The UK Covid Inquiry is set to publish its findings on the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) at midday on Tuesday, prompting concerns from bereaved families who fear a 'whitewash' of the government's handling of the pandemic supply chain.
VIP Lane Controversy and Medpro Exclusion
The report is expected to address controversies including the so-called 'VIP lane' contracts granted to some suppliers during the pandemic. However, it will not include evidence on PPE firm Medpro, which was ordered to repay £148 million to the government after the High Court found it had breached a contract to supply millions of surgical gowns.
The firm, linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone via her husband Doug Barrowman, has been under investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) since 2021. Both Lady Mone, 54, and Mr Barrowman, 61, deny wrongdoing. Although the inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, has heard evidence relating to Medpro, the report will not include those details due to the ongoing NCA investigation. The inquiry has stated it will release its findings on Medpro once any criminal proceedings have concluded.
Bereaved Families Express Outrage
Nicola Brook, a solicitor from law firm Broudie Jackson Canter representing families from the Covid-19 Families for Justice group, said the report 'risks being a total whitewash' because of the decision to omit Medpro findings. 'The Medpro scandal is at the very heart of everything that was wrong about procurement during the pandemic, yet it is being kept secret from the people who need answers most, my clients the bereaved,' she said.
Ms Brook added that her clients hope the report would 'reveal the true extent of the shambolic and wasteful attempts by the government to get PPE as medical staff treated those dying from Covid wearing bin bags' and that Lady Hallett would 'pull no punches in her assessment of one of the biggest scandals ever seen in this country'.
Background on Medpro Contracts
PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Mr Barrowman, was awarded government contracts worth more than £200 million to supply PPE after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers. The firm found itself at the centre of the VIP lane controversy. Despite being ordered to repay £148 million by the High Court, the company was wound up last year, meaning the government is unlikely to recover most of that money.
The NCA probe remains ongoing. In June 2024, the agency said an unnamed 46-year-old man from Barnet, north London, had been arrested as part of the investigation. No criminal charges have been brought.
