So, we now know that it was Lord Brownlow who paid £58,000 towards the cost of makeover of the PM's Downing Street flat....

what hasn't been reported is that Brownlow, in his role as founder and director of Huntswood CTC Limited, has also benefited from government contracts.
The man ranked 521st richest person in UK with est. £271m fortune, who paid the Tory party nearly £60,000 towards Boris Johnson's requested refurbishments, runs a firm linked to awards of contracts worth as much as £120,060,000

…te.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/039693…
The first we've found was that Huntswood was part of a framework agreement "for suppliers to provide skilled person reports" owned and managed by the Financial Conduct Authority.

That award was for up to £120m, granted in 2016 and ending last month.

contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/3af07f8…
The other was an award for up to £60,000 given in 2018, for "accounting, auditing and fiscal services" (the contract states it might also have been just £32,600). This was a direct contract that Huntswood won solely.
contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/9900be3…
Whilst these awards predate the makeover donation Lord Brownlow gave to the Tories, he also donated to Theresa May’s constituency office, gave £100,000 to the Stronger In campaign and served as vice-chairman of the Conservative party between 2017 and 2020.
There’s no assertion that Brownlow acted illegally or improperly in donating to the Tories or founding a company that has won government contracts, but @allthecitizens feels it is important that these potential conflicts are addressed in the name of transparency.

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More from @allthecitizens

28 Apr
BREAKING: We’ve issued a pre-action letter against the government with ⁦@Foxglovelegal⁩.

We believe it’s unlawful that Boris Johnson is running a ‘government by WhatsApp’. These messages MUST be preserved.

Please join us in this crucial fight for transparency!
We have laws that state govt comms must be reviewed with key ones preserved for the historical record.

Yet this entire period of history is set to disappear down a black hole.

This MUST be challenged in the courts. So we are. But we need your help.

crowdjustice.com/case/stop-disa…
Here’s @MrHarryCole in today’s @TheSun with news of our claim. This isn’t about politics, it’s about democracy.

Texts & WhatsApp & Signal messages are allowing this govt to do business under the cloak of darkness

thesun.co.uk/news/14784160/…
Read 5 tweets
21 Apr
BREAKING:

Data analytics firm Palantir Technologies wins a new £1.2bn framework agreement published yesterday and awarded by the Crown Commercial Service.
contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/8d7bebf…
Palantir is featured as one of 31 companies funded to help Crown Commercial Service, the largest public sector procurement portal in the UK, establish a contracting route for “Back Office Software” to be used by central government departments and all other UK Public Sector bodies Image
The contract began on 6th April 2021, and will run until 6th October 2023 with a 30 month agreement with the option to extend for a further 18 months, and the new back office software will be deployed among the following public sector bodies looking to purchase software from CCS: Image
Read 4 tweets
19 Apr
EXCLUSIVE: Half of all donations by registered UK political lobbyists since the register was established in 2015 have gone directly to the Conservative Party, research by @allthecitizens and @BylineTimes can reveal. THREAD: Image
In March 2015, a register of lobbyists was established by the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists to ensure “transparency about the work of consultant lobbyists and their engagement with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries on behalf of clients”
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
Research by @allthecitizens / @BylineTimes can reveal 49% of the total £830,433 amount donated to political parties went to the Conservatives, in contrast to just 14% to Labour. The Lib Dems made up the rest (largely in ‘in kind’ donations from consultancies).
Read 12 tweets
16 Apr
Emergency contracting rules - given concerns about widespread cronyism, just how long will UK’s public bodies go on awarding government contracts without tender?

Answer: the Cabinet Office isn't saying.
THREAD
In March 2020, as the UK went into lockdown, the gov issued a “guidance notice” (PPN 01/20) on how public bodies could procure goods and services without tendering them, due to the emergency situation.
gov.uk/government/pub…
This encouraged various public bodies to issue ‘direct awards’ to suppliers without tendering them, invoking Regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations (PCR) 2015.
Read 11 tweets
14 Apr
It's great to see Labour pushing for a probe into lobbying at the heart of government.

We at @allthecitizens and others like ourselves have been concerned about Tory "sleaze and corruption" for quite some time:
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
What of the Conservative donors who won high-value contracts just days after donating to the party?
Or the total £1bn in public funds issued to Tory donors during its pandemic response so far, with a further £2bn given away to associates, ex-politicians, and aides with roles in award-winning companies?
Read 5 tweets
13 Apr
𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆:

The Chair of UK Government Senior Salaries Review Body, Martin Read, is Chairman of a company awarded a £15m Lateral Flow Device distribution contract.

He was previously on the Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Board.

THREAD
Major UK transport & logistics company Wincanton Plc won the £15m contract from DHSC, published on 18th March, to store and distribute Lateral Flow Device test kits in the fight against Coronavirus.

…te.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/041788…

contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/90fd4f4…
The non-executive Chair of Wincanton, Martin Read, appointed in 2018, also works as a government advisor, sitting on the chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body.
gov.uk/government/peo…
Read 12 tweets

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