Frontline heath workers lost out on millions of items of personal protection equipment (PPE) from China because the government’s procurement system is a “shambles”, say the British businessmen behind the deal.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock was urged to cut through the red tape but the businessmen’s plea fell on deaf ears and the deal collapsed. “I’ve voted Conservative all my life but frankly this lot need lining up against a wall and shooting.
The red tape has been a shambles and people have died as a result,” said a source with knowledge of the failed deal. The offer was first made in March, when UK supplies were already running out, and would have started arriving in the UK by now.