The £10 Billion Wasted On Covid PPE

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/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] 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.