Procurement reforms offer a clue about Britain after Brexit
They spell work for smaller firms, greater competition—and risks, too
“NO PROCUREMENT, NO lawyers, no meetings, no delay please—just send immediately,” wrote Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s then-chief aide, as he dispatched a grant of £530,000 ($740,000) to researchers at the start of the pandemic. Those who feared Brexit would spell protectionism, government bloat and vanity projects have found much to dislike in Mr Johnson’s approach to procurement. While campaigning for election in 2019, he promised a “Buy British” policy for state contracts once Britain was freed from European Union rules. On June 9th a judge declared that a contract for focus groups had been tainted by “apparent bias” and ruled it unlawful. Jolyon Maugham, the campaigning barrister who brought the case, has more under way over what he terms “institutionalised cronyism”.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “How to spend it”
Britain June 26th 2021
- Procurement reforms offer a clue about Britain after Brexit
- After Brexit, devolution in Northern Ireland is in a parlous state
- Labour could lose a by-election over the issue of Palestine
- Eels are in crisis, but hope is coming on-stream
- The triple-lock rule poses a post-pandemic problem
- Britain proposes—again—to privatise Channel 4
- Britain, a diverse country for decades, is now superdiverse
- Britain’s government says it wants an economic boom
From the June 26th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
Many Britons are waiting 12 hours at A&E
The crisis in emergency care has deep roots
Is British justice too secretive?
Controversy rages over what happened both before and after a horrendous mass stabbing
Britain’s oldest newspaper is a treasure trove of trivia
Why historians love the London Gazette
The rise of the Net-Zero Dad
Middle-aged men care less about the problem. But they love the solution
Backing Heathrow expansion suggests Labour is serious about boosting growth
It is the surest sign yet that the government is up for the fight