Patel accused of ‘flagrant breach’ of ministerial code

PRITI Patel has been accused of a “flagrant breach” of the ministerial code by lobbying a fellow minister in an attempt to secure a healthcare firm access to a personal protective equipment (PPE) deal said to be worth £20 million.

Labour has urged Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to investigate the Home Secretary over efforts to sway the award of a contract after being approached by a Tory activist.

Ms Patel attempted to apply pressure to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove in May last year during efforts to secure the contract for Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited (PDL).

Her efforts failed after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the masks were not suitable.

But PDL was awarded a £102.7m contract weeks later in July to provide a different type of mask, during which Samir Jassal was also the contact.

Mr Jassal has stood as a Conservative candidate at two General Elections and has met Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

A spokesman for Ms Patel said: “The Home Secretary rightly followed up representations made to her about the vital supply of PPE.

“During a time of national crisis, failure to do so would have been a dereliction of duty.”

However, Labour urged the Cabinet Secretary to investigate Ms Patel in a letter signed by deputy leader Angela Rayner and shadow home secretary

Nick Thomas-Symonds.

They said there is “no evidence that the Home Secretary had any interest” in the PPE deal until contacted by Mr Jassal, suggesting she did it “as a favour to her friend”.

“This would represent a glaring and flagrant breach of the ministerial code,” they said.

They pointed to the principle that “ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise”. Disclosure from the Government in response to a pre-action letter from the Good Law Project over the £102.7m contract for FFP3 masks revealed a letter Ms Patel wrote to Mr Gove in May last year.

Patel expressed disappointment that the Government no longer required supplies of masks from PDL. “The late stage in which the Government has decided not to use them has caused these problems,” Ms Patel wrote on May 3 last year.

“I would be most grateful fi (sic) you could review this matter urgently, ensure direct contact is made with this company over the stock they have secured, ascertain what contractual obligations the Government should meet and work with the company to distribute and supply these masks.”

Mr Hancock wrote to Ms Patel saying the masks were “not suitable for use in the NHS”.