'Taxpayers deserve to know truth over £200million Covid contracts awarded to Michelle Mone'

Michael Gove and Matt Hancock being interviewed in the probe into £200million Covid contracts awarded to Michelle Mone and her husband Douglas Barrowman raises legitimate public questions.

The National Crime Agency spoke to Levelling Up Secretary Gove, formerly the Cabinet Office Minister at the heart of Government, and ex-Health Secretary Hancock as witnesses.

Other Ministers in post at the time the ­lucrative deals with PPE Medpro were granted through a VIP lane have also been grilled. Tory peer Mone acknowledged this month she was involved with the company and ­separately the Department of Health and Social Care is taking legal action for the return of £122m it paid for unused medical gowns that officials deemed were unsafe.

Mone and her husband deny any ­wrongdoing and PPE Medpro is defending the Health Department’s claim. But taxpayers deserve to know the contested truth.

Michelle Mone

War and hope

Seeing the relief and joy on the faces of released Israeli hostages and their ­families is a rare moment of hope in a war that has claimed thousands of lives.

Palestinians are relieved too that Israel is releasing prisoners as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the US.

But the hope that ceasefire can be prolonged may be fleeting unless Hamas continues to return Israelis it barbarously seized and Israel agrees to halt an operation killing ­massive numbers of civilians, as well as terrorists.

When hope is all many of us have, let’s hope it isn’t in vain.

One ‘El of a Tel

Terry Venables was an incredibly gifted football coach who was loved like few other England managers after he guided the team to the verge of glory in Euro 96.

The ever quotable boss of Spurs and Barcelona as well as England was a larger than life character who gave fans many happy moments that will live long in our memories.