UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has defended sending on a former Conservative minister’s offer, which resulted in a multi-million-pound personal protective equipment (PPE) deal last year. After being accused of cronyism, Hancock said that he didn’t have anything to do with awarding the contract and that it was “perfectly reasonable” for him to forward the message. British newspaper The Sunday Times reported on May 16 that former Civil Society Minister Brooks Newmark directly lobbied Hancock to propose the PPE deal two months after the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus epidemic in China had become a global pandemic. Newmark emailed Hancock on May 27, with a proposal attached saying he “had links to a ‘well connected and powerful’ person in China but needed government help in accelerating deals,” The Sunday Times reported. According to the report, Hancock reportedly replied within hours, saying: “Thanks. Definitely one for the PPE team who are firing on …