Tory MP Dr Liam Fox obtained a £20,000 donation earlier this 12 months from a Covid-19 testing firm that he reportedly contacted the previous well being secretary over.
In accordance with an e mail seen by the BBC and the authorized marketing campaign group the Good Regulation Mission, Dr Fox really useful SureScreen Diagnostics to then-health secretary Matt Hancock in 2020.
SureScreen Diagnostics would later be awarded a £500 million testing contract by the Division of Well being and Social Care.
The £20,000 donation to Dr Fox, a former protection secretary, is contained within the MPs’ register of pursuits and was recorded as being obtained in June 2022.
The PA information company has contacted Dr Fox and Mr Hancock for remark.
In accordance with the BBC, a SureScreen director emailed former GP Dr Fox in June 2020 to inform him that the corporate was sending “hundreds of thousands of antibody exams” to make use of in hospitals in Germany, Spain and Sweden.
The director additionally complained it was “loopy” the exams couldn’t be used within the UK, as a result of an absence of approval by Public Well being England.
The BBC experiences that North Somerset MP Dr Fox forwarded that e mail to Mr Hancock, the well being secretary on the time.
It isn’t clear if something immediately from Dr Fox’s e mail, however a number of months later SureScreen was awarded a contract for a distinct kind of antigen check.
In an announcement to the BBC, SureScreen mentioned: “The donation to Dr Fox’s workplace – not Dr Fox personally – was made by one of many administrators of the enterprise. This donation was particularly to help a sequence of occasions which embody training talks from knowledgeable company.
“The cost just isn’t linked in any method to lobbying.”
Mr Hancock denied any suggestion of wrongdoing in an announcement to the broadcaster.
In accordance with the BBC, his spokesman mentioned that every one contracts have been independently signed off by the civil service and if Mr Hancock had obtained an e mail about increasing testing, he would have acted on it whatever the supply.
“What was taking place on the time was a nationwide effort to broaden testing and all this uncovers is folks working collectively to save lots of lives,” the spokesman mentioned.
A Division of Well being and Social Care spokesperson mentioned: “All testing suppliers – together with SureScreen Diagnostics – have been evaluated earlier than contracts have been awarded, in step with stringent procurement rules and transparency pointers.
“Assessments provided by the UK Authorities additionally underwent a rigorous scientific analysis course of earlier than distribution to verify they have been extremely efficient at detecting Covid-19.”