Skip to main content
Case Update

PPE masks not fit for purpose

6th August 2020

The Government awarded a PPE contract worth £252 million to Ayanda Capital Limited, a ‘family office’ owned through a tax haven in Mauritius, with connections to Liz Truss. It is the largest PPE contract we have seen to date. 

In response to judicial review proceedings issued by Good Law Project, the Government has admitted that the 50 million FFP2 masks they purchased from Ayanda Capital – for a price that we calculate to be between £156m and £177m –  “will not be used in the NHS” because “there was concern as to whether the[y]… provided an adequate fixing.

So, unless Government finds another use for, or seeks to sell, those unsuitable masks, that money has been wasted. And as for the remaining 150 million Type IIR masks purchased from Ayanda Capital? Government has admitted they also require further testing and have not been released for use in the NHS.

We have also unearthed another absolutely remarkable feature of the £252 million Ayanda contract. Matt Hancock’s lawyers have now admitted they planned to enter into that contract with a £100 company wholly owned by Liz Truss’ adviser Andrew Mills and his wife. Mr Mills asked – and Government agreed – to enter into it with Ayanda instead because the £100 company (Prospermill Limited) didn’t have “international payment infrastructure.” Just how much has this arrangement prospered Mills? 

Good Law Project and EveryDoctor has now issued three sets of judicial review proceedings in relation to the procurement of PPE – with a pest controller, a confectioner, and Ayanda/Prospermill. Not one of those contracts has resulted in any PPE yet being released for use in the NHS. The entirety of the PPE delivered under these three contracts is either untested or has already been found to be unusable.

These are the facts – and they are not disputed.

The more we scratch the surface of the PPE fiasco, the more shocking details that emerge. If we are to prevent more PPE failures and protect public funds, we need proper answers from this Government. With your support, we intend to get them. If you are in a position to do so, you can donate to the legal challenge here.


It is only with your support that we can continue to hold Government to account. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so here.

Case

This article is part of our Scrutinising PPE Procurement case

This legal campaign helped draw wide attention to the institutionalisation of cronyism in the VIP lane.
The Court found that the VIP lane, through which Ayanda and Pestfix, won their contracts, was illegal.

See more about this case