Only £18m recouped by government from fraudulent PPE contracts

Liberal Democrats criticise ‘pitiful’ government efforts to reclaim wasted money

‘These figures serve as a damning indictment of the Conservative government’s record’ (PA)

The government has so far recouped only £18m from potentially fraudulent personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts.

Health minister Will Quince, responding to a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, confirmed that as of 12 December the Department of Health had recovered £18m from PPE contracts deemed “high risk”.

The figures, first reported by The Guardian, revealed the government’s “pitiful” efforts to reclaim wasted money, the Liberal Democrats said. The newspaper said it is estimated up to £630m spent on PPE could have involved fraud or error.