A health watchdog official expressed concerns that Michael Gove wanted to “circumvent” the testing process to push through a ventilator bid by Sir James Dyson which ultimately failed testing, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has heard.
The former minister, who was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL), denied seeking to pressure the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve the product as he gave evidence on Monday.
Reading from an email sent by Graeme Tunbridge from the MHRA in March 2020, counsel to the inquiry Richard Wald KC said: “CDL was keen to press forward with Dyson’s proposal to a timescale that is totally unrealistic, based in part on promises made by Dyson that are already not being fulfilled.
“In addition, however, CDL did not appreciate the level of risk involved in the manufacture and use of ventilators and wanted to circumvent the expedited regulatory process that has been put in place.”
Asked whether he had been seeking to circumvent the role of the MHRA, Mr Gove said: “No, and it’s ludicrous to think that any minister could have done.
“Just imagine the situation, if you will, a minister – Matt Hancock, I, Boris Johnson – says we want to have a potentially lethal machine in hospitals deliberately so that we can meet an arbitrary deadline. It’s inconceivable.”
The inquiry continues on Tuesday.