27 January 2024 , 22:48
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A computing firm part-owned by Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty is in line for millions of pounds of government money.
In recent months, Infosys has been on an “approved list” of suppliers for public sector contracts worth more than £750million. The India-based firm is one of 25 named on a £250m contract issued by NHS Shared Business Services last month for so-called “intelligent automation”.
Infosys – run by Ms Murty’s family – is also one of 62 suppliers lined up for a potential share of up to £562.5m in contracts from the Financial Conduct Authority for IT services, Investigative Substack Democracy for Sale understands.
These all come under so-called ”framework agreements” letting public bodies directly award contracts without further tendering. No awards have been made but Infosys may be in line for millions in taxpayers’ money.
Infosys has received at least £66m in public contracts since 2015. Mrs Murty owns around 39 million shares in Infosys, now worth around £610m. The Cabinet Office said: “Ministers do not take part in the evaluation or selection of bidders.”
Out of touch Rishi Sunak doesn't regularly read papers or online news sites
An FCA spokesperson said: “We are yet to award any contracts under our latest Digital Services Framework Agreement. Under this agreement, 62 pre-selected suppliers are able to bid to provide specific contracts. We use a number of companies for IT support and we tender publicly, as do any other public bodies”
NHS Shared Business Services said: “There is no specific amount awarded to any supplier on the framework.” Infosys did not respond to a request for comment.
It comes as the desperate Conservative Party is accused of trying to rig the next election. The Tories are pushing changes to the Electoral Commission – prompting an extraordinary broadside from the agency in charge of voting.
A spokesman for the independent watchdog compared the Tories to “one team telling the umpire how to enforce the rules of the game”. Ministers have already forced through other changes which critics say favour them at the ballot box.