Covid-19 Inquiry exposes the scale of the UK’s pandemic PPE procurement failure

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings on PPE procurement reveal a vast public procurement failure. Nearly £10 billion in public money was lost through over-purchasing, write-downs and write-offs, while frontline health and care workers were left without adequate protection.

The Inquiry also found that the VIP Lane embedded unfairness in the procurement process, favoured suppliers with connections to government and heightened the risk of abuse. Companies referred through the lane were 13 times more likely to receive a contract.

Through the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition (UKACC), we contributed comparative, data-driven evidence to the Inquiry, drawing on our experience of supporting emergency procurement in other countries around the world. Our evidence showed that speed and transparency are not mutually exclusive: governments can respond quickly while maintaining oversight, accountability and a clear route back to competitive purchasing.

As a member of UKACC, we are calling on the government to act urgently on the Inquiry’s recommendations. The coalition is also calling for VIP lanes and other politically biased referral routes to be banned, stronger conflict-of-interest and due-diligence checks, proper investigation of high-risk contracts, and investment in modern, transparent procurement systems before the next emergency.

Our Executive Director and UKACC Co-Chair Gavin Hayman said:

“The British Government bought the wrong things, from the wrong people, in the wrong way. The Inquiry has shown what happens when emergency powers, weak controls and political access collide, with disastrous results.”

Read the full coalition statement.