Tom Hayhoe Appointed Covid Corruption Commissioner

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has appointed Tom Hayhoe as the new Covid corruption commissioner, with the goal of recovering £2.6 billion lost to fraud and mismanaged contracts during the pandemic. Hayhoe, who has a controversial history including a brief tenure at Jersey's Health Advisory Board, will review £8.7 billion of PPE purchases that were ultimately written off. His role includes investigating previous government efforts to reclaim £674 million from dubious deals, as well as collaborating with HMRC and the National Crime Agency on broader Covid-related fraud. The Department of Health and Social Care lost a significant portion of its £12 billion PPE expenditure, primarily due to inflated prices and non-compliant products. Critics are wary of Hayhoe's past transparency issues while at the West London Mental Health NHS Trust, where he was accused of withholding important fraud reports. The Chancellor emphasizes the need to recover funds for public services and has assured that Hayhoe will thoroughly investigate the pandemic's financial mismanagement.