The government squandered £10bn of taxpayer money on PPE while using an “inherently biased” ‘VIP Lane’ to prioritise suppliers with political connections during the Covid pandemic, the latest UK Covid-19 inquiry report concludes.
Vast sums of public money were wasted as the government sought to respond to the massive demand in equipment needed during the pandemic, it finds.
The report, published on Tuesday, found that of around £14.9bn spent on PPE, nearly two-thirds - almost £10bn - was wasted.
It said there were clearly risks of waste caused by “overbuying and large sums of public money being lost”, and of “buying substandard equipment”.
Inquiry chair Heather Hallett’s report also found the government’s so-called ‘VIP Lane’ - which allowed referrals of potential government PPE suppliers from politicians and senior officials - was “misguided” and should not be repeated.
The supply chain - which was later ruled unlawful - was established to identify more credible offers as officials struggled to assess the high number of suppliers offering PPE during the pandemic.
Although the inquiry did not identify cronyism or corruption, it did, however, find examples of favourable treatment given to such offers referred by MPs, Peers, ministers and senior officials.
