“The Government’s use of a so-called VIP lane to award contracts for the supply of personal protective equipment to two companies during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was unlawful, the High Court has ruled”. Not the news the government needed just before the PM’s most dangerous PMQs so far…

UPDATE: Hold on before we call for people to be jailed, the Judge concluded that it didn’t make any difference:

Although operation of the High Priority Lane was in breach of the obligation of equal treatment under the PCR and therefore unlawful, it is highly likely that the outcome would not be substantially different and the contracts would have been awarded to PestFix and Ayanda. In those circumstances, pursuant to section 31(2A) and (2B) of the Senior Courts Act 1981, the court refuses to grant declaratory relief.

The Judge also ruled that sufficient due diligence and technical verification were done. Not quite the damning judgement suggested by the headline…