Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman are currently among several individuals being targeted in legal action aimed at recouping millions of pounds owed to the government following the collapse of Barrowman’s company, PPE Medpro, according to the BBC. Last year, a court awarded the government £122 million plus interest after ruling that PPE Medpro had breached its contract to supply sterile surgical gowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The firm PPE Medpro, which was established in 2020 amid the government’s urgent need to secure protective equipment for healthcare workers, initially secured a government contract to supply masks through a so-called ‘VIP lane’. This contract came about following a recommendation by Baroness Mone, who held a Conservative peerage in the House of Lords at the time. Despite this, by late 2022, the government initiated legal proceedings against the company, alleging that the gowns provided did not meet the required healthcare standards. A High Court ruling subsequently favored the government, finding that PPE Medpro failed to demonstrate that the surgical gowns intended for NHS staff had undergone validated sterilization.
Following PPE Medpro’s placement into liquidation in December 2025, with less than £1 million left on its balance sheet, the government faced challenges in recovering the awarded funds. The joint liquidators from Interpath Advisory have since launched lawsuits against six individuals and five companies associated with PPE Medpro to reclaim the money owed. Among those being sued are the couple Mone and Barrowman, although neither was a director of the company. Notably, Barrowman confirmed in a 2023 BBC interview that he was the ultimate beneficial owner of PPE Medpro, while Mone acknowledged receiving profits through a trust benefiting from the firm’s earnings.
Additional defendants include four former directors of PPE Medpro, such as Arthur Lancaster, an accountant and business associate of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Meanwhile, HMRC has filed a claim for £39 million in unpaid taxes from PPE Medpro. The Department of Health and Social Care has stated that the task of recovering funds falls to the liquidators and declined to comment on ministerial involvement, though it emphasized its expectation for robust action. The National Crime Agency is also conducting an independent criminal investigation relating to the company. Both Mone and Barrowman have been approached for comment but have not publicly responded
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.