Baroness Mone-linked PPE firm ordered to pay £122m over contract breach

UKNEPAL PRESS
Reporter
United Kingdom-A company tied to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman has been ordered to pay £122m in damages after a High Court judge ruled it breached a government contract during the Covid pandemic.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sued PPE Medpro, claiming medical gowns it supplied in 2020 failed to meet required healthcare standards. The gowns were ordered for NHS workers at the height of the crisis, when supplies were urgently needed.

Justice Cockerill found the company had not demonstrated its gowns underwent a validated sterilisation process, meaning they did not comply with the contract. Tests showed most of the gowns failed sterility requirements.

Medpro had argued the gowns were usable and could have been repurposed, but the court rejected the claim. The judge ordered the firm to pay £121,999,219 plus interest, though Medpro went into administration the day before the ruling.

Baroness Mone, who previously admitted she and Mr Barrowman lied about their links to the firm to avoid press scrutiny, called the ruling “shocking but predictable” and accused the government of securing “an Establishment win”. Mr Barrowman’s spokesperson described it as a “travesty of justice”.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock welcomed the judgment as “great news” and vowed the government would recover the money.

The National Crime Agency continues to investigate PPE Medpro over suspected offences in the procurement process.