Skip to main content
Government spent £10bn extra on inflated PPE, report finds
Health workers wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) tend to a patient on the intensive care unit (ICU) at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside

THE government spent £10 billion extra in inflated prices for Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) due to an inadequate stockpile and a surge in global demand, a report has concluded.

And of the 32 billion items procured between February and July, only 2.6bn were delivered to front-line organisations in that period, the National Audit Office (NAO) said, with demand so high in April and May that stock levels were “negligible” for most types of protection.

The Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) paid 166 per cent more for respirator masks and 1,300 per cent more for body bags during the pandemic’s first wave this year compared with 2019.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A view of the Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm amongst existing electricity pylons on the Romney Marsh in Kent
Climate Crisis / 27 April 2026
27 April 2026
Members of trade unions shout slogans during a nationwide strike to protest an interim trade deal with the United States, saying the agreement undermines the interests of farmers, small businesses and workers in New Delhi, India, February 12, 2026
Workers' Rights / 25 February 2026
25 February 2026

The biggest strike in global history is a template for our future. The silence tells you all you need to know, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE