Tory donor embroiled in PO scandal given board role with health ministry agency

A TORY donor caught up in the Post Office scandal was given a government role on the board of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Simon Blagden, who has given £376,000 to the Conservatives, was non-executive chairman of Fujitsu, the IT company behind what Rishi Sunak has described as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history, until 2019.

He stepped down after 14 years in post, during which time hundreds of postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted for fraud, theft and false accounting as a result of faulty Fujitsu software.

In April 2022, he accepted a nonexecutive role on the board of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) – a newly formed quango tasked with monitoring infectious diseases.

Whatsapp messages obtained by The Telegraph between former health secretary Matt Hancock; former life sciences minister James Bethell, and a senior political aide – who himself went on to work for Fujitsu – reveal that ministers appeared keen to help Mr Blagden by suggesting upcoming vacancies in suitable roles.

Towards the end of the third national lockdown in spring 2021, in a message to Mr Hancock, Lord Bethell described Mr Bladgen as “very nice indeed”, and said he had told the former Fujitsu boss the government would “find him something”.

Sources close to Lord Bethell have indicated that this meant finding a role for Mr Blagden to apply for, rather than one he could be appointed to.

A few weeks later, Mr Blagden approached Mr Hancock personally, seeking his advice over whether to apply for the non-executive role on the board of the UKHSA. Mr Hancock forwarded the message to a senior aide, Allan Nixon, seeking his view.

Mr Nixon asked: “Shall I shake the tree and see what we’ve got and come back to you asap?”

Updating Mr Hancock later that night, the special adviser reported that he “shook the tree” and “nothing upcoming seems to be a good fit”. However, he told Mr Hancock that “looking at the UKHSA job spec again” Mr Blagden might be encouraged to apply for the role.

He suggested that the then health secretary “give him a gentle Yes” to applying, though cautioned against giving the impression that the former Fujitsu boss would be a “shoo-in”.

Mr Nixon also offered to “sound out Ian P to sense-check Simon with him initially before we go back to Simon”

Ian P appears to refer to UKHSA boss Ian Peters.

The following day, Mr Nixon messaged that he had received a “positive response from Ian re Simon”, adding “He’s keen that we encourage him to apply.”

The special adviser then drafted a reply to Mr Blagden about the job.

It read: “Great to hear from you Simon. It’s a packed field for the UKHSA

Board, with lots of interest. But we’re on the hunt for large-scale tech leadership experience on there which you obviously have in spades, so definitely worth throwing your hat in the ring. M”

The exchanges, obtained as part of The Telegraph’s Lockdown Files investigation, will fuel concern about the close links between Fujitsu and the government and are likely to prompt accusations of cronyism.

Lord Bethell said: “As the junior minister responsible for appointments, I was expected to liaise with potential candidates and refer anyone with the right skill set who approached, to the independent appointments process. That’s exactly what I did and what these messages illustrate.”

An ally of Mr Hancock said: “Once again these messages show Matt acted entirely appropriately when, having been approached, he asked for someone to be considered by an independent appointments process, and respected that process.”

Mr Blagden was appointed to the UKHSA role after Mr Hancock resigned as Health Secretary in June 2021.

The role was awarded following an independent process which ministers were not involved in.

The decision to hand him the position is understood to have been based on his commercial and technological experience.

A UKHSA spokesperson said: “Mr Blagden is an unpaid associate non-executive member of the UKHSA advisory board.

“He was appointed along with two other individuals in April 2022 as part of establishing the new board, in line with routine appointment processes overseen by the UKHSA chair.”

Mr Nixon declined to comment.

‘Shall I shake the tree and see what we’ve got and come back to you asap?’