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Favouring national suppliers and the ‘Buy British’ campaign
DOI link for Favouring national suppliers and the ‘Buy British’ campaign
Favouring national suppliers and the ‘Buy British’ campaign book
Favouring national suppliers and the ‘Buy British’ campaign
DOI link for Favouring national suppliers and the ‘Buy British’ campaign
Favouring national suppliers and the ‘Buy British’ campaign book
ABSTRACT
Favouring national suppliers will be a contentious topic of debate if procurement law is reformed. EU procurement law currently prevents UK contracting authorities from favouring national suppliers. In cases where a contract being procured appears to have a particular bearing on UK identity, the tension between ‘Buy British’ sentiments and the non-discrimination principle in EU law is apparent. This tension is illustrated by the judgment in the case of Harmon 1 , which concerned an expensive fenestration contract for Portcullis House. More recently, the furore over the contract for British passports being awarded to a Franco-Dutch company 2 demonstrates that the opposition between ‘Buy British’ sentiments and EU non-discrimination principles remains relevant. If procurement law reform is to be the direction of travel, this concern is likely to be near the top of the reform agenda.