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Ministers are scrambling to secure a refund after 400,000 protective gowns flown in from Turkey were deemed to be useless.
The government paid Ankara a deposit for the personal protective equipment (PPE) as supplies for frontline NHS staff battling coronavirus dwindled.
Jetted in by the RAF, the shipment has now been impounded in a warehouse after the gowns failed to meet UK safety standards.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis admitted in an interview on Thursday that the items turned out to “not be of the quality that we feel is good enough for our frontline staff”.
Now, Downing Street has confirmed ministers are trying to get the UK’s deposit back from Turkey.
It is not yet known how much the UK has paid.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “All deliveries of PPE are checked to ensure the equipment meets the safety and quality standards our front line staff need.
“If equipment does not meet our specifications or pass the assurance processes, it is not distributed to the front line.
“An initial deposit was paid and the NHS is in discussions with the supplier over whether replacement gowns can be manufactured to meet our standards. If this is not possible a refund will be sought.”
The news is another blow in what has proved an embarrassing episode for the government and its efforts to provide PPE.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick had promised a “very significant additional shipment” of PPE from Turkey on April 18, saying it would arrive the next day.
Despite his claims, the jet’s arrival was delayed and after several delays, the RAF was deployed to Istanbul to fly it back to RAF Brize Norton on April 22.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the episode had shown “the absolute danger of making promises when you can’t be sure you can keep them”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We know the number of gowns or masks or aprons or the type or the quality of equipment is not always what it says in the box, and we have warned that setting targets that are not met or saying it is all going fine – when on the front line it manifestly in places is not going fine – undermines confidence.
“And it undermines confidence not just in our members and local leaders but among frontline staff.”
Justin Madders, Labour’s shadow health minister, meanwhile, said the government must put forward a “credible plan” to ensure PPE supplies.
He said: “This is the latest in a number of mistakes the government during its response to the pandemic.
“It is vital that the government produces a clear and credible plan for what comes next to avoid further serious missteps like this and ensure there is a secure and reliable supply of PPE moving forwards.”
HuffPost UK has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.