A TECHNOLOGY company with links to the UK Technology Secretary has won more than £10 million worth of government contracts since the election last summer.
Public Digital, which specialises in transforming digital services, had a senior staff member seconded to work for Peter Kyle, the Technology Secretary, while Labour were in opposition.
The company helped write Labour’s technology policies before the general election, and has since received several contracts to overhaul IT systems across Government departments.
The firm was given £3m to lead the transformation of the Post Office’s IT systems, and a further £5m to help oversee reforms to local public services.
These included a £5m contract to help oversee a government programme to reform local public services, which was awarded by the Cabinet Office.
Kyle went on to hire Emily Middleton, the Public Digital partner seconded to his office last year, in a senior civil service role shortly after the election.
She continued to be paid by Public Digital while on secondment. Middleton was also previously seconded to Labour Together, a think tank with close ties to Keir Starmer and his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
A Public Digital spokesman told The Times that the firm “has a proven track record of delivering exceptional digital transformation services”.
They added: “Our team’s expertise, not political affiliations, has earned us the trust of government bodies.”
A Government spokesman said: “All contracts are awarded in line with public procurement legislation.
“Public Digital is a leading digital consultancy and a long-running supplier for government and the wider public sector, holding a number of contracts awarded under previous administrations.”
The spokesman highlighted that Public Digital had won government contracts under the previous Tory administration.
However, a sharp increase has been seen since Labour came to power. Public Digital was given an average £2.56m a year from UK Government departments in the three years prior to July 2024, when Labour won the election.
Since then, the company has been awarded £10.2m.
The Conservative Party has called for an independent investigation into the links between Public Digital and the Labour Party, with Duncan Hames, director of policy at Transparency International UK and a former MP, adding: “This case raises serious questions about how public money is now spent under the new government.
“When a company gives senior staff to support a political party and then receives valuable government contracts after they take power, this raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest.”
