Reeves vows to ‘chase down’ and recoup money from ‘rip-off’ Covid deals
Rachel Reeves promised to “chase down” firms who have ripped off the taxpayer with dodgy Covid contracts.
The Chancellor used her speech at the Labour Party conference to announce she has reversed a Conservative approach to “waive” £674 million worth of Covid contracts that were in dispute, saying the Government will not “turn a blind eye to rip-off artists”.
She confirmed that a new Covid corruption commissioner will be appointed next month to claw back the money wasted on deals.
Speaking at the Labour gathering in Liverpool, the Chancellor vowed to “seek out those who have ripped off the taxpayer, chase them down, take them to court, and claw back every penny of taxpayers’ money that they can”.
Ms Reeves has ditched a plan to waive £674 million of the more than £1.2 billion of PPE contracts in dispute and these contracts will now be assessed by the commissioner.
She said: “Billions of pounds of public money handed out to friends and donors of the Conservative Party. Billions more defrauded from the taxpayer.
“On entering government, we found £674 million of PPE contracts in dispute, where we inherited a recommendation from the previous government that contract recovery should be waived.
“So we are delivering on our commitment to appoint a Covid corruption commissioner.
“It could not be more urgent. And I have put a block on any contract being abandoned or waived until it has been independently assessed by the Covid commissioner.
“We won’t turn a blind eye to rip-off artists and fraudsters who used a national emergency to line their own pockets.
“We won’t let them get away with it… we want our money back.”
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