Labour has accused Priti Patel of a “flagrant breach” of the ministerial code by allegedly lobbying Michael Gove over a £20m deal. Documents show that in May last year Patel attempted to secure a personal protective equipment (PPE) deal for the healthcare firm Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd (PDL). He said: “The home secretary rightly followed up representations made to her about the vital supply of PPE. Disclosure from the government – in response to a pre-action letter from the Good Law Project campaign group – revealed a letter Patel wrote to Gove in May last year. “The late stage in which the government has decided not to use them has caused these problems,” the home secretary wrote on 3 May last year.

Source: The Guardian May 15, 2021 13:52 UTC