Nearly £1M of taxpayers’ cash lost to benefit fraud and error payments every hour for two years
NEARLY £1million of taxpayers’ cash was lost to benefit fraud and error payments every hour over the last two years.
Around £17billion disappeared in false claims and over-payments, stats reveal.
Billions were sent to fraudsters setting up false universal credit claims with £8.6billion paid to them last year alone.
Labour has accused PM Rishi Sunak of leaving the till open to organised crime while he was Chancellor.
The cash was lost over the two full financial years he was in the role — with £900,000 lost every hour.
It follows a Public Account Committee Report that found levels of benefit fraud and error in the Department for Work and Pensions are “unacceptably high”.
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Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the PM had “wasted tons of public money and lost billions of pounds to fraud”.
He added: “As Chancellor, Rishi Sunak had too loose a grip on the tills and presided over eye-watering rates of fraud and error in the benefits system.”
The DWP said: “We are rooting the fraudsters out and have already reviewed 900,000 claims.
“We made savings from correction and prevention of fraud and error of £2billion last year.
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“But through our robust fraud plan, we’re going to prevent £2billion of loss over the next three years, and over £4billion over the next five years.”