UK quarantine hotels cost taxpayer £400m, watchdog finds

National Audit Office reveals losses in report on how UK managed cross-border travel during Covid pandemic

Quarantine hotels for inbound travellers to the UK during Covid have cost the taxpayer more than 400m, a National Audit Office (NAO) investigation has found, including almost 100m in unpaid room bills and fraud.

While the government expected the hotels' costs would be covered by the occupants, it has emerged that the taxpayer has been left responsible for more than half of the 757m bill. The rooms were for those travelling to the UK from high-risk red list" countries during the pandemic.