Piers Morgan takes Government to task over VAT charges on PPE for care homes during coronavirus crisis

Piers Morgan has lashed out at the Government after it emerged care homes are having to pay VAT on personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers fighting against coronavirus.

The Good Morning Britain host took Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey to task over the issue, demanding to know why the charge was still being applied on the essential kit for the social care sector.

It came after Morgan spoke to Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association, earlier in the programme on Tuesday.

Ms Ahmed shocked Morgan and co-host Susanna Reid by explaining how "unsustainable" it is to fund PPE in the social care sector.

She explained the sector's supplies had been "understandably" requisitioned to the NHS, meaning care home supplies have dwindled.

Citing an example of the current prices for PPE being paid by providers, she said one firm had paid £8,500 for one week's worth of equipment for just six people in their service.

"My mailbag is absolutely full every single day with members asking us where they can get PPE," Ms Ahmed said.

“If the social care sector fails, if there is provider failure, the problem is going to be much bigger for the Government.”

Picking up on the topic during his interview with Ms Coffey, Morgan asked the Work and Pensions Secretary to remove the charge for all care homes.

She replied it was "not an issue", however, and that VAT could be reclaimed by care homes.

In response to her answer, Morgan insisted they had no time to "fill out forms" amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

The row came after focus has increasingly shifted to Britain’s social care sector in recent days, with industry bosses warning daily Covid-19 death tolls are “airbrushing out” hundreds of older people who have died in the care system.

The UK’s largest operator has said coronavirus has invaded around two-thirds of its homes, while the chief executive of Care England, Martin Green, said thousands are showing symptoms and there are “thousands of people who’ve died”.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Mr Green called for universal testing and figures to be collected and released daily to understand the scale of the pandemic.

He said the industry was currently “working a bit blind” without NHS-style daily statistics.

Coronavirus poses a particular danger to the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.