@WritersofColour@UK_CAGE "Up to six million people will live in fear that one wrong move, even just one unforced error or car accident could see us arrested, judged in secret and deported" - @WritersofColour
NEW: Following revelations of bullying from several MPs, we've written to the PM and Michael Gove threatening judicial review proceedings and pointing out the allegations may amount to a criminal offence glplive.org/lox
Yesterday, the MP for Bury South went on record to say the Government threatened to scrap plans to build a school in his constituency unless he voted with the Government 😬
Reports suggest the Government has used these dirty tactics to pressure MPs to vote a certain way on everything from free school meals to cutting international aid
🔴The High Court has ruled that the Government’s fast-track ‘VIP’ lane, which awarded lucrative PPE contracts worth billions of pounds to those with political connections, was unlawful!
🔴In October 2020, we revealed the existence of the secretive 'VIP' lane.
🔴Leaked documents set out special pathways by which ‘VIP’ & ‘Cabinet Office’ contacts could be awarded lucrative PPE contracts at the height of the pandemic 1⃣ goodlawproject.org/news/special-p…
🔴In November 2020, the High Court granted us permission to challenge the Government’s VIP PPE contracts.
🔴The NAO confirmed politically connected companies referred onto the ‘VIP’ lane were 10 times more likely to be awarded a contract compared to ‘ordinary’ firms! 2⃣
BREAKING: High Court finds Government PPE ‘VIP’ lane for politically connected suppliers ‘unlawful’ 🚨 glplive.org/vip-lane-12012…
🧵Over a year of hard work has paid off today.
The High Court found: “the Claimants have established that operation of the High Priority Lane was in breach of the obligation of equal treatment… the illegality is marked by this judgment.” 1⃣
The Judge agreed the VIP lane conferred preferential treatment on bids: it sped up the process, which meant offers were considered sooner in a process where timing was critical, and VIPs’ hands were held through the process. 2⃣
We are in Court today and tomorrow on a difficult case about an important principle: that the Government mustn't fill public jobs from amongst its friends.
👇🧵1/?
'By definition, when decision-makers conduct closed recruitments, they are only able to choose between candidates with whom they are already connected.' Our co-claimant: @Halima_Begum@RunnymedeTrust
Judge: I do regard question of whether there was a provision criterion or practice and whether it was particular disadvantage to groups with protected characteristics that we cite as being one of central questions in this case.
Government has hit us with a shock legal bill in our challenge with @RunnymedeTrust over its appointment of Conservative Peer Dido Harding to run the disastrous Test and Trace programme – without open competition🚨 (1/7)
Back in March, Government said their costs ‘would be in the region of £35,000 to £50,000’, so we didn’t seek a costs cap (a Court order that would have ‘capped’ how much we’d have to pay Government if we don’t win) (2/7)
A couple of months later, they wrote to say their expected costs would actually be closer to £150,000… (3/7)