Hugh Grant has lashed out at the government for using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to “enrich” friends and donors.
The actor, who is vocal in his criticism of Boris Johnson’s government on Twitter, shared a report about an IT company with “extensive links to the Conservatives” that allegedly landed multiple Covid-19 contracts worth millions of pounds.
A tweet in the thread says: “Softcat Plc are an IT Infrastructure / Services Company awarded £16.2m since Feb 2020 over 11 different Covid-related agreements. These range from work in the health service to supporting the Student Loans Company & DWP.”
Grant retweeted the thread, adding: “Always heartwarming to watch this government exploit a pandemic to enrich their friends and donors.”
Always heartwarming to watch this government exploit a pandemic to enrich their friends and donors. https://t.co/Uvxg5XavWI
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) March 23, 2021
Approached for comment by The Independent, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Non-Executive directors declare any relevant interest upon appointment, which are transparently published annually, and they follow the Code of Conduct for board members of public bodies.
“Their independent advice brings an external perspective to scrutinise the business of government and ensure value for taxpayers’ money.”
It’s not the first time that the Four Weddings and a Funeral star has felt compelled to condemn the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last May, after retweeting a string of tweets criticising the Tories, he reshaped a clip taken from ITV’s This Morning, which saw presenter Phillip Schofield ask Matt Hancock, the health secretary, whether he was claiming that two parents could see their parents separately ten minutes apart, but not together under fresh lockdown guidance.
“But don’t you see that that’s utterly bonkers,” the presenter said. Grant agreed: “It is,” he tweeted. “They are. We’re f***ed.”
Grant campaigned against the Tories in the 2019 general election – urging voters to plump for the Liberal Democrats or Labour.
Related: Government should be “shamed into following Scottish example” following NHS pay increase
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