Michelle Mone-Linked Firm: Will UK Taxpayers Recover £122m Spent on PPE?
London – Questions are mounting over whether UK taxpayers will recoup £122 million of public funds spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts awarded to PPE Medpro,a company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone. A National Audit Office (NAO) report revealed significant concerns regarding the company’s procurement process and the quality of the masks supplied during the pandemic.
The controversy centers on allegations of preferential treatment and potential conflicts of interest in the awarding of contracts to PPE Medpro in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis. The firm, with no prior experience in PPE, secured lucrative deals to supply masks and gowns to the NHS. The NAO found the contracts were awarded through a “high-priority lane” reserved for those with connections to government officials, and that the masks did not meet the required standards. The government is now pursuing legal action to recover the funds,but the likelihood of full recovery remains uncertain.
The Guardian reported that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is taking legal action against PPE Medpro, its director anthony Page, and Michelle Mone’s husband, Douglas Barrowman, seeking to claw back the £122m. The DHSC claims the company overcharged for the PPE and that the products were unsuitable for use.
Mone, a Conservative peer and businesswoman, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but has faced increasing scrutiny over her involvement with the company. She initially denied having any role in PPE Medpro, but later admitted she was a shareholder. She is currently suspended from the House of Lords pending the outcome of investigations into her conduct.
The case highlights broader concerns about the government’s handling of PPE procurement during the pandemic, with billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money spent on contracts that were often awarded without proper due diligence. The outcome of the legal action against PPE Medpro will be closely watched, as it could set a precedent for holding companies accountable for failing to deliver on contracts during a national emergency.
