Skip to main content
Donate to the 95 years appeal
Corruption doesn’t stop with Paterson
Has Tory corruption influenced British public health policy and what is the extent of Covid cronyism, asks BECK ROBERTSON
North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson (left)

CASH-for-access North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson has been forced to step down from his constituency role, after Boris Johnson backpedalled on his decision to undermine existing anti-sleaze regulations.

Multiple MPs and the public are now demanding answers after it was discovered £480 million worth of unadvertised Covid testing contracts had been awarded to Randox Laboratories, a firm Paterson worked for as a paid, part-time consultant.  

The Tories’ decision to award the contract was made despite Randox’s prior mismanagement of a £347m arrangement for Covid testing, which left care homes with zero capacity to test, due to the recall of 750,000 defective kits. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Various For Sale, Sold and Let By estate agent signs juxtaposed next to a Dreams store in Clapham, London
Class / 18 July 2025
18 July 2025

Our housing crisis isn’t an accident – it’s class war, trapping millions in poverty while landlords and billionaires profit. To solve it, we need comprehensive transformation, not mere tokenistic reform, writes BECK ROBERTSON

Features / 20 September 2023
20 September 2023
Rape is on the rise throughout Britain, yet less than 1 per cent of reported cases result in a successful prosecution — so why isn’t the government doing more about it, asks BECK ROBERTSON
Features / 6 January 2023
6 January 2023
The monarchy is a central British institution — but central to all the worst aspects of our nation, from colonialism to aristocratic privilege, class inequality and undemocratic elite rule. It's time we voted on it, argues BECK ROBERTSON
Features / 11 August 2022
11 August 2022
The government must urgently address hidden homelessness, introducing a package of adequate welfare provisions along with landlord regulation and access to habitable, affordable housing, writes BECK ROBERTSON
Similar stories
Peter Mandelson, British Labour politician, arrives at a mem
Editorial: / 20 December 2024
20 December 2024
Elon Musk speaks at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in New
Editorial: / 4 December 2024
4 December 2024
Former health secretary Matt Hancock arrives to give evidenc
Britain / 21 November 2024
21 November 2024