In a statement, Lady Hallett said: “The waste of taxpayers’ money was vast.

“It is a stark fact that of the approximately £15bn spent on PPE, nearly two-thirds – almost £10bn – was wasted, with tens of millions of pounds more spent by governments across the UK on equipment that simply could not be used.

“These figures demand a fundamental change in how the UK prepares for emergency procurement.

“Had ministers and officials been better equipped with appropriate plans, information and systems, procurement decisions would have been easier, fairer and far less costly – and equipment would have reached those who needed it faster.”

In her report, Lady Hallett found the UK was underprepared for the pandemic, with existing stockpiles of PPE “in a perilous state”, with large quantities of expired equipment.

She found only a third of the masks in England’s pre-pandemic stockpile were usable, while Scotland had no supplies of the top-level FFP3 masks needed by healthcare professionals.

Potential suppliers put through the government’s highly controversial ‘VIP Lane’ were 13 times more likely to be awarded government contracts – but were also more likely to have issues with performance.

Figures published in today’s Covid-19 inquiry report state that of the 15,194 suppliers who offered the government PPE through the non-high priority lane, just 160 were awarded contracts.

By comparison, of the 430 suppliers who went through the ‘VIP Lane’, 54 were awarded contracts, meaning 13 per cent were given contracts while just 1 per cent of non-priority suppliers were awarded them.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care found that proportionally, more VIP Lane contracts were judged to have had issues with contractual performance.

Issues ranged from incorrect technical documents to the supply of the wrong type of equipment.

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.

In its latest report on Tuesday, the UK Covid-19 inquiry found the highly controversial supply chain favoured suppliers with government connections and undermined public trust.

The lane – which was later ruled unlawful – was established in order to identify more credible offers as officials struggled to assess the high number of suppliers offering PPE during the pandemic.

The system meant suppliers referred by MPs, Peers, ministers and senior officials were effectively given special treatment and prioritised by a separate team of officials. Although the inquiry did not identify cronyism or corruption, it did find examples of favourable treatment given to such offers.

The report found: “Public confidence in the emergency procurement system was undermined by the lack of transparency, the lack of adequate processes to control spending and the unfairness of the High Priority Lane which tended to favour suppliers with a connection to the UK government.”

There was a ‘vast waste’ of taxpayer money spent on PPE which could have been avoided, the Covid inquiry has found.

The latest report, published on Tuesday, found that Of approximately £14.9bn spent on PPE, nearly two thirds – almost £10bn – was wasted.

The report found the “significant waste” came due to both overbuying and the buying of substandard equipment.

Inquiry chair Heather Hallett said that the level of waste will only be avoided in future if the UK invests in high-quality information systems and modern technology are placed at the heart of emergency procurement and distribution.

She said: “They are key to ensuring that the UK is better prepared for the next pandemic and that public resources are spent wisely.”

Today’s report includes evidence on PPE firm Medpro, which was ordered to repay £148m to the Government after the High Court found it had breached a contract to supply millions of surgical gowns to the government.

The firm, linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone via her husband Doug Barrowman, has also been the subject of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation since 2021 over its supplying of PPE during the pandemic.  Both Lady Mone, 54, and Mr Barrowman, 61, deny wrongdoing.

Although the Covid Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, has heard evidence relating to Medpro, Tuesday’s report will not include those details because of the ongoing NCA investigation.

The inquiry has said it will release its findings on Medpro once any criminal proceedings had concluded.

Nicola Brook, a solicitor from law firm Broudie Jackson Canter which represents families from the Covid-19 Families for Justice group, said the report “risks being a total whitewash” because of the decision not to include its findings on Medpro.

Ms Brook said: “The Medpro scandal is at the very heart of everything that was wrong about procurement during the pandemic, yet it is being kept secret from the people who need answers most, my clients the bereaved.”

She added that her clients hope the report would “reveal the true extent of the shambolic and wasteful attempts by the government to get PPE as medical staff treated those dying from Covid wearing bin bags” and that Lady Hallett would “pull no punches in her assessment of one of the biggest scandals ever seen in this country”.

PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Mr Barrowman, was awarded government contracts worth more than £200m to supply personal protective equipment after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers.

But the firm found itself at the centre of the controversy over so-called “VIP lane” contracts granted to some suppliers during the pandemic.

Despite being ordered to repay £148 million by the High Court, the company was wound up last year, meaning the Government is unlikely to see most of that money.

The NCA probe remains ongoing, and in June 2024, the agency said an unnamed 46-year-old man from Barnet, north London, had been arrested as part of the investigation.

No criminal charges have been brought.

The Covid Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, is set to publish its findings on procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) at midday, and is expected to address controversies including the so-called “VIP lane” contracts granted to some suppliers during the pandemic.

More than 50 firms were awarded fast-track PPE contracts through the UK government’s high-priority lane. The Independent looked at some of the most notable beneficiaries.

Baroness Mone

Today’s report will not include evidence on PPE firm Medpro, which was ordered to repay £148 million to the Government after the High Court found it had breached a contract to supply millions of surgical gowns to the government.

The firm, linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone via her husband Doug Barrowman – who both deny wrongdoing – has also been the subject of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation since 2021 over its supplying of PPE during the pandemic.

PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Mr Barrowman, was awarded government contracts worth more than £200 million to supply personal protective equipment after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers.

Although the Covid Inquiry has heard evidence relating to Medpro, Tuesday’s report will not include those details because of the ongoing NCA investigation, instead releasing its findings on Medpro once any criminal proceedings have concluded.

Meller Designs

Meller Designs secured six contracts worth up to £164m from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. Up until January 2021, the firm was owned by David Meller, a Tory donor who backed Michael Gove’s party leadership bid.

At the time the contracts were awarded, Mr Gove was servings as a minister in the Cabinet Office – the department responsible for government procurement.

Uniserve

Logistics firm Uniserve received the highest total value of contracts from the the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) during the pandemic without open tender.

By December 2020, the government had awarded £777 million worth of contracts to the Essex-based transport company without offering other companies the chance to bid for them.

Families bereaved by Covid-19 have said they fear a “whitewash” when the inquiry into the pandemic publishes its next report on Tuesday.

The Covid Inquiry is set to publish its findings on procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) at midday.

It is expected to address controversies including the so-called “VIP lane” contracts granted to some suppliers during the pandemic.

With less than a week until Sir Keir Starmer officially leaves No 10, Andy Burnham is effectively prime minister in all but name.

The Makerfield MP is expected to take office on Monday, having secured the backing of over 300 Labour MPs.

His tenure in No 10 has been highly anticipated for many months, with his path to Downing Street having been without obstacles since his by-election win last month.

During his campaign trail and since returning to parliament, the prime-minister-in-waiting has delivered a number of speeches laying out his policy intentions.

Read below for some of his key policies:

Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, has said his key message to Andy Burnham’s government is that slow economic growth is the “big issue” affecting the UK .

He warned that the problem had been affecting Britain for the guts of almost two decades.

He told MPs on the Commons Treasury Committee: “The overall message I would give is that I think the big issue is growth in the economy.

“I do actually think that there are signs of a very resilient financial system.

“What I think is much more challenging is we’ve had low growth in the economy now for the best part of 16 to 17 years.”

But he stressed: “We will not get growth if we don’t have financial stability”.

Top of page pictures are of Michell Mone and the Covid virus.