WhatsApp messages between disgraced former Tory MP Owen Paterson and then-health secretary Matt Hancock have revealed the extent to which he was lobbying on behalf of a firm paying him more than £8,000 a month.
Mr Paterson resigned from the Commons in November last year after he was found to have breached lobbying rules through his consultancy work for health firm Randox.
Before he quit, Boris Johnson demanded Tory MPs reject the standards committee’s suggestion Mr Paterson be suspended – only to then make a U-turn, kicking off a wider Westminster sleaze scandal.
It also led to a by-election in North Shropshire, which the Tories lost to the Liberal Democrats.
More: MPs give up second jobs worth £250k a year in wake of Westminster sleaze row
Randox was paying Mr Paterson, who had been the North Shropshire MP since 1997, £8,333 a month for 16 hours work, the register of financial interests showed.
On Friday, the government released documents, forced by Labour, showing the extent to which Mr Paterson was pushing the then-health secretary over Randox’s offers to provide COVID testing.
Nearly £600 million worth of COVID testing contracts were awarded to Randox, with normal competition rules skipped due to the emergency situation.
Mr Paterson started pushing Randox’s tests in January 2020
WhatsApp messages show Mr Paterson gave Mr Hancock Randox boss Dr Peter Fitzgerald’s contact details on 26 January 2020 – two months before the UK’s first lockdown.
Mr Paterson said he told Mr Fitzgerald to “expect an email” from the health secretary, who contacted the Randox boss that night.
Mr Hancock then told Mr Paterson on 5 February 2020 that Public Health England (PHE) would be in touch with Mr Fitzgerald “directly”.
On 25 February, Mr Paterson again contacted Mr Hancock, saying Randox had not been…
Source : skynews
