Exclusive: Illumina, a genomics firm which employs David Cameron as a lobbyist, was awarded a £123m contract after the former prime minister pushed then-health secretary Matt Hancock to attend a summit co-hosted by company
thetimes.co.uk/article/david-…
thetimes.co.uk/article/david-…
In April 2019, Mr Cameron lobbied Mr Hancock to attend the genomics conference alongside Illumina, saying “I strongly endorse their invitation to this significant conference”.
Cameron is a paid advisor to the American biotech company
Cameron is a paid advisor to the American biotech company
Mr Hancock, who’d ignored a previous invitation directly from the company’s CEO, agreed to attend after receiving Mr Cameron’s letter
A week after the conference, Illumina was awarded the multi-million pound contract for genetic sequencing without competition
A week after the conference, Illumina was awarded the multi-million pound contract for genetic sequencing without competition
It has also emerged that Cameron attended a meeting with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi to discuss Illumina’s genomics sequencing work in March
The company was subsequently awarded contracts worth up to £870,000
The government denies contracts were discussed at the meeting
The company was subsequently awarded contracts worth up to £870,000
The government denies contracts were discussed at the meeting
Disclosures show that Illumina, which Mr Cameron joined in 2017, extensively lobbied ministers via other routes throughout the pandemic. Health ministers Nadine Dorries, Jo Churchill and Helen Whatley all received lobbying letters from the company
Ms Churchill, for example, was lobbied by Illumina in March last year to promote its capabilities, as the country was locking down, with a letter setting out “the importance of genomics in supporting efforts to manage the pandemic”
The company also appears to have a strong fan in Lord Bethell – the Tory peer responsible for granting Mr Hancock’s lover access to parliament
He asked his staff to relay to the company that “we are huge supporters of Illumina”, in response to its correspondence in September
He asked his staff to relay to the company that “we are huge supporters of Illumina”, in response to its correspondence in September
A spokesperson for David Cameron said: “As has been made clear on numerous occasions, he has never lobbied the government on behalf of the company or been involved in any contract or commercial discussions.”
The department for health has claimed that any discussion of issues using the contract’s capacity were commercially sensitive
thetimes.co.uk/article/david-…
thetimes.co.uk/article/david-…
Other lobbying by Cameron’s office in 2018 granted him access to expertise at Genomics England – a company wholly owned by the Department of Health and Social Care – in connection to a project in India from which Illumina would benefit
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