LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s government on Wednesday won its lawsuit against a firm at the centre of a row over the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, with London’s High Court awarding 122 million pounds ($164.3 million) in damages.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sued PPE Medpro in 2022, alleging the firm was in breach of a June 2020 contract to supply 25 million sterile surgical gowns.

The then-Conservative government was repeatedly criticised during and after the pandemic over deals awarded to those with links to people in power, including via a so-called VIP lane.

DHSC said the gowns were not properly sterilised and so could not be used in healthcare, meaning it was entitled to reject the gowns and recoup the money it spent.

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