Covid: Government's PPE 'VIP lane' unlawful, court rules

The government's use of a "VIP lane" to award contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) to two companies was unlawful, the High Court has ruled.

Campaigners claimed the VIP lane was reserved for referrals from MPs, ministers and senior officials and gave some companies an unfair advantage.

A judge ruled it was unlawful to give the two companies preferential treatment as part of the VIP lane.

But she said both offers were likely to have been given contracts anyway.

The legal action was brought by the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor which claimed the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) unlawfully awarded contracts to supply PPE - such as medical quality facemasks and gowns - during the height of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid: Government's PPE 'VIP lane' unlawful, court rules - BBC News