Tory peer Michelle Mone 'regrets' denying links with PPE firm

Baroness Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman

Michelle Mone says she "regrets" not being more transparent about her links with a company that had UK government contracts during the pandemic.

PPE Medpro is being sued by the UK government for £122m plus costs for "breach of contract and unjust enrichment".

It is also being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

In December 2020 lawyers for the Tory peer said she had "no role or function" in the firm.

They also said this applied to the process by which contracts were awarded to PPE Medpro.

But in November 2021 the UK government revealed that Baroness Mone was the "source of referral" for the company getting a place on the so-called "VIP lane" for offers of personal protective equipment for the NHS.

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The VIP lane - also known as the high-priority lane - was introduced to help the UK government choose between huge numbers of supplier offers during the pandemic.

The Scottish businesswoman has now spoken publicly for the first time - in a Youtube documentary - since the story emerged.

The production is funded by PPE Medpro - the company at the centre of the controversy.

The BBC approached Michelle Mone for comment, but were told she was not available for interview today.

Baroness Mone has been on a leave of absence from the House of Lords since late last year

The Conservative peer has admitted making an "error" in her responses to press inquires, and has said that she regrets not initially telling the media of her involvement with the company.

She says she initially denied involvement due to legal advice.

In the PPE Medpro-funded documentary, which outlines Michelle Mone and her husband's version of events, the Conservative peer denies defrauding the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and insists that ministers were always aware of her links to PPE Medpro.

Baroness Mone says she "may indirectly benefit" from PPE Medpro profits via her husband, who was chairman of the consortium that bid for contracts. But she added that she had not personally made money from supplying PPE during the pandemic.

In a separate interview with the Sunday Telegraph, she says "I am ashamed of being a Conservative peer given what this Government has done to us."

Husband's claims

Her husband, the businessman Douglas Barrowman, also spoke to the documentary funded by the company he was involved with. In it he says he offered to secure PPE as he had contacts that could supply large volumes at "competitive prices."

He has accused UK ministers of buying "way too much" from various PPE suppliers. He alleges they then tried to identify "technicalities" to avoid paying for what they had purchased.

Mr Barrowman has stressed that he believes all products PPE Medpro supplied were "fully compliant".

The company has said it will "rigorously" defend the claim. It has filed a defence asserting that the gowns supplied were in accordance with the contract.

Douglas Barrowman has also alleged that an unnamed negotiator for the Department of Health and Social care had implied the NCA investigation would end if a significant enough settlement was reached.

A DHSC spokesman told the BBC "We do not comment on ongoing legal cases." They have stressed that their staff adhere to all laws and regulations.

Baroness Mone has denied any wrongdoing

The NCA opened its inquiries in May 2021 into potential criminal offences in relation to the procurement of PPE contracts.

Speaking to the BBC, the cabinet minister Michael Gove said "ministers did not take individual decisions about who should receive contracts during the pandemic" adding that there was a "painstaking process" in place.

He said that during the pandemic "everyone in the public realm was doing their very best to try to ensure that we protected those on the frontline. "

David Cameron made Baroness Mone a Conservative peer in 2015. She has been on a leave of absence from the House of Lords since late last year.

The entrepreneur, who founded lingerie firm Ultimo, is being investigated by the House of Lords commissioner for standards.

She has denied any wrongdoing and has said she wants to clear her name.

A spokesman for the NCA told the BBC "The NCA opened an investigation in May 2021 into suspected criminal offences committed in the procurement of PPE contracts by PPE Medpro.

"The NCA is operationally independent and our investigations are intelligence-led."