The UK and devolved governments wasted nearly £10 billion of the £14.9 billion spent on personal protective equipment during the pandemic, the Covid inquiry's fifth report on procurement has found.
The inquiry concluded the UK entered the crisis with its stockpile in a perilous state, with only a third of masks in England usable and Scotland lacking FFP3 respirators entirely. Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett condemned the 'VIP lane' for fast-tracking contracts as misguided and unfair, noting it embedded systemic unfairness into emergency procurement — with 15 of 32 individuals behind successful referrals connected to the Conservative Party. The panel did, however, find no evidence of cronyism or corruption by ministers or officials.
The government estimated £256 million was lost to fraud. The inquiry recommended a radical overhaul of emergency procurement and a domestic PPE industry strategy, with five further reports to follow, the next covering the care sector in autumn.