04 February 2023 , 18:58
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Companies handed £3.7billion of PPE contracts have links to tax havens, analysis reveals.
And government estimates show they have provided half a billion pounds worth of PPE that has been left unused.
Two of the five firms listed by Labour have links to the Conservative Party and were handed their plum contracts through the “VIP lane”.
The biggest winner, Full Support Healthcare, benefited from £2billion of PPE contracts. It is owned by Stoute Enterprises Limited, registered in Jersey. Other contracts were awarded to Uniserve Ltd, owned by a firm registered in Singapore, and Guardian Surgical, run by a company from Hong Kong.
Ayanda Capital, whose parent is based in Mauritius, and PPE Medpro – at the centre of the Baroness Mone contracts row – won deals.
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According to the Financial Times, £65million in profits from PPE Medpro were transferred to The Warren Trust, registered in the Isle of Man.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “It’s disgusting that British taxpayers' money has been used to prop up companies with links to tax havens."
Angela Rayner (R) said it was "disgusting" (PA)She added: “The fact that over half a billion pounds of PPE they have provided has gone unused, speaks volumes about how little the Government values taxpayers’ money.”
The firms are UK registered, and there is no suggestion they have failed to pay any tax due here.
And there's no suggestion that all unused PPE was substandard - many items went unused because of procurement and supply issues.
Being UK registered is a legal requirement for those seeking such contracts.
All the firms were approached for comment. Stoute and Uniserve said they paid all tax that was due in the UK.
Ms Rayner added: “Under a Labour government there will be no hiding place for cronies and no corner for corruption.”