One of the schemes mentioned as "leaving the door open" to fraud was Eat Out to Help Out (Image: PA)

In the final report to Parliament, Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe found that many schemes, including Bounce Back Loans and Eat Out to Help Out, were rolled out with significant fraud risks and no early safeguards, costing the taxpayer billions.

Out of the near £11bn lost to fraud and error , the report said £1.8bn had been recovered, although "Much of the shortfall is now beyond recovery."

Weak accountability, bad quality data and poor contracting were identified as the primary causes of the £10.9 billion losses. The issues around Bounce Back Loans were found to have cost £2.8 billion in fraudulent payments.

The report found that most public bodies in 2020 under the

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