Baroness Mone’s ‘fleecing of the taxpayer’ was not a one-off as corruption is ‘hiding in plain sight’ on Britain’s high streets, a leading Labour MP has warned
Baroness Mone’s “fleecing of the taxpayer” was not a one-off as corruption is “hiding in plain sight” on Britain’s high streets, a leading Labour MP has warned.
Joe Powell, a long-time anti-corruption campaigner, warns Britain has slid down the international table in its ranking for tackling such illegal behaviour.
Ahead of the Government’s anti-corruption strategy, which will be published on Monday, Mr Powell warned that dishonest and fraudulent practices are affecting British families everyday, from dodgy high street shops to the stashing of dirty cash in British tax havens.
Mr Powell, the former chair of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption, told The Mirror: “If only Baroness Mone and PPE Medpro’s fleecing of the taxpayer was a one-off, but the truth is corruption is also hiding in plain sight on our high streets.
“Tax evasion and money laundering are driving the dodgy shops that have popped up across the country. Legitimate businesses who pay their taxes and workers properly are rightly angry.”
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He added: “Corruption is not an abstract problem. It hurts our high streets, wastes taxpayers’ money and erodes trust in our politics.”
The Kensington and Bayswater MP praised the Labour government having already taken steps to crack down on illicit finance, including reforms to money laundering regulation.
He also called for action to end the “stashing dirty money in British tax havens, most notably the British Virgin Islands”.
“Ensuring our own overseas territories are no longer the getaway vehicle for dirty money should be a top priority,” he added.
According to Transparency International, the UK’s corruption score has fallen 11 points in the last seven years, from 82 in 2017 to 71 in 2024.
The organisation’s Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale of zero being highly corrupt to 100 being very clean. It warns the UK is classed as a “significant decliner”.
The Mirror this weekend revealed that Covid fraud and error under the Conservatives cost the taxpayer a massive £10.9billion.
Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe, who was tasked with revealing the true scale of pandemic fraud, will on Tuesday publish a report showing fraudsters were lining their pockets with ease.
The first part of his probe, which looked into wasteful Tory spending during the pandemic, uncovered £1.4billion of wasteful taxpayer cash.
Ministers are currently trying to claw back money from PPE Medpro, which was sued by the Department of Health and Social Care after it provided 25 million “faulty” gowns during the pandemic.
The Mirror revealed earlier this month(NOV) that PPE Medpro – a consortium led by Baroness Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman – had gone into administration owing £39million to the taxman.
This is on top of £148m in damages, costs and interest that owes to the DHSC after losing a High Court lawsuit over non-sterile gowns. The couple have denied wrongdoing.
Elsewhere, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced sweeping measures in her Budget to crack down on dodgy high street shops.
Under her plans, criminals flogging illegal vapes will face fresh fines and jail time, while shady car washes, nail bars and takeaways will face a new team of investigators focused on rooting out firms that flout employment and tax laws.
On Sunday evening, the Government also announced it will host a major international summit next summer to tackle the flows of dirty money around the world.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Dirty money fuels crime on the streets of the UK and drives conflict and instability overseas. This government is committed to turning the tide.
“As the Government publishes its landmark Anti-Corruption Strategy tomorrow, I am kick-starting preparations for the Summit and putting the corrupt on notice: the UK is ready to shut you down.”
Gavin Hayman, co-chair of the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition, said: “Corruption is a persistent and whole-of-society problem that needs a whole-of-society solution. And with trust in our politics and our institutions rapidly decaying, the need to turn the tide has never been more urgent.
“It’s encouraging to see real political will from this government to tackle the problem — including with next year’s Illicit Finance Summit. The key to success will be in ambitious, effective, and rapid action to rid our economy of dirty money and protect our politics from corruption.
“Corruption wastes public money, warps public decisions, and helps overseas tyrants undermine our democracy. Our evidence shows that people are fed up with a system that feels rigged against them.”
Full details of the Government’s Anti-Corruption Strategy will be announced by the Home Office and Deputy Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.