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London (AP) - The British government has again come under fire for lobbying allegations.
As reported by the BBC, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had talked to entrepreneur James Dyson last year via cell phone text message about tax breaks for his company in the production of ventilators.
Johnson confessed to the exchange in Parliament's weekly Question Time on Wednesday and defended his actions.
He will absolutely not apologize for this, it was ultimately about saving lives, said the prime minister and announced that the details would be published.
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How the text messages got to the BBC was not known.
An investigation will not be initiated, said a government spokesman.
Dyson moved the headquarters of his company, which is best known for vacuum cleaners, to Singapore a few years ago.
At the height of the first wave in the coronavirus pandemic, the government had also called on companies outside the field to manufacture ventilators.
Dyson reportedly wanted an assurance that a government contract would not result in additional tax burdens.
Johnson replied by text message: "I'll fix this," the BBC report said.
Dyson also did not deny the exchange in a statement and defended his company's commitment.
The development of a ventilator that was not used had costs of £ 20 million (around 23 million euros) that the government had not been billed for.
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Other members of the UK government were also previously suspected of communicating with company officials through opaque channels.
Finance Minister Rishi Sunak exchanged text messages with ex-Prime Minister David Cameron, who is lobbying for the now insolvent financial company Greensill.
Health Minister Hancock is accused, among other things, of having met company founder Lex Greensill for a "private drink" through Cameron's mediation.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210421-99-299722 / 2