Section
Reportage
Immersive and current news, informed by frontline reporting and real-life accounts.

Filters
Topics:
Timeline:
Page:
of 2
2020 SPOTLIGHT: The Great Procurement Scandal
Sam Bright investigates the trends that underpin the Government’s outpouring of contracts to corporate giants and friends of the regime

‘Eat Out to Help Out’ Scheme ‘Epidemiologically Illiterate’ As Sunak Failed to Consult Scientists, New Report Reveals
While the Chancellor avoided consulting experts, other ministers used them as scapegoats – as chaos reigned in Downing Street, a damning new report into the pandemic suggests

Serco and G4S May Be Excluded from Government Contracts Under New Proposals
Sam Bright digs into the Cabinet Office’s new manifesto to fix the UK’s private sector procurement system

EXCLUSIVE ‘I Contacted Cabinet Office and Offered to Buy a Machine in China’ says Marine Firm Owner Given £5 Million Contract for Masks
Sam Bright speaks to the owner of a naval design firm about how he acquired a contract to supply face masks – who also appears to reject the consensus of scientists and officials on the Coronavirus pandemic

EXCLUSIVE Government Orders Local Areas Not to Deploy Negative Brexit Ads
Boris Johnson’s Government isn’t prepared to risk the reputation of Brexit, no matter what the cost, reports Sam Bright

The Coronavirus Crisis: Boris Johnson’s Excuse for Bad Government
Under the cover of seemingly generous economic policies, the Government has eroded the rights of vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Sam Bright

Frontline Workers Failed By Wasteful, Inefficient £15 Billion PPE Procurement Effort
The majority of protective equipment bought by the Government still hasn’t arrived, the National Audit Office has revealed

Government’s Rushed, Biased Procurement Process Exposed by Spending Watchdog
A new National Audit Office report – which found that the Government established a ‘high-priority’ lane for PPE suppliers with political links – does little to dispel the notion of cronyism at the heart of the Boris Johnson administration, explains Sam Bright
EXCLUSIVE Health Ministers’ COVID-19 Meetings with Conservative & Vote Leave Allies Revealed
MP alleges ‘special treatment’ as two former Vote Leave chiefs were drafted in by Matt Hancock’s department, reports Sam Bright
‘Informal Arrangements’ Used for Government PPE Procurement, Says Health Minister
Lord James Bethell’s comments appear to validate leaked documents revealing an expedited system of the awarding contracts to “high profile contacts” of the Boris Johnson administration
EXCLUSIVE Brexit Against Lockdown: ‘Herd Immunity’ Campaigns Lead Back to Farage
An influential anti-lockdown campaign has links to Nigel Farage’s ‘World4Brexit’ project, reports Sam Bright
EXCLUSIVE Minister's Meetings Fuel the Conservative Procurement Scandal
Records show that a Conservative MP, paid £100,000 a-year to advise a major healthcare firm, attended a ministerial meeting with that company just days after it was awarded a £133 million Government contract
EXCLUSIVE Vulnerable People in Deprived Areas Waiting a Month for Housing Benefit
These waiting times are likely to increase difficulties for individuals already on the sharp end of the Coronavirus pandemic, reports Sam Bright
‘High Profile’ Government Contacts Given Priority in PPE Procurement, Leaked Documents Reveal
Questions should be asked about “whether politically connected ‘VIPs’ benefitted from lucrative inside information”, says the director of the Good Law Project, which was handed the documents
EXCLUSIVE Outsourcing Brexit: £180 Million in Cabinet Office Contracts for Corporate Giants
Huge Government contracts for the delivery of Brexit have been awarded to the same outsourcing behemoths making a mint from Coronavirus, reports Sam Bright
More articles filed under Reportage