Covid-19: MPs launch legal action against government over failure to disclose details of PPE contracts

Three MPs and the Good Law Project have launched legal action against the UK government over what they allege is a “persistent and unlawful” failure to disclose details of huge sums of money spent on contracts for personal protective equipment.

The government has approved £15bn (€16.6bn; $19.6bn) for procuring PPE for public sector staff since the start of the covid-19 pandemic.1 But figures compiled by the data provider Tussell show that details of only £2.68bn of PPE spending have been made public,2 while further analysis shows persistent breaches of the requirement to publish information within 30 days.

The claimants argue that the government is in breach of legal regulations …