The UK has used just 142 million of the stockpile of 650 million vaccine doses it purchased, leaving an estimated £4 billion worth of vaccines unused and, at current levels of take-up, likely going to waste.
One Covid loan claimant gambled away £50,000, while another used part of a £35,000 loan to pay for garden improvements. Overall, it's estimated the taxpayer has lost £15 billion to "fraud and error".
According to a new study by the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, fraudsters may have stolen £37 billion in Covid money from the taxpayer.
Approximately £47 billion was handed out through the Government's Covid Bounce Back Loan scheme to help businesses cope with lockdown restrictions, with £4.9 billion being lost to fraudsters.
The imposition of restrictions on those who have chosen not to get vaccinated against Covid has prompted the creation of a black market in vaccine passports, which are selling for up to £750 online.
As new Government travel restrictions come into force, a reader asks how likely it is that some people will begin posing as lorry drivers (who get tested for free) to avoid paying hefty PCR test fees?
