Caerphilly MP Chris Evans has called for a root and branch reform of government spending, if the new Government are to be able to cut taxes and reduce borrowing.
Speaking in the Budget debate, Mr Evans emphasised that the Chancellor’s plan to improve value for money must push for the significant change needed to end a culture of accepting waste and mismanagement.
Mr Evans cited tens of billions of pounds lost by Conservative-led governments in Westminster from 2010 to 2024. This included an eyewatering £7.3bn estimated by the National Audit Office (NAO) lost to fraud associated with Covid-19 relief schemes. Mr Evans highlighted that this is not a one-off, and that errors and waste account for a significant proportion of government spending.
As part of the Budget, the Chancellor announced the formal launch of the Office for Value for Money. This will assess where and how to cut waste and inefficiencies. The Government will also appoint a Covid Corruption Commissioner, to lead work to recover money from companies that took unfair advantage of government relief schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chris Evans MP said:
‘I am hopeful that the Budget has made a positive start on improving value for money, initiating a change after fourteen years of Tory failure. This must be the start of root and branch reform, to end a wasteful culture that the previous Government did not manage to combat.’
