Health

Tory peer at centre of PPE controversy hits out at government

By Callum Parke

Copyright independent

Tory peer at centre of PPE controversy hits out at government

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is suing PPE Medpro, a company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman, over an alleged breach of contract for 25 million surgical gowns supplied during the coronavirus pandemic.

The DHSC is seeking to recover £121 million, claiming the gowns were “faulty” and not sterile, while PPE Medpro argues the government is experiencing “buyer’s remorse” and that the gowns became defective due to storage conditions.

Baroness Mone has accused the government of making her and her husband a “poster couple for the PPE scandal” and of scapegoating them, claiming the case is politically motivated and a distraction from procurement mismanagement.

PPE Medpro reportedly made multi-million-pound offers to settle the High Court legal battle, including replacing the gowns or a cash sum, which Baroness Mone states were rejected by the DHSC.

A High Court ruling on the case is expected on Wednesday, following PPE Medpro filing a “notice of appointment to appoint an administrator” on Tuesday.