Exclusive: Judge slams “most unsatisfactory” Cabinet Office and orders release of names of ‘VIP’ firms to Democracy for Sale reporter – after *four year* wait.
The government has lost a long-running legal battle to block the release of information on companies referred to the lucrative ‘VIP lane’ for Covid contracts.
Firms linked to Conservative donors and party figures received over a billion pounds in PPE contracts during the pandemic after referrals from Tory ministers, MPs, and officials.
Companies in the VIP lane were ten times more likely to be given contracts, yet over half of the PPE they supplied was unusable.
In February 2021, Democracy for Sale reporter Jenna Corderoy filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request seeking the names of all companies referred to the VIP lane and those who recommended them, including MPs and members of the House of Lords.
Months later, a court ruled the VIP lane was “unlawful,” and the government released the names of companies that secured contracts.
However, the identities of unsuccessful bidders and their political referrers remained secret, keeping the public in the dark about how politicians had helped politically-connected VIPs to seek public contracts.
For four years, the government resisted full disclosure, arguing it should not have to reveal how the VIP lane operated.
Corderoy took the case all the way to an information tribunal, where Judge Foss has now ruled that the government has 35 days to give Democracy for Sale the names of all unsuccessful companies.
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Article continues at https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/government-loses-legal-battle-over-vip-lane-conservative-donor