File photo courtesy of ibanet

 

Taxpayer money amounting to nearly £11 billion vanished in Covid-19 support fraud and errors, a forthcoming report reveals. According to Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe, fraudsters took advantage of what he calls a "golden opportunity" during the pandemic. The astonishing losses are linked to schemes rolled out by the previous Conservative government, designed to buoy the economy amidst lockdown.

 

Programmes like furlough wage subsidies, 'bounce-back' loans, Eat Out to Help Out, and various grants were initially celebrated for keeping businesses afloat. However, criticism soon emerged concerning hasty implementations and minimal checks, leading to significant errors and widespread fraud. MPs will receive Hayhoe's report this Tuesday, which will reveal the complete scope of financial misconduct.

 

The report is set to underscore the absence of adequate anti-fraud measures due to the rapid deployment of schemes endorsed by Boris Johnson's government. This lack of foresight led to accepting high fraud risks without strategies for mitigation. Originally highlighted by the Sunday Mirror, these issues bring into question the substantial cost to taxpayers.

 

In an effort to recover lost funds, the government initiated a voluntary repayment programme available until December. Tasked by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Hayhoe aims to reclaim public money lost to fraud and ineffective contracts, drawing on his expertise as a former NHS trust chair. His findings previously revealed over £1.4 billion wasted on unfit PPE contracts, with only a meagre £182 million recovered by the Treasury so far.

 

Meanwhile, the National Crime Agency is pursuing enquiries into possible criminal activities within the Covid-era procurement processes. Their investigation is still unpacking the complexities surrounding these financial disasters, reported the BBC.

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• Fraud and error in Covid schemes cost taxpayers £11 billion.
• Hayhoe's report highlights insufficient anti-fraud controls.
• A voluntary repayment scheme is open until December.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-12-08

 

 

 

Which party did this? Why weren't they punished 

11 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Which party did this? Why weren't they punished 

 

Monster Raving Tory Party just taking care of their friends and backers.

On 12/8/2025 at 5:01 AM, Purdey said:

Which party did this? Why weren't they punished 

Are you sure Labour would have been better?  I'm not.  Although, perhaps, the Tories did get punished?  What was the last General Election result?

 

Standard British establishment response to political failures and criminality - hold an Inquiry, pay lawyers a dizzy fortune, publish a Report, do nothing.  And take years to do so in the hope that the electorate and news cycle will forget.  Rinse & repeat.

 

I'll maybe get 0.0001% of faith back in UK politics when senior executives and politicians go to jail for this, and are bankrupted when they pay back their share of the £11bn.

 

On 12/8/2025 at 5:15 AM, Bannoi said:

Monster Raving Tory Party just taking care of their friends and backers.

Totally agree.  Like I said above, I've no doubt that Labour would have been just as bad.

Who would've thunk it, eh? You dish out free money and people start taking advantage of your generosity. Nobody could've seen it coming. (sarcasm alert)

...'Lost'...

...Not Stolen....Or Even Misappropriated... (?)

The whole Covid debacle was a "golden opportunity"

for scammers of every kind !

 

 

The Tories did well in some areas and very poorly in others.

 

We can only be grateful that Labour were not in charge during that time. It would have been truly dystopian.  

5 hours ago, JonnyF said:

The Tories did well in some areas and very poorly in others.

 

We can only be grateful that Labour were not in charge during that time. It would have been truly dystopian.  

 

Another conclusion based on an unbiased, detailed analysis of the data🤦

6 hours ago, JonnyF said:

The Tories did well in some areas and very poorly in others.

 

We can only be grateful that Labour were not in charge during that time. It would have been truly dystopian.  

Fact check - correct.

 

If labour had been in power unvaccinated would have had giant bold forehead tattoos UNVAX for starters.

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

The Tories did well in some areas and very poorly in others.

 

We can only be grateful that Labour were not in charge during that time. It would have been truly dystopian.  

Making stuff up Jonny.

 

1 hour ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Fact check - correct.

 

If labour had been in power unvaccinated would have had giant bold forehead tattoos UNVAX for starters.

Codswallop 

11 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Making stuff up Jonny.

 

 

Given Labour's ultra-authoritarian stance on just about everything since taking power, not really.

 

Locking people up for social media posts, declaring people criminals before a trial, cancelling elections etc. Yet strangely all the "Trump is a dictator" crew are silent about it. 

 

It's almost like they are exactly what they accuse others of being. 

I understand how uncomfortable Tory apologists feel about the incompetence and cronyism of their far right party but the simple fact remains that it was the Tories alone who totally messed up.

This, coupled with the fact that the disgraced former PM Johnson was too busy partying, missing 5 COBRA meetings and allowing massive public sporting events like Cheltenham festival and England v Ireland rugby to go ahead which contributed to the massive covid death rate.

And those usual apologists post on AN “yeah but but if Labour were in….”

Yeah, if my auntie had testicles she’d be my uncle.

On 12/9/2025 at 1:22 PM, johng said:

The whole Covid debacle was a "golden opportunity"

for scammers of every kind !

 

 

As is everything in life, if it can be scammed, you will be scammed, even over people dying.........😟

1 hour ago, Red Forever said:

allowing massive public sporting events like Cheltenham festival and England v Ireland rugby to go ahead which contributed to the massive covid death rate.

 

Ahh you are  in the harder longer lockdown  camp ?

which didn't work and was not recommended by the 'eggsputs' on respiratory virus management  before the Covid ...because it doesn't work..what it does work for is massive  social and economic disruption,fear mongering and control.

Also there was no massive Covid death rate ...take a look at what happened to the cases of Flu  during the height of the 'pandemic'

and as always  with or from the dreaded lurgy  statistics are blurry, 

by design maybe ?

Weird. People are guessing what Labout might have done instead of blaming the Tories for what was actually done.