Responding to reporting in The Guardian, that just £18 million of up to £4 billion in PPE fraud has been recouped, John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

“We all know that the government had to act quickly to secure and supply PPE when the pandemic started, but taxpayers are paying a heavy price for questionable contracts.

“The impact of this wasted money is all the more acute for families under the cosh, as the tax burden soars to record highs and politicians fail to grip runaway spending.

“Ministers must get serious and protect taxpayers by tackling the billions lost on PPE fraud.”