During the Pandemic there has been concern about public money being sent into the private sector to deal with the Covid crisis. Billions of pounds have been spent so far, especially in test and trace, which have not brought the virus under control.
Head of test and trace, Dido Harding has come under pressure to resign as testing figures have not met the targets set by the Government.
Now, according to The Sunday Times the head of Britain’s vaccine taskforce, Kate Bingham, who has been married to Tory Minister Jesse Norman since 1992, has been embroiled in another Government scandal.
Her husband Norman has worked as Financial Secretary to the Treasury since 2019. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hereford and South Herefordshire since 2010.
On 16th May Kate Bingham was been appointed chair of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce – the group set up by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Business Secretary and Health Secretary to lead UK efforts to find and manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine.
She was appointed to the role by the PM despite having no vaccines experience.
This is a cross-government role and Kate Bingham reports directly to the Prime Minister.
Networking event
Bingham is now facing calls to resign after disclosing “official sensitive” government documents to a $200-a-head conference in America last week.
Last week Bingham, 55, spent an hour explaining the government’s strategy to a “premier webinar and networking event” for women in private equity hosted by a Massachusetts company.
According to a video of the event, she showed financiers a detailed list of vaccines which the UK government is closely monitoring and could later invest in. Bingham said: “We haven’t necessarily signed contracts with all of them so far. But they are all in our sights.”
Corruption
Dr Phillipa Whitford Tweeted: “The corruption around this Tory Government is so blatant it doesn’t even seem to raise eyebrows anymore! #COVID19 just seen as an opportunity!”
Actor Stephen Mangan Tweeted: :Kate Bingham, heads Britain’s vaccine task force. No experience in that area. She’s a venture capitalist. Married to a Tory minister. Dido Harding leads Test & Trace. No experience in that area. Married to a Tory MP. Mike Coupe, head of COVID testing. No experience etc etc etc.”
Jolyon Maugham Tweeted: “One of the many extraordinary things about the world the Government is creating is the institutionalisation of political patronage. Lucrative public contracts – and jobs too – for their mates.”
Jim Armitage: “Kate Bingham was made head of the vaccine taskforce despite no experience in vaccines. S.Times claims she gave inside info on pharmas in line for govt contracts to a $200-a-ticket private equity conference.Symvivo, Medicago, Vaxart newly revealed.Has there ever been a worse govt?”
Related: Reactions as Iain Duncan Smith accuses PM of ‘giving in to the scientific advisers’
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