A MOTION demanding the UK Government release records of the controversial PPE contract lobbied for by Michelle Mone has passed in the House of Commons.
The Labour party has demanded that the Tory government release the details of the £200 million procurement deal with PPE Medpro and “end the cover up”.
It comes after Baroness Mone announced she would be taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords with immediate effect.
Mone has been at the centre of controversy over the estimated £29m she made from the deal after recommending the company to Tory ministers.
However, despite her connections to the row, MPs were not allowed to discuss Mone’s conduct during the debate and a number were told to steer clear of mentioning any peers.
At Tuesday’s Opposition Day debate on Government PPE contracts, Labour claimed £10 billion of public funds overall was spent on PPE that was “unusable, overpriced or undelivered”.
Meanwhile, the SNP accused the Tories of making a “quick buck” through the deals.
The motion demanded the UK Government release details to the Public Accounts Committee to be scrutinised.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, who moved the humble address motion, said it was a “plea for the truth”.
She added that the “only logical conclusion” is that the Government has “something to hide”.
Rayner said: “All this motion to the House today is asking for is transparency. What have you got to hide?”
Later in her speech, she said: “We are not asking the Government to do anything that would undermine any chance of recovering our money or that would conflict with any police investigation.
“But for 10 months they have told us that they are in mediation. What progress has been made? When will they conclude it has failed and take action now?
“Can they actually get our money back? Or are they just kicking the can down the road?
“So our motion asks ministers to hand over the records to the Public Accounts Committee, a body this House relies on to hold them to account for public spending.
“Because the only logical conclusion is that they do indeed have something to hide. The public deserve answers on whether the dodgy lobbying at the heart of this scandal played a part in how vast sums of taxpayers’ cash has been wasted.”
Brendan O’Hara MP, the SNP’s Cabinet Office spokesperson, also suggested the UK Government was holding back.
He said: “Is there something this government does not want us to see?
“Because the Minister must be aware that the more they dodge scrutiny, public suspicion will grow that this PPE procurement programme was little more than a get rich quick scheme for their politically connected pals.”
Later in the debate O’Hara added: “The Government know that the release of the PPE Medpro papers is not going to make this magically disappear.
“They’re quite right to fear that in releasing those files they are likely to blow the lid off this Pandora's box and one which will reveal that its VIP lane for politically connected pals was simply a greenlight of unfettered Tory capitalism, rapid profiteering and widespread abuse of public funds.”
Meanwhile, health minister Will Quince told the Commons the documents would be released when the investigation had finished.
He said: “The Government is committed to releasing information when all investigations are concluded.
“Our response will necessarily take into account the wider public interest and the commercially sensitive nature of the material.
“It is only right that we work with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the terms on which information might be shared, and I understand the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will soon begin a dialogue with the chair of the PAC on how we enact those information-sharing arrangements.”
Quince earlier claimed ministers had to balance harm to the public and the NHS against the need to procure PPE at a good price.
He added: “With lives on the line, of course we had to change our approach to procurement and adjust our appetite for risk.
“I don’t believe … that the British people would have forgiven us if we had stuck to the same old processes.”
