V interesting story from Laura about ventilator challenge..

At the time, other manufacturers felt that in the key March 16th meeting the PM was especially keen to involve Dyson and JCB, as manufacturer-supporters of Brexit, rather than carmakers and aerospace (who succeeded) https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1384759633957511172

Those manufacturers had quickly determined ventilator challenge could only be met by using existing blueprint (for an approved medical device) and told me at time they were bemused by focus on Dyson (whose plans did not proceed)...

At same time there was tension with car and planemakers who had begun to argue pandemic would require an extension to Brexit trade deal negotiations to get deep deal that protected manufacturers...

Bit of context, but some on call left with perception PM overly focussed on Dyson

Moot point perhaps, the ventilators from Dyson weren’t approved nor mass manufactured (though JCB made some prototypes). And as I understand it, the ventilators that were made, didn’t end up being needed so much. But the perception in industry was of a particular No 10 keenness

On the other hand - getting all hands on deck with whatever help needed in the middle of an emerging crisis, where compared to Europe we were desperately lacking in ventilators, might explain the general willingness to shake things up, as Mr Blair alluded to on Today.