Politics
Covid inquiry finds nearly £10bn wasted on PPE and criticises 'VIP lane' for contracts
July 14, 2026 at 02:58 PM
Coverage
5 reports · over 7 hours
TGThe Guardian
The Guardian view on Covid and Hillsborough: families forced the state to face the truth | Editorial
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
‘Catastrophic failure’: UK Covid families welcome inquiry findings on PPE
(opens the publisher’s site)
BNBBC News
Covid inquiry PPE report - a look at the key findings
(opens the publisher’s site)
BNBBC News
PPE failures left NHS staff poorly protected and wasted billions, Covid inquiry finds
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
Johnson government wasted ‘vast’ sums on PPE, Covid inquiry finds
(opens the publisher’s site)The UK Covid-19 inquiry's fifth report concluded that planning failures led to inadequate protective equipment for healthcare workers and massive waste of public money.
- Baroness Hallett said the UK entered the pandemic with an inadequate stockpile of PPE and plans that had never been stress-tested.
- The report found that of approximately £14.9bn spent on PPE, nearly two-thirds – almost £10bn – was wasted.
- Hallett described the "high priority lane" as a misguided attempt that embedded unfairness and must not be repeated.
- The inquiry recommended a radical overhaul of emergency procurement systems and greater investment in domestic manufacturing.
Latest developments
- The UK Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group welcomed the inquiry report, calling it a
- catastrophic failure
- that cost lives and wasted billions of pounds.