Under a new voluntary repayment scheme the Treasury’s counter-fraud commissioner Tom Hayhoe is urging people to ‘wipe the slate clean and move on’ – or face severe consequences
Firms and individuals who wrongly claimed Covid-era cash are being urged today to cough up and “clear your conscience” – or face the consequences.
Under a new voluntary repayment scheme the Treasury’s counter-fraud commissioner Tom Hayhoe is urging people to “wipe the slate clean and move on”. But he warned there will be a December deadline under the “no questions asked” window to repay any cash they were not entitled to – or did not need.
Launching the scheme in an article for The Mirror, he said: “This offer won’t be around forever. New investigatory powers are coming. Businesses could be shut down. People could be banned from running a company. Thousands could face their day in court. The worst offenders will go to prison.”
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In a statement Ms Hayhoe added: “Our message to those who still owe Covid era money is simple – pay now, clear your conscience, or face the consequences. This money belongs in communities, the NHS, police and armed forces.
“Those who don’t take up this straightforward offer and have knowingly, wrongly claimed tax-payer-funded help could face prosecution, disqualification, or prison.”
The Treasury also said a Covid fraud reporting website will also be launched to allow members of the public to report suspected wrongdoing.
Covid-era schemes included in the voluntary repayment window are set to include programmes such as furlough, bounce-back loans, support grants, and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
The furlough scheme was launched in April 2020 by former Tory PM Boris Johnson and his then-Chancellor, Rishi Sunak. In total 1.3millionemployers across the country were supported with taxpayers’ cash during the crisis – with all claims totalling £70billion.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves tasked the counter-fraud commissioner last year with clawing back public money lost by fraud and waste during the Covid crisis.
According to the Treasury, over £10billion was lost during the pandemic to fraud, flawed contracts and waste under the Tories. Over £1.5billion has been recovered.
Earlier this year Mr Hayhoe reviewed £8.7billion of Covid PPE, including gowns, masks and visors, that then had to be written off the government’s books.
Department of Health accounts revealed in 2022 that £673 million worth of equipment was completely unusable, And £750 million was wasted items that were not used before their expiry date.
Covid Counter-Fraud CommissionerTom Hayhoe
“Small businesses are the backbone of Britain. I know this because I talk to them every day. The pandemic hit them harder than most people realise.
Overnight, cafes had to become a takeaway or shut their doors completely. Tradespeople couldn’t get on site. Small shops had to close or serve through a quickly-built hatch in the front door.
These weren’t big businesses that could easily adapt – these were real people struggling to survive an extraordinary crisis while juggling kids at home, aging relatives and the threat of losing their livelihoods.
The pandemic was a situation none of us had ever faced before. Most people did their best in that impossible situation. I’ve spoken to hundreds of small business owners who’ve told me they wanted help but the rules kept changing and advice was confusing. A lot of hardworking people got caught up in extraordinary circumstances.
Some of them also told me they took bad decisions at the time that are eating away at them – they claimed money they shouldn’t have. It’s keeping them awake at night.
They want to put it right – by putting the money back into our communities, our NHS, our schools and our armed forces. That’s what the Covid Voluntary Repayment Scheme, being launched today, gives them the chance to do.
It’s a straightforward way to wipe the slate clean and move on. No lengthy investigations. No public shame. No questions asked. Just pay the money back. But this offer won’t be around forever. Every Covid support claim left a digital trail that won’t disappear. If they don’t take this opportunity, the consequences will be much worse.
New investigatory powers are coming. Businesses could be shut down. People could be banned from running a company. Thousands could face their day in court. The worst offenders will go to prison.
If you owe money, then the choice is simple: sort it out now while you still can or face the music later when the penalties are worse. The Covid Voluntary Repayment Scheme runs until December 2025. My message is clear – pay now, clear your conscience, or face the consequences.”
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