For dodgy PPE contracts – see England. Nothing to see in Wales, say Labour

Health contracts in Wales during the pandemic were based on value and delivery – not on who had mobile numbers for contacts, Labour claimed.

The Labour Party said that the independent audit office had criticised the UK Government’s approach to procurement in England, which apparently showed priority and access for some more than others.

A party spokesperson said:  “This meant that they were 10 times more likely to get a government contract. In England, £2bn worth of pandemic contracts have gone to friends and donors of the Conservative Party.

“This did not happen in Wales with Welsh Labour. The Auditor General for Wales found: ‘In contrast to the position described by the NAO [National Audit Office] in England, we saw no evidence of a priority being given to potential suppliers depending on who referred them.’

‘Scandal’

In a new video released on Welsh Labour’s Facebook Page, Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Rachel Reeves and Vaughan Gething, Welsh Labour’s Health Minister, speak about what they describe as “a scandal in England” and “how Welsh Labour have been more open and transparent in government.”

Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Rachel Reeves said: “At every stage in the pandemic the UK government have outsourced essential public services – but here in Wales you’ve done them in house because you know that our public services are integrated into the fabric of our communities in a way that big outsourcing companies are never going to be.

‘Lot better’

“That’s why I think you’ve done so much better here in Wales – in tracing people who have come into contact with the virus and then encouraging them to isolate. If we had done that in England we could have done a lot better in handling the pandemic.

She added: “David Cameron was able to text the chancellor, who then arranged ten meetings for Greensill with treasury officials to try and help them access taxpayer money through a series of loans. It’s just not right because of who they know are able to get special treatment.

“It is so wrong in a pandemic to behave that way, rather than doing what is in the interests of us as a country.”

Welsh Government Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “We’ve got such a big choice here in Wales in the coming weeks. The values of the Welsh Labour government – putting the public first in steering us through the pandemic.

“Or the alternative of the Tories. We can make Wales a fairer, greener place for the future – or we can go backwards with the Tories.”