Tory minister resigns over government’s ‘desperately inadequate’ attempt to combat Covid fraud

The Tory minister in charge of Whitehall efficiency has resigned over the government’s “lamentable track record” in tackling Covid loan scheme fraud.

Senior Conservative peer Lord Agnew quit with a shock announcement on Monday, telling the House of Lords that he could no longer defend the government’s record over the £47bn bounce back loan scheme (BBLS) for small businesses.

He also condemned the “desperately inadequate” efforts to claw back some of the huge sums lost to fraud in his resignation letter to the prime minister.

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