1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: Okay Bown, Gavin Briver A good morning to you, hi, Mike. 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: Has anyone left who hasn't beat on the election or 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:06,279 Speaker 1: the constituency? 4 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 2: Ah ah yeah me yes. This is turning into an 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: extraordinary saga. So we'd already known that one police officer 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 2: with the close protection unit of the Prime Minister was 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 2: being investigated in a criminal investigation for placing a bet 8 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 2: on the date of the election, the allegations being of course, 9 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 2: that somehow he found out, maybe having overheard a conversation, 10 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 2: that the date of the election was going to be 11 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 2: next week, July the fourth, and of course at those 12 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 2: points the odds were long on that because the Prime 13 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 2: Minister seemed unlikely to call it so soon. Now we're 14 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 2: learning another five police officers were alleged to a police 15 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: bets relating to the day of the election. They are 16 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 2: not said, however, to be in the protection squad of 17 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 2: the Prime Minister. And then later today the Prime Minister 18 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: announced that two of his candidates who had been accused 19 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 2: of also betting in this election, were going to be 20 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 2: suspended from the part. But ironically, of course, because they're 21 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 2: on the ticket already, there's just a week to go, 22 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 2: they are still going to be voted on next week. 23 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 2: It's just that they'll have to stand as independence if 24 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 2: they win a seat. And then, just in the last 25 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 2: hour and a half a Labor candidate, the Party of 26 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 2: Opposition has immediately suspended one of its candidates after being 27 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 2: told that the Gambling Commission had launched an investigation into him. 28 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 2: As I say, Mike, I'm feeling rather left out. 29 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. I was going to say, Now, that's one 30 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: point four billion pounds of the ppe that got destroyed. 31 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: Is this part of the campaign in the sense that 32 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: you go back and suddenly think about COVID, think about 33 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,839 Speaker 1: how COVID was run, and that's one of the many 34 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: things that's plaguing the Tories or not. 35 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 2: Yes, And also the fact that some of this personal 36 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 2: protective equipment is now reaching its expiry date or has 37 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: reached its expiry date. So yeah, I know it's only plastics, 38 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 2: but these things of course required tight fitting. Could therefore 39 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 2: some sort of plastic or elastic fittings which need to 40 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: be firm and flexible. And in the biggest, it's thought 41 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 2: the biggest ever right off of a single contract from 42 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 2: the government, this one point four billion pounds Over three 43 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 2: billion New Zealand dollars worth of personal protection is to 44 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 2: be destroyed or written off. It's one contract and at 45 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 2: least one point five to seven billion items of PPE 46 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 2: provided by this one supplier will never be used. They 47 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: did use some of it, but not very much of it. Incidentally, 48 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 2: this firm has done nothing wrong that the two co directors, 49 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: one of them the former nurse, have managed to buy 50 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 2: off the back of some of their hard work and 51 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 2: dare I say this contract have managed to buy a 52 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 2: very nice villa in Barbados and one on the south 53 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 2: coast of England, et cetera, et cetera. But let me 54 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 2: stress they've done nothing wrong. It was simply the government 55 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 2: scrambling around for the right PPE, finding it and then 56 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 2: never using it. 57 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: Hey, I notice it's twenty seven in London. You enjoying 58 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: that or is it too much? 59 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 2: Well, I've just been in the car for two hours. 60 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 2: It's a little bit actic, but yeah, it's I'm loving 61 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 2: the sunshine at last. 62 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: Thanks Rag, good on you. Gavin grim out of Britain 63 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: this morning. 64 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: For more from News Talk st B, listen live on 65 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:05,799 Speaker 2: air or online and keep 66 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: Our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts 67 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.