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OPINION: Failure of UK’s Covid loan fraud task force entirely predictable

A man and woman walk past the messages and painted hearts on the National Covid Memorial Wall on March 11, 2025 in London, England.
Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Tony McClements leads his own inquiry into the failure of the Covid loan fraud task force.

Recent revelations that a UK government-backed unit, tasked with investigating widespread abuse of a Covid bounce-back loan scheme, recovered only a fraction of suspected fraud should come as no surprise.

Earlier this month, The Times revealed that only £7.2m ($9.6m) of more than £1 billion ($1.33 billion) of suspected fraud

An investigation