The family of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church leader Bruce Hales are connected to Covid contracts worth more than £2.5 billion globally — awarded across the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and Denmark. Bruce Hales has four sons: Gareth, Dean, Gregory and Charles. In the course of this investigation we found that they link to over £2.5 billion of the approximately £3 billion in Covid contracts won by PBCC-connected companies — representing more than 85% of the total.
The Ten Companies — Master Table
Unispace & Sante Global — Gareth & Charles Hales
Unispace and its successor Sante Global are the flagship vehicles through which Gareth and Charles Hales — the first and fourth sons of Bruce Hales — entered the Covid contract market. The UK contracts were awarded via the PPE VIP procurement route following communications with government minister Michael Gove. After the contracts were won, Unispace was sold and the contracts appear to have novated to Sante Global, with Gareth and Charles as the main shareholders throughout.
Sterilab Services
Sterilab Services was awarded a contract worth £272 million for the supply of lateral flow tests to the UK government. The UK Government Contract Finder website lists Sante Global LLP as the supplier for this contract. There is an ongoing court case in which Sante and Sterilab have taken the DHSC to court.
Core Supply Group — Dean Hales / Ox Tools, Netherlands
Core Supply Group was awarded a contract worth £272 million in the Netherlands. Its connection to Dean Hales runs through Ox Tools — the Dutch operations share the same premises, and Lincoln Clarkson, a director of Ox Tools Netherlands, is also linked to Core Supply Group. Ox Group Netherlands BV subsequently changed its company name to Core Supply Group. Sante Global also claims the Core Supply contract as a success story on its own website.
Coulmed Products — 2San Director Link
Coulmed Products won a contract worth £127 million in the USA. The connection to the Hales network runs through its managing director, Mike Macdougall. His brother, Rob Macdougall, is a director of 2San — Dean Hales' company. Sante Global also claims the Coulmed contract as one of their successes on their website.
Westlab — Sante Global Collaboration
Westlab, owned by the Grace family in Victoria, Australia, was awarded contracts worth £21 million. The connection to the Hales network is documented through close working with Sante Global, evidenced in LinkedIn posts showing collaboration between the two companies. Australian media also reported the Sante/Westlab connection. Sante claims the Westlab contract on their website. Bruce Hales is the named auditor of Westlab — as detailed in our Auditing the Auditor investigation.
2San — Dean Hales
2San, owned by Dean Hales, was awarded contracts worth £14.5 million in Australia. The company subsequently became significant for a different reason — its recruitment of at least 13 members of the UKHSA Test & Trace team, including Mark Hewlett, the highest-paid director on the UKHSA executive board, within weeks of the contracts concluding. This is covered in detail in our Test & Traced investigation.
Medco Solutions — Dean Hales
Medco Solutions Ltd was awarded contracts worth £1 billion by the UK government for the supply of lateral flow tests — the single largest contract in this investigation. The contracts were awarded between 5 March 2021 and 23 February 2022 by Test & Trace/UKHSA. Medco Solutions Ltd also benefited from £84 million in PPE contracts. Medco Solutions Pty Ltd (Australia) and Medco Solutions LLC (USA) both show Dean Hales as the main shareholder.
"Ten companies. Seven countries. £2.556 billion. All with a documented connection to one family — the four sons of Bruce Hales."
Brethren Exposed InvestigationKlondike Lubricants — Shared Premises with Ox Tools, Canada
Klondike Lubricants won a contract worth £1.25 million in Canada. The company operates from the same premises as 2San's former Canadian address, and is owned by Brad Mitchell — who previously worked at Ox Tools, Dean Hales' company. The same Canadian address was also used by Orvato Healthcare and Ox Tools.
Inivos — Greg Hales
Inivos received a UK government Covid contract worth £121 million. The connection to the Hales family runs through a trademark: under their previous company name, Inivos registered the Deprox brand as a trademark in the UK. A corresponding Deprox trademark in Australia is registered to Greg Hales — third son of Bruce Hales. The address used to register this Australian trademark was a property owned by Bruce Hales and his wife.
Conclusion
Across ten companies and seven countries, the Hales family's connections to Covid contract winners amount to over £2.556 billion — more than 85% of the total £3 billion in Covid contracts won by PBCC-connected companies. The contracts span PPE, lateral flow tests and specialist healthcare supplies, awarded across different government agencies in multiple countries during the same pandemic period.
The connections range from direct ownership (Dean Hales owns 2San and Medco Solutions; Gareth and Charles Hales own Sante Global) to shared premises, shared directorships, family relationships and documented business collaborations. Greg Hales connects to Inivos through an Australian trademark registered at a Hales family address.
The full picture of how these contracts were won — including Michael Gove's role in the VIP lane for Unispace, the sub-contractor relationships behind Medco Solutions' £1 billion contract, and the movement of UKHSA procurement officials into 2San — is covered across our wider investigation series.