UK Government Sues Michelle Mone-Linked PPE Firm Over £122M Covid Contract Breach

A company linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman, PPE Medpro, is facing a High Court trial over allegations it breached a £122 million government contract to supply 25 million sterile surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) claims the gowns were faulty and not sterile, rendering them unusable, and is seeking repayment of the contract amount plus additional costs. PPE Medpro denies breaching the contract, arguing the gowns were accepted as suitable upon delivery and blaming government delays for contamination issues. Baroness Mone recommended the company to ministers, but both she and her husband have denied wrongdoing despite controversy over the government's 'VIP lane' contracts, which expedited procurement for selected suppliers. The scandal has led to criminal investigations by the National Crime Agency, resulting in the freezing of assets linked to the couple, though this probe is separate from the current civil litigation. Baroness Mone has taken a leave from the House of Lords amid the controversy and will not appear as a witness in the trial.