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Exclusive: Consultancies win £700m in UK government’s COVID spending spree

Boris Johnson’s government condemned over ‘jaw-dropping’ cost of consultants, as new COVID contracts are made public

By Martin Williams
Exclusive: Consultancies win £700m in UK government’s COVID spending spree
Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of wasting taxpayer money on expensive private consultants | Composite by openDemocracy via PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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Consultants have raked in almost £700m from UK government COVID contracts since the start of the pandemic in 2020, openDemocracy can reveal.

Many of the contracts were awarded without competitive tender, meaning that other companies couldn’t bid for the work.

Whitehall departments have faced criticism for a “worrying lack of transparency” over many of the deals, which include supporting the Test and Trace scheme and the vaccine rollout.

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