Connect with us

Published

on

Government spending on storing personal protective equipment (PPE) in China increased by £2.35m in the year to January – as households struggle to make ends meet amid the cost of living crisis.

According to data revealed by the Labour Party, the taxpayer paid £23.5m to store life-saving protective equipment from February 2021 to January 2022 – but in the same period the following year, that had risen to £25.9m.

Sky News can also reveal that – according to exclusive data from the TaxPayers’ Alliance – the government spent a total of £312m on storing PPE between January 2022 and January 2023.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Nov: Minister questioned over PPE contracts

In January 2023 alone, the total cost of PPE storage amounted to £18m, down from £35m in the same month of 2022, meaning PPE storage is still costing the taxpayer £580,000 a day.

And if this cost per day was replicated for the rest of 2023, we could expect PPE storage to cost £211m in 2023 alone, down from £294m in 2022.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “While costs are falling, the COVID hangover is still placing an enormous burden on taxpayers.

“While ministers had to work quickly during unprecedented times, households are still facing an eye-watering bill for mistakes made.

More on Covid-19

“Ministers must get a grip on this spending once and for all.”

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “The British public will be understandably sickened by this eye-watering waste of taxpayers’ money.

“With families in Britain set to pay yet another council tax hike forced upon them, they’ll be justly outraged to learn yet more of their hard-earned taxes are still being shipped to China every day to meet eye-watering storage costs for useless PPE they’d already stumped up billions for. It’s adding insult to injury.

“A Labour government will get tough on waste, with an Office of Value for Money to ensure every penny of taxpayers’ money is treated with respect.”

According to the party’s analysis, the amount the government spends on PPE storage in China could be used to pay for 512 tanks of petrol a day – or the annual energy bill for almost 18,000 one-bedroom flats in the UK.

PPE storage costs have fallen since the pandemic and the government has vowed to reduce the sum it spends on storing the 5.8 billion items of excess PPE that the UK still has.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

COVID no longer top cause of death

In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Since the height of the pandemic, PPE storage costs have reduced significantly, and we continue to prioritise efforts to minimise them. We have already reduced storage costs by 78% since the first three months of 2021.

“We continue to sell, donate, repurpose and recycle excess PPE in the most cost-effective way, as well as seeking to recover costs from suppliers wherever possible to ensure taxpayer value for money.”

As the UK continues to grapple with the cost of living crisis and ongoing strikes contribute to economic stagnation, government spending continue to come under heavy scrutiny as the tax burden remains the highest in 50 years.

According to the Office for National Statistics, inflation remains at 10.4% and food inflation stands at 18.2% – making everyday essentials more difficult to afford for many families.

Continue Reading

UK

Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

Published

on

By

Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

A body has been found in the search for 23-year-old runner Jenny Hall. 

She was last seen leaving her home in Barracks Farm, County Durham, in her car just after 3pm on Tuesday.

Police said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances after a body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale on Sunday morning, five days after she went missing.

Jenny Hall. Pic: Durham Constabulary
Image:
Jenny Hall went missing on Tuesday. Pic: Durham Constabulary

“We’re sorry to report that officers searching for missing woman Jenny Hall, have sadly found a body,” Durham Constabulary said in a statement.

“Officers carried out an extensive search alongside specialist partners and have been working around-the-clock to locate Jenny after she went missing on February 18.

“The body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale just after 9.30am today.

“Formal identification has yet to take place. Jenny’s family have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers. They have asked for privacy at this devasting time.

“It is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A major police search was launched after Ms Hall’s disappearance.

Her car, a red Ford Focus, was found on Wednesday parked on the B6278, near remote moorland between Eggleston and Stanhope.

Mountain rescue teams, specialist drones and sniffer dogs had been combing the Hamsterley Forest and the surrounding areas, where there are a number of running trails, this week.

Digital intelligence officers also carried out extensive inquiries into Ms Hall’s mobile phone, smart watch and running apps.

Continue Reading

UK

Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

Published

on

By

Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

A fresh amber weather warning for heavy rain has been issued by the Met Office – with much of the UK already on alert for high winds and showers.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and the UK’s west coast and the Midlands have yellow warnings for wind on Sunday – meaning the possibility of transport delays and short-term power cuts.

There are also rain warnings in place for several parts of western UK.

The new amber warning has been issued for rain in south and central Wales and is in force from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

An amber warning means danger to life from floodwater, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, and there is a chance some communities will be cut off.

Winds across the west of the UK will increase throughout the morning with gusts up to 70mph in exposed areas, the Met Office said.

Zoe Hutin, a meteorologist at the forecaster, said Sunday is expected to be the “worst day” before conditions improve.

“The wind warning itself for the mainland UK ends at 6pm, but we can expect to continue to see quite blustery conditions even into the evening as the mainland rain itself pushes through.”

She added: “By the time people get up on Monday, we’ll still have some of the residual rain from that front in the far south-east of the country, and quite cloudy across England as well.

“But actually elsewhere, it could be a decent start.”

The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for much of England and Scotland came into force at 6am and are expected to run until 6pm on Sunday.

A separate yellow warning for Northern Ireland came into force at 3am and runs until 3pm.

Rain and high winds are expected across the west of the UK
Image:
Rain and high winds are expected across the west of the UK

Read more from Sky News:
Motorways closed after human remains found
Starmer asks US to stand by Ukraine

People who have noticed some slightly higher temperatures the last couple of days may be dismayed at the latest predictions.

“Through the week, those temperatures are trending back down,” Ms Hutin said.

“And so it will be getting cooler each day, but they will actually just be recovering to around average for the time of year. So it won’t be cold.

“It will just be returning back to where we would expect to be for this time of February.”

Continue Reading

UK

Starmer says ‘US is right’ about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Published

on

By

Starmer says 'US is right' about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security.

The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent.

“Instability in Europe always washes up on our shores,” he said.

“And this is a generational moment. I’ve been saying for some time that we Europeans – including the United Kingdom – have to do more for our defence and security. The US is right about that.”

He added “we can’t cling to the comforts of the past” as it is “time to take responsibility for our security”.

Politics latest: Starmer’s stinging rebuke of Reform

Donald Trump sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders this week after he said European NATO members should spend more on defence, while the US should spend less.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Will Trump and Starmer have a ‘Love Actually’ moment?

Sir Keir has said he will set out a path for the UK to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, up from the current 2.3%, but has not indicated when that will be.

It is believed he may announce the details when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC on Thursday, bringing forward the announcement that was expected in the spring when a defence spending review is published.

The prime minister reiterated the UK will “play our role” if required in Ukraine following a peace agreement after he earlier this week said the UK would send troops to be part of a peacekeeping force.

Pic: AP
Image:
Sir Keir will meet Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday. Pic: AP

However, his comments caused a row with Germany and Italy who said it was premature to commit to boots on the ground, although France agreed with the UK.

Sir Keir said: “As we enter a new phase in this conflict, we must now deepen our solidarity even further.”

He added: “There can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine.

“And the people of Ukraine must have long-term security.”

Read more:
Starmer tells Zelenskyy this is ‘significant moment’ for European security
Sombre Starmer and Europe confront emerging new world order

This week has seen US officials meet their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine – which has been met with indignation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as none of his team were invited.

No Europeans were invited either, sparking concern the US is pandering to Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir has promised Mr Zelenskyy he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty when he meets with Mr Trump, who has called the Ukrainian president a dictator.

Mr Trump also said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit the White House too this week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.

Continue Reading

Trending