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There was a "pervasive fraud environment" at one of the UK's largest trade unions, an auditors' report obtained by the BBC has concluded.

Reform said a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors will "visit and analyse" local authorities.

They said a recent inspection by external auditors found that at the time the council had had proper arrangements and controls in place to reduce the likelihood of a cyber-security breach.

A report by the auditor general detailed how public money was spent sending a senior manager on a course at Harvard Business School in the US, Mulberry sunglasses and business-class flights to New Zealand.

Accounting problems had been flagged earlier by auditors for UFLAC, who in March 2024 highlighted “significant deficiencies” because officers were failing to properly document their expenditures.