The Covid inquiry has released its report examining personal protective equipment procurement failures during the pandemic. The inquiry determined that the UK and devolved governments spent £14.9bn on PPE, with approximately two-thirds of that amount—nearly £10 billion—wasted due to inefficient purchasing practices.
The inquiry chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, identified significant shortcomings in government preparation. The country entered the pandemic with stockpiles of masks, gowns, and gloves in poor condition, containing large quantities of expired equipment unsuitable for use. In England, only one-third of masks in the pre-pandemic stockpile remained usable, while Scotland had no supplies of the FFP3 masks required by healthcare workers. This lack of preparedness forced some staff to resort to improvised protective measures, including using bin bags as makeshift protection or washing and reusing equipment.
Hallett emphasized that improved planning and systems would have enabled fairer, faster, and significantly less costly procurement decisions. The report noted that while purchasing excess PPE during a pandemic was preferable to insufficient supplies, better calibration between supply and demand would have been possible with adequate preparation and information systems.
The inquiry also examined the VIP lane system, introduced in April 2020, which prioritized PPE supply offers recommended by ministers, MPs, and senior officials. Hallett described this approach as a “misguided attempt at prioritisation” that “embedded unfairness in emergency procurement.” Although she found no evidence of cronyism or corruption among ministers and officials awarding contracts, she characterized the system as “inherently biased towards those with connections to the UK government” and recommended it never be repeated in future pandemics.
Reporting restrictions currently prevent publication of inquiry findings regarding PPE Medpro, a company linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone. The company was awarded contracts worth more than £200m and has been ordered to repay £148m following a High Court finding that it breached a contract to supply surgical gowns. A National Crime Agency investigation into the firm remains ongoing, with no charges brought to date. The broader inquiry continues publishing its remaining reports through 2027.
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