Keir Starmer is demanding gangbusting police from the National Crime Agency be called in to probe £11.8billion of Covid fraud.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror, the Labour leader said: “It’s a staggering figure and it’s extraordinary the Government is not lifting a finger to get it back.
“They are worried if they brought the NCA in it would expose how badly their systems were run
“Yet that’s almost exactly the sum they hope to raise from their National Insurance hike which hurts so many families struggling with bills.
“The money will not go to social care or the NHS but to backfill what they have lost to fraud and bad contracts.”
He said one Manchester crime gang used Covid loans to nick cars to ship round the world.
An NCA investigation is a key plank of the emergency budget Sir Keir called for last night from Chancellor Rishi Sunak to tackle the cost of living crisis.
The UK is expected to see the lowest growth and the highest inflation next year of all the G7 most industrialised nations.
And Sir Keir said the Chancellor left a “yawning chasm” in last month’s Spring statement, failing to tackle record energy bills, petrol prices and hikes in the cost of food.
His call comes in the week that the 1.25% National Insurance rise hits pay packets
He also wants to see:
- A windfall tax on oil and gas producers to cut home energy bills by up to £600.
- A business rate discount of up to £5,700 to help struggling firms funded by a tax on online giants.
- Scrapping the National Insurance hike.
- A rapid ramp up of home insulation upgrades saving households £400 on bills.
We used the Mirror’s social media accounts to ask you the questions you wanted us to put to the Labour leader.
Most popular was a date for the long-awaited findings of the leak inquiry by Martin Forde QC into anti semitism within the Labour Party.
But Mr Forde says that has had to be delayed again because of an Information Commissioner’s inquiry.
Dave Barlow wanted to know if the Labour leader would support replacing the present first past the post voting system with proportional representation.
Sir Keir told him: “During an acute cost of living crisis, with prices through the roof, our absolute focus is on showing that only Labour is on peoples’ side.”
Dr Simon J Stewart asked: “What will Labour do to restore our NHS to the level of service that is needed?”
Sir Keir said: “Labour will provide the NHS with the staff, equipment and modern technology needed to treat patients on time.”
And Ashley Giles asked how Sir Keir planned to persuade Labour voters who deserted the party in 2019 to back him.
The Labour leader said: “With a relentless focus on the issues that matter to them.
“The Labour Party has changed. I’ve turned it inside out. Everything we do is about earning back people’s trust and winning the next election.”
