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22 Nov, 10 tweets, 4 min read
Another week in Tory government cronyism - and one where the term "chumocracy" is becoming far too familiar. A thread on what's been happening.👇
This isn't just a matter of waste or cronyism - it's a matter of public trust, and it has a huge impact on our public services. My piece this morning in @Independent lays out why this government has got to tackle this now.
independent.co.uk/voices/boris-j…
The health secretary is the latest figure today to face questions over ‘chumocracy’ as it turns out he quietly gave his university friend a job. Answers are urgently needed here.

thetimes.co.uk/article/matt-h…
Over the summer @justinmadders and I wrote to the NAO calling for an investigation into the government's pandemic procurement. The report was published on Wednesday with disturbing findings about decision-making and waste.
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
The PM had nothing but lame excuses and a lack of humility when @Keir_Starmer challenged him on these findings in #PMQs, including no answers on the fact that suppliers with political connections were ten times more likely to be awarded contracts.

labourlist.org/2020/11/pmqs-s…
There were also questions around a worrying lack of transparency on PPE contracts - made more concerning alongside these repeated patterns of cronyism.

cityam.com/mps-demand-ans…
Concerns are mounting so much that @GoodLawProject - who have done incredible work on this - claim Boris Johnson acted illegally over jobs for top staff

theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
There are huge questions to answer and urgent transparency needed. This "My Little Crony" map raises far too many links for the government to ignore.

sophieehill.shinyapps.io/my-little-cron…
We've seen increasing numbers of experienced British businesses speaking out on this. Take Seren Plus, featured in Newsnight on Tuesday - asking why the govt overlooked them as an experienced NHS suppliers and went to Ayanda instead, who produced masks which couldn't be used.
We will continue to hold this Tory government to account. More scrutiny and transparency is urgently needed on this growing catalogue of cronyism.

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More from @RachelReevesMP

Rachel Reeves Profile picture
15 Nov
There’s only a handful of days left for our dangerously distracted government to deliver the oven-ready deal they promised. Leaving without a deal would be devastating for our industries and for consumers - and would have deep repercussions for the UK. 1/6
It takes zero political skill to leave with no deal. None. It requires no strategy, detailed understanding, diplomacy, negotiation, co-operation or vision. It would be the ultimate admission of Tory failure and it’s absolutely damning that it still can’t be ruled out. 2/6
To end up empty-handed with no deal would be devastating for British industries from farming to manufacturing. Useless Tory ministers tour TV studios admitting they have not even modelled the impact of no deal on our industries. They should hang their heads in shame. 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
11 Nov
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-…
Read 6 tweets
Rachel Reeves Profile picture
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
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

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