Michelle Mone admits involvement in controversial PPE company

She and her husband made the admission to The Guardian

Manx-based Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her husband have acknowledged their involvement with a company that was awarded PPE contracts by the UK government during the Covid pandemic for the first time.

It's been reported in a UK newspaper.

PPE Medpro was given a £200 million contract by the UK government to provide protective equipment to healthcare staff during the pandemic, but is now being sued by them for the return of the £122 million it paid for surgical gowns that were found to be unsafe for use in the NHS.

The company is defending the claim.

It was also revealed that offers of PPE from companies with connections to the Conservative party or governmment were "fast tracked".

The Guardian is now reporting a representative of Baroness Mone and her husband Douglas Barrowman, who live on the Isle of Man, were both involved with the business.

They've told told the paper the UK government was fully aware of her involvement with PPE Medpro, and said she acted as an intermediary/liaison between the company and the UK's Cabinet Office and Department of Health and Social Care.

In addition, the paper is reporting Mr Barrowman, who runs the Knox Group here, was the chairman and leader of the PPE Medpro consortium, and provided half the money required upfront through his "family office", a part of the Knox firm that The Guardian understands is controlled by him and manages his private wealth.

The paper says the representative claims the UK government was fully aware from the start of Mr Barrowman's involvement as well, and that his group would make a commercial profit. 

The couple have previously denied any involvement with the company.