Good Law Project
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the government gave influential jobs to people closely connected to Conservative politicians. This was without interviews or open competition. They awarded contracts to companies that had no experience. An example was the appointment of Dido Harding, wife of a Conservative MP, to head the new National Institute for Health Protection. Another example was the awarding of a Contract for more than £250m of personal protective equipment to a Florida-based jewellery company. This included a £21m payment to an intermediary. There was no advertisement or competitive tender process.