Owen Paterson's Randox lobbying texts show Government is unfit for office, claims Labour

Ms Dodds asked an urgent question on the process for awarding Government contracts to Randox Laboratories, after messages sent in 2020 between former North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson and then Health Secretary Matt Hancock were released.

In the messages Mr Paterson lobbied for Randox to ensure the firm received samples to use in laboratory tests as part of its bid to produce Covid tests. Randox was later awarded £600 million of Covid testing contracts.

Ms Dodds also pressed the Government to release the full minutes of a "crucial meeting" on April 9 2020, after which Randox went on to win the contracts.

Health Minister Maggie Throup said a note of the 2020 meeting published last week was the equivalent of "an official record of a meeting".

"They (the files) paint a picture of a Conservative Government that is simply unfit for office. That Conservative Government played fast and lose with public money. It handed Randox a £133 million contract, without competition," Ms Dodds said.

On the meeting between Lord Bethell, former Conservative MP Owen Paterson and Randox on April 9 2020, the Labour Party chairwoman said: "There are still no minutes of that crucial meeting on April 9. Just a rough draft email, sent seven months later. Two years on, the department can't even explain who was there.

"Health ministers held, we now know, another four meetings that were never declared in the register. So how many more secret meetings were there?

"Which brings us to Owen Paterson, or as we now know from these papers, he is called O-Patz. Really? Is there any clearer sign that we are in the twilight days of this Government. Sorry, couldn't help it.

"The file showed that this former MP, a paid advocate for Randox, was arranging meetings with the health secretary in the division lobby. A place which only MPs can have access and where it is impossible for civil servants to join them."

Records of the meeting between Randox and the Government reveal "institutional corruption", ministers have been told.

SNP health spokesman Martyn Day told MPs: "In the exchange, Paterson repeatedly noted he was a paid consultant to Randox but the Government seemingly overlooked this fact for months until the Guardian revealed he had lobbied for Randox to get the contracts. Internally Paterson then asked the health minister to kill the story once and for all.

"Can the minister explain to me how this is not institutional corruption? Nobody trusts this Government, they are rule breakers and system shakers."

Health minister Maggie Throup replied: "Once again, I make no apologies for actually working, for the department, for taking every opportunity to make sure we had the right mechanism in place to keep our country safe. Randox was a recognised company in the diagnostic industry."

Labour chair of the Commons standards committee Chris Bryant said his group of MPs "may need to look at the rules to make sure there is a better way of dealing" with MPs acting as lobbyists, adding: "I just wonder - did she know when she voted to protect Owen Paterson on November 3 about all this or not?"

Ms Throup said: "Today we are talking the humble address that my department responded to. Quite rightly there are lessons that can be learned, and the fact that we are now looking at making sure we have mechanisms in place and that in the future standards are in place in the House is quite right that members do meet those standards."

Health minister Maggie Throup suggested the note released in the Randox files about the meeting on April 9 is the equivalent of "an official record of a meeting".

Ms Throup also stressed there are "robust rules and processes" in place to assure that all contracts are awarded in line with procurement regulations and transparency guidelines.

On the meeting on April 9, Ms Throup said: "I would like to say that the note was taken during the meeting and was saved in the draft folder of the private secretary that took the note.

"When the department received a Freedom of Information request for the minutes of this meeting, the private secretary found the minutes and shared it. And for clarity, notes and minutes mean an official record of a meeting. The words mean the same from an official metres record point of view."

Ms Throup said earlier: "There are robust rules and processes in place to assure that all contracts are awarded in line with procurement regulations and transparency guidelines. And that any potential conflicts of interest with respect to commercial matters are appropriately managed.

"Direct awards, like in this case, are permitted by the Public Contract regulations for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by unforeseeable events. I'm sure no honourable member would deny that this was a situation of extreme urgency."