Matt Hancock told his team to go "hell for leather" at a contract with a Covid testing firm, despite officials' concerns it would not appear "legit," according to emails revealed in the High Court.
York-based Abingdon Health was handed tens of millions of pounds worth of contracts to develop antibody tests.
And under emergency Covid laws, the deal was awarded without competition.
The firm was said to be “on the brink” in 2019 - with losses of £1.5 million. A year later they floated on the AIM small firms stock market, raising £22m from investors.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) went to court today, to defend the decision in the face of a legal challenge from the Good Law Project.
And it was revealed that the senior civil servant responsible for the antibody testing team was concerned that competitors “might complain” of the firm being given preferential treatment.
A spokesperson for Matt Hancock said: "What this case shows is a large number of people working incredibly hard to expand testing to save lives in unprecedented circumstances. Nothing more, nothing less."
