New messages reveal former MP Owen Paterson lobbying Health Secretary Matt Hancock

Whatsapp messages have been revealed which show communication between former MP Owen Paterson and then health secretary Matt Hancock. 

The messages show how Mr Paterson gave Mr Hancock Randox boss Peter Fitzgerald’s contact details on 26 January, 2020, and said he had told Mr Fitzgerald to “expect an email” from the health secretary. Mr Hancock contacted Mr Fitzgerald that night before telling Mr Paterson on 5 February, 2020 that Public Health England would be in touch.

Randox was awarded almost £600m of Covid testing contracts in the pandemic.

Later, Mr Paterson noted in Whatsapp messages that The Guardian was running a story saying the government “only gave Randox the testing contract because I am a paid consultant”. He asked: “If it comes up, can you kill this once and for all as I know absolutely nothing about the contact?”.

Mr Paterson, who had been the MP for North Shropshire since 1997, was ultimately forced to resign after the saga prompted a sleaze scandal in Westminster. It was revealed that the then-MP was lobbying for a firm that was paying him more than £8,000 a month.