Tax experts have called for a criminal investigation into a company connected to Doug Barrowman, the husband of former Conservative peer Michelle Mone. The firm, Vanquish Options, is alleged to have falsely claimed customers could write off money owed to the government, according to a BBC Newsnight investigation.
Barrowman has previously denied any involvement with Vanquish, but BBC News has identified shared directors and emails sent from the same IP address as his Isle of Man headquarters. Tax Policy Associates shared a letter with the BBC that was sent to a customer in April 2019, instructing them to tell HMRC they had 'no outstanding liability'. Experts say this could constitute fraud.
Ray McCann, former president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, said there was 'undoubtedly enough for HMRC to justify opening a criminal investigation'. The news comes as Barrowman's firm PPE MedPro is already under investigation by the National Crime Agency over £200m in NHS PPE contracts.
In a separate case, Barrowman's company AML Tax (UK) Limited was fined £150,000 by a tax tribunal in March 2022 for promoting tax avoidance schemes. One contractor, Doug Adams, said he faces a £90,000 loan charge and that the stress has led to the breakdown of his marriage and homelessness.
