May 12, 2021 - The Government’s approach to public procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic must be explicitly examined as part of the public inquiry into the handling of the crisis.

The Prime Minister today announced that an independent public inquiry will be held in spring 2022, with the exact scope of the review yet to be determined.   

Research by Transparency International UK last month concluded that the way the Government handled bids for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 response contracts appears partisan and systemically biased in favour of those with political access.

Our Track and Trace report identifies 73 contracts worth more than £3.7 billion, equivalent to 20 percent of COVID-19 contracts between February and November 2020, that raise one or more red flags for possible corruption.

Daniel Bruce, Chief Executive of Transparency International UK, said:

“Our latest research unearthed the eyewatering amounts of public money - running into billions of pounds - where there are questions around corruption red flags. It is now essential that the integrity of public spending and procurement be put under the microscope as part of this inquiry. With more spent on PPE than the annual budget of the Home Office, the public have a right to know if their money was spent wisely and properly along with wider scrutiny of the response.”

Notes to editors:

Transparency International UK is the UK’s leading independent anti-corruption organisation and part of the global Transparency International movement.

Published last month, our Track and Trace report is the most comprehensive study to date of public procurement during the pandemic and involved a painstaking review of nearly 1,000 contracts worth a total of £18 billion.