With the tax gap standing at £39.8bn, extra funding is being allocated to HMRC to combat this, recruiting 5,000 additional compliance officers over five years, as well as 1,800 debt management officer. The recruitment will begin with 200 compliance officers starting in November.

A government spokesperson said: ‘The government is investing over £1.6 billion over the next five years for HMRC to recruit 5,000 additional compliance staff - with the first 200 starting training in November – and to fund 1,800 debt management staff.

‘This will raise an additional £4.7 billion in 2029-30, ensuring more of the tax that should be paid is paid.’

There are currently around 27,200 compliance officers at HMRC, with the addition taking this number up to 32,000 by March 2030, with recruitment periods taking eight weeks to process. There will be a minimum of two recruitment drives a year, dependent on the success rate of individuals.