Disgraced former Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone has been granted permission to keep an estimated £15,000 per week in rental income from a multi-million-pound London mansion, despite the property being covered by a major asset freezing order.
Court Amends Freezing Order
The amendment was approved by a judge in a reported secret hearing, altering a sweeping court order that had frozen £75 million of assets belonging to Mone and her husband, businessman Doug Barrowman. The order was imposed two years ago as the National Crime Agency, Britain's equivalent of the FBI, investigated a deal to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic.
The change specifically relates to a Grade-II listed mansion in Belgravia, central London, valued at around £25 million. The property is owned by an Isle of Man-based company within Barrowman's business empire, which purchased it for £9.25 million in December 2020. Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, stated in the amendment seen by The Times: “Any rental income from this property is not restrained and there is no restriction on the use to which this income may be put.”
The PPE Medpro Scandal
The investigation centres on PPE Medpro, a consortium run by Doug Barrowman. The company was awarded a £122 million government contract to supply PPE at the height of the Covid-19 crisis. However, in October 2025, a High Court judge ordered the firm to repay the money after finding it had breached the contract.
PPE Medpro, which is said to owe the Department of Health a total of £148 million, was placed into liquidation last month. Separately, the company is reported to owe HMRC £39 million. Following the High Court judgment, Baroness Mone criticised the ruling as “shocking but all too predictable”, calling it an “Establishment win for the Government.”
Denials and Ongoing Probe
Both Baroness Mone and Mr Barrowman have consistently denied any wrongdoing and have not faced any criminal charges. The NCA's investigation into the PPE deal is ongoing, and the amendment to the freezing order allows the rental income to flow while the probe continues.
The Belgravia property itself had planning permission for a significant refurbishment, including excavating a basement to create a cinema room and spa, before being put on the market. The latest legal development means that income from this high-value asset will not be sequestered by the courts for the time being.
