New details have emerged about the vast profits generated from Covid PPE contracts awarded to a company linked to Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her husband, Douglas Barrowman. PPE Medpro, which received over £200 million in government contracts, is at the centre of a National Crime Agency investigation into potential fraud. According to a Guardian analysis, the company and its partners appear to have made in excess of £100 million in profits from contracts worth £203 million, with at least £70 million moved offshore.
The contracts were secured after Mone recommended the company to ministers, placing it on the government’s “VIP” lane for politically connected suppliers. The Department of Health and Social Care later rejected much of the PPE supplied, leading to a dispute. Bank documents revealed that Mone and Barrowman secretly received tens of millions originating from PPE Medpro’s profits. Mone has announced a leave of absence from the House of Lords to clear her name.
Following the windfall, the couple purchased a racehorse, a jet, and a yacht, some of which are now for sale. The National Crime Agency raided the couple’s Isle of Man estate earlier this year as part of its inquiry. The scandal has prompted MPs to demand the release of government documents related to the contracts, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressing shock at the revelations.
