Boris Johnson’s government wasted almost £10bn as it scrambled to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) that was eventually found to be unusable, the Covid inquiry has found.
In the fifth report of her investigation, Heather Hallett criticised the “vast” waste of taxpayers’ money in pandemic procurement, and revealed that of approximately £14.9bn spent on medical equipment – including masks, gloves and gowns – nearly two-thirds was wasted.
