‘Scandalous’ £3.4bn UK state spending on private consultants last year

The Department for Transport, Department of Health and Social Care, Ministry of Defence and Home Office were among those that contributed to a £3.4bn spend on consultants last year. Photograph: Getty Images and PA

Private consultants were paid a “scandalous” £3.4bn by public bodies last year, new figures reveal.

The statistics, from outsourcing data company Tussell, show that government spending on private consultants was £1.3bn (62%) higher in 2023-24 than 2019-20. They also reveal that the surge in consultant spending seen during Covid has failed to come back down to pre-pandemic levels.