It’s been a rather hectic morning for Michelle Mone. The suspected PPE profiteer gave a sit-down interview with Laura Kuenssberg, only to come out of the exchanges worse for wear – and admitted she does stand in line to gain from a set of PPE contracts brokered in 2020.
Who is Michelle Mone?
The Tory peer released a documentary paid for by PPE Medpro earlier this week, defending her role in the controversy surrounding “VIP lane” contracts during the coronavirus pandemic.
PPE Medpro was awarded Government contracts worth more than £200 million to supply personal protective equipment after she recommended it to ministers.
Mone has conceded she made an “error” in publicly denying her links to the PPE Medpro, but insists she has done nothing wrong otherwise. She reiterated her defence to Laura Kuenssberg this morning – only for her reasoning to go down like a lead balloon.
Michelle Mone argues her case
After initially trying to talk her way round the subject, Mone eventually acknowledged that she DOES stand to benefit from the PPE contracts, with her husband Doug Barrowman holding £60 million from the deals in a family trust.
“Of course, I will gain from this. If my husband passes away before me, then I am a beneficiary, as well as his children and my children. We’ve only done one thing wrong, which was lie to the press to say we weren’t involved”.
“I don’t think we have a case to answer. All we did was deliver a contract. Saying to the press ‘I was not involved’, to protect my family, is not a crime. People will realise that. Since I’ve walked into the House of Lords, it has been a nightmare.” | Michelle Mone
Peer blames government, Deputy PM responds
With things taking another ugly turn, Michelle Mone tried to shift most of the blame onto the government, claiming they are the ones who should be held accountable for giving that money away. Deputy PM Oliver Dowden, however, has rejected this suggestion
“I don’t accept that. There’s an ongoing investigation by the National Crime Agency and indeed the Dept of Health is suing the company concerned in civil litigation. So there is a limit to what I can say” | Oliver Dowden