The new Covid corruption commissioner has started investigating the personal protective equipment (PPE) fraud.

Tom Hayhoe’s first task will be to review the £8.7 billion of PPE purchased during the pandemic, which then has to be removed from the government’s books.

Mr Hayhoe is also likely to review the previous government’s abandonment of efforts to recoup money from £674m of deals.

The National Crime Agency is conducting a separate investigation into possible criminal offenses committed in the PPE procurement system.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has asked them to try to compensate for the loss of public money Fraud and underperforming contracts Using his experience in procurement as a former chair of an NHS trust.

A Treasury source said: “The Chancellor has been clear that she wants this money back – which belongs to the British people, and to our public services like the NHS, schools and the police.

“She will not let fraudsters line their pockets who want to make profits on the back of a national emergency.

“Tom Hayhoe has a wealth of experience and as Commissioner he will leave no stone unturned in leading an independent investigation into the unacceptable carnival of waste and fraud during the pandemic.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) lost three-quarters of the £12 billion it spent on PPE in the first year of the pandemic, largely due to inflated prices and kits that did not meet requirements.

Sir Chris Wormald, the civil servant who chaired the DHSC during the pandemic, has now been appointed Cabinet Secretary – the UK’s most senior civil servant.

A leading company that was awarded a government PPE contract worth over £200 million Through the so-called “VIP lane” PPE MedPro was associated with Baroness Michelle Mone.

Her husband has since accused the government of trying to “scapegoat” the couple for its failures, instead blaming the DHSC and Is demanding the resignation of its top civil servant Sir Chris,

Labor had committed in the manifesto to appointing a fixed-term commissioner and using every possible means to recover public funds lost from pandemic-related fraud and undelivered contracts.

Mr Hayhoe’s contract is for one year, supported by a small team within the Treasury, and he will report directly to Reeves.

He will submit a report at the end of his contract with lessons and recommendations for government procurement in the event of future crises.