The £10 Billion Wasted On Covid PPE
7/14/202640 min
Today, the Covid inquiry has found that the lives of NHS staff and patients were put at risk in the pandemic because of a lack of adequate PPE.
The inquiry’s chair, Baroness Hallett described “vast” waste, with almost £10 billion of taxpayers money wasted in the scramble to buy more.
Health reporter and Coronavirus Newscast alumnus, Jim Reed joins Adam to look at how things went so wrong.
Plus, President Trump reverses his threat to impose a 20% fee on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz but presses ahead with Iranian ports blockade. Adam is joined by chief news presenter Caitríona Perry and business editor Simon Jack to unpack why hostilities are flaring again and what the war means for the economy.
You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord
Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.
New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris. The social producers were Gabriel Purcell-Davies and Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAdam Fleming· Host0:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
Speaker 20:03
[upbeat music] Need better internet? Cox Internet has the fast, reliable speeds you're looking for, perfect for seamless streaming, gaming- Yeah ... and working from home. [keyboard clicking] And now get Cox 300 Meg Internet with a two-year plan price lock guarantee, plus equipment included. Oh, yeah. So get your household up to speed. Switch to Cox Internet today. Taxes and fees excluded from price guarantee. At Cox, your internet and mobile price won't change for five years. That's five New Year's celebrations, five Valentine's Days- [laughs] ... five Fourth of Julys, five Halloweens, five Thanksgivings, and five summers that go by too fast. Through it all, your price stays the same with our five-year price lock guarantee. Cox, a step ahead. Requires 2 gig speeds and Gig Unlimited mobile. Taxes and fees excluded from price lock. Mobile data speeds reduced after 20 gigs.
Adam Fleming· Host1:05
Hello. We're gonna start with a little experiment. I'm gonna give you a moment to think about one of the big news stories that you remember from the COVID pandemic. So not what was happening to all of us or you or your family or the lockdowns and being miserable, a news story. Were you thinking about the supply of PPE, personal