Matt Hancock Intervened to Help Conservative Donor’s Pizza Firm Land Lucrative Covid PPE Contract

Conservative Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock personally helped top secure a Covid PPE contract for a former pizza company controlled by a Conservative donor, newly released documents reveal.

NKD International, owned by George Farha, repeatedly lobbied Hancock prior to securing a £135,000 PPE contract from the Department for Health and Social Care.

Farha had personally donated £11,450 to the Conservative Party and a further £12,500 to it via another company he controls. 

The company had no record of previously supplying medical equipment and remarkably, just two days prior to the successful contract award, on 15 April 2020, it changed its name from ‘NKD Pizza International Limited’ to ‘NKD International Limited’— dropping any reference to its previous record of selling fast food.

According to official records, NKD International was referred to the VIP lane by Dame Donna Kinnair, formerly of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Reports from 2021, reveal Kinnair was suspended from the RCN “amid concerns over her friendship with a multi-millionaire businessman” — George Farha. 

Kinnair repeatedly lobbied Hancock via text message and email regarding Farha’s NKD International’s offer to supply medical gowns — with Hancock replying to one message stating: “Get him to email me again with the problems – I am working on this directly.”

Farha’s firm also tried to secure a second multi-million pound PPE deal via the VIP lane, but was unsuccessful.

Documents provided to the COVID Inquiry reveal Hancock’s close involvement:

• On 11 April 2020, Kinnair had previously sent multiple WhatsApp messages to Hancock introducing Farha. One stated: “George Farha one of your party donators and my friend can get FDA approved gowns here by Wednesday.”

• According to Kinnair,  On 13 April 2020, Hancock “replied by text message and asked me to get Mr Farha to contact him directly — four days later NKD International secured its VIP lane deal from the DHSC.

• “On 22 April 2020, according to the witness statement of health officals and less than one week after NKD secured its first PPE contract: “Mr Farha put forward an offer to supply 7.5 million sterile and non sterile gowns from Anhui Medpurest. The offer was to deliver 250,000 gowns per week over a period of 30 weeks on condition of a 50% advance payment per shipment.” However, the offer ran into problems as NKD struggled to provide the correct certification for the PPE and officials raised concerns over the financial risks associated with the deal.

• On 23 April 2020 Kinnair messaged Hancock and said: “I have to tell you after George has secured a regular supply with China at a fantastic price he is now being given the usual bureaucratic nonesense. With absurd scenarios being suggested. He has delivered and I am always unsure if those around are supporting your endeavours to get gowns and other PPE to the frontline.” 

• According to Kinnair’s Witness Statement to the Inquiry, Hancock replied saying: “Get him to email me again with the problems, I am working on this directly”

• Hancock repeatedly chased officials regarding the progress of the NKD International offer and also spoke directly with the firm.

Officials highlighted to the Inquiry the “completely atypical” nature of the NKD International contract process, due specifically to the “interest taken by the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock MP”.

NKD International was dissolved in June 2022 and could not be reached for comment.

It comes after Byline Times also revealed ​​Matt Hancock Used His Personal Email Account to Help ‘VIP’ Supplier Win £25 Million COVID PPE Contract.

Excalibur Healthcare, which supplied the UK Government with tens of millions of pounds worth of unusable PPE, ultimately folded owing taxpayers £22 million.