with Public First - a £840,000 contract to a company owned by James Frayne, who has previously worked with Cummings, Gove and who co-wrote the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto. It did not go out to tender.

opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-…
And then the overall worrying figure of consultants being paid £7,000 a day in some cases.

news.sky.com/story/coronavi…
Not forgetting Ayanda Capital, and the 50 million unusable face masks this government bought from them. theguardian.com/world/2020/aug…
This is why I called for an investigation this summer from the National Audit Office into this Tory govt's handling of public contracts during the pandemic.

Until then, we urgently need more transparency on these huge sums and what they're delivering instead of bluster & denial.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Rachel Reeves

Rachel Reeves Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @RachelReevesMP

7 Nov
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…
Read 8 tweets
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
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
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
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
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

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!