Rayner spars with ex-health minister over Covid contract ‘corruption’

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has sparred with Conservative Lord Bethell this morning over the awarding Covid contracts to a firm lobbied for by disgraced MP Owen Paterson.

Bethell was appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state for innovation at the department of health and social care in March 2020.

Rayner said via Twitter this morning: “Randox paid Owen Paterson £100,000/yr to lobby for them. Owen Paterson sat in on a call between Randox and @JimBethell, who dished out Covid contracts. Randox was awarded over £500m in Covid contracts without a tender or an open process. Let’s call this what it is – corruption.”

Lord Bethell hit back, writing: “I thought that we all have a responsibility for our language and rhetoric, and should avoid toxifying the national debate? This sort of consistent personal attack unfairly implies wrongdoing. It sneers at our national effort, when in fact so many were seeking to save lives.”

Rayner responded: “Calling corruption corruption is not “toxifying the national debate”, it is a statement of fact,” she demanded: “Publish your private WhatsApps and emails detailing how Randox were awarded over £500m without tender, despite not having enough equipment and failing to deliver a previous contract.”