The Tories blew £100billion in four years, says a report. The waste, most while Rishi Sunak was PM or Chancellor, was branded “disgraceful” by campaigners revealing it ahead of the Government’s Autumn Statement.
Nearly £100billion of taxpayers’ cash has gone down the drain on Rishi Sunak’s watch, says a study. An average of £25billion was wasted every year since the 2019 election – almost all when he was Chancellor or Prime Minister, claim campaigners.
The Best for Britain group’s round-up of “crony contracts”, “duff deals” and “outrageous outgoings” includes £140million thrown away on the Rwanda migrants deal, which was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court last week. Chief executive Naomi Smith said: “The notion the Tories are safe with money has been blown out of the water. It’s disgraceful the Government continues to squander public money while so many struggle to feed their families and heat their homes.”
The total wasted – almost 100 times what would be needed to raise junior doctors’ wages by enough to end their strike action – is up from £70bn to almost £100bn since this newspaper last reported it in November 2022. The figure is equivalent £1,500 for every UK adult and child – or nearly as much as the education budget. And it comes ahead of Wednesday’s Autumn Statement, in which Chancellor Jeremy hunt is expected to slash benefits.
Best for Britain says £1.7m was spent painting the PM’s planes, £3billion on hiring temps to do civil service jobs and almost half a billion was blown on post-Brexit customs inspection sites that were never used. Over £2bn was frittered away on parts of the HS2 rail scheme that were scrapped by Mr Sunak last month.
Just under £15bn vanished on unused or unusable PPE, storing it and ending contracts – and up to £10,000 of furlough cash went to Koru Kids, a childcare firm in which the PM’s wife, Akshata Murty, has shares. Spending also includes £35.2m of contracts won by Centerprise International, whose board includes Mich-ael Keegan, husband of then-health minister Gillian. The Government said he had no role in the decision.
Labour’s Darren Jones said: “ Rishi Sunak is wasting taxpayer cash while services crumble.” And Ms Smith added: “This fiscally inept and morally bankrupt Government must go.”
The Government said: “We are keeping spending under control and rooting out waste. This includes accelerating productivity reforms and creating an independent body to stamp out public sector fraud.”