Labour pledges to ‘clean up cronyism’ with ‘biggest wave of insourcing for a generation’

Research by Labour unveiled on Monday suggests the value of contracts awarded to companies with connections to the Tories amounts to almost £2 billion.

In a virtual speech from Labour’s central London headquarters, Reeves said there was a “litany of failures” from outsourcing.

“That is why under Keir Starmer’s Labour government we will see the biggest wave of insourcing of public services for a generation,” she said.

“It will save money and ensure better, more responsive, more resilient, accountable local services for all.”

She said lessons should be learned from the “successful” coronavirus vaccine rollout by the NHS and GPs, which she said provided “vital experience” and “local knowledge”.

Comparing this to the outsourced NHS Test and Trace programme, the shadow minister said she “deeply regretted” that the scheme is not carried out by the health service or local councils.

She said a Labour government would follow the lead of US President Joe Biden’s administration in introducing an integrity and ethics commission.

This will have the powers and resources to “prevent corruption” and remove conflicts of interest in all areas of government, outsourcing and appointments, Reeves said.

Meanwhile, the shadow minister said a “shadow state” had emerged and called for the Freedom of Information Act to be applied to all new public service contracts delivered by private companies.

“Labour in government will clean up cronyism in contracting through greater transparency, accountability and citizens’ rights,” she said.

Last November saw the National Audit Office (NAO), the public spending watchdog, publish a scathing report which criticised the way normal standards of transparency had been set aside.

The NAO said firms recommended by MPs, peers and ministers’ offices were given priority as the government sought personal protective equipment (PPE) for the NHS in the first phase of the pandemic.

During the speech, Reeves revealed she has written to the top 10 firms with Tory connections that secured contracts during the Covid-19 crisis in a bid to unveil their profit levels.

“We deserve to know how and if friends and donors of the Tory Party have cashed in on a national emergency,” she said.

“This is no way to run our country, and we need answers.”

She also called on the government to “wind down” the use of emergency procurement and urged for taxpayer money to be clawed back if new contracts have failed to be delivered fully.

A gvernment spokesman said: “As the National Audit Office has made clear, there is no evidence of ministerial involvement in procurement decisions or contract management.

“We have robust rules and processes in place in order to ensure that conflicts of interest do not occur.

“Contracts are awarded on a combination of price and quality, not the political or other affiliations of owners or stakeholders.”