high Court Finds PPE Medpro breached £122m Covid Contract
London – The High Court has ruled that PPE Medpro, a company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone, breached it’s contract to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK government during the Covid-19 pandemic. The judgment concerns a £122 million deal for gowns that were deemed unfit for purpose.
the ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing scrutiny of government contracts awarded during the pandemic, and could open the door to further legal action. While the government pursued claims of breach of contract,allegations of fraud remain under inquiry by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The case highlights concerns over transparency and accountability in the awarding of lucrative contracts during a national crisis.
The court found PPE Medpro failed to deliver gowns meeting the required specifications. Mrs Justice Cockerill determined the company’s gowns were not sterile, despite claims to the contrary. The government initiated legal proceedings after discovering the supplied gowns did not meet the standards outlined in the contract.
baroness Mone, who was once described as one of the UK’s most successful businesswomen and served as the government’s “entrepreneurship tsar” in 2015, later became a Conservative peer.She was in a relationship with Doug Barrowman, a billionaire businessman and director of Aston Management Limited, who was also involved with PPE Medpro.
In response to the ruling, Baroness Mone stated it was “shocking but all too predictable,” claiming it was “nothing less than an Establishment win for the Government in a case that was too big for them to lose.” A spokesperson for Mr Barrowman described the ruling as “a travesty of justice,” asserting that PPE Medpro had “convincingly demonstrated that its gowns were sterile” during the month-long trial.
Baroness Mone sought a leave of absence from the house of Lords in December 2022. Neither she nor Mr Barrowman were present in court for the judgment.
A separate investigation by the NCA, launched in May 2021, is ongoing, focusing on suspected criminal offences related to the procurement of PPE. An NCA spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that the investigation remains active.
