PPE failures left NHS staff poorly protected and wasted billions, Covid inquiry finds

The Covid-19 inquiry, led by Baroness Heather Hallett, concludes that the Boris Johnson government wasted vast sums, approximately £10 billion, on flawed PPE procurement. The report highlights that NHS staff were left poorly protected from dangerous infections. Furthermore, the inquiry criticises the use of a VIP lane, which prioritised PPE contracts for companies with political connections to the Tories, leading to significant public expenditure waste and inadequate protection for healthcare workers and patients.