Michael Gove is under pressure to appear before MPs after he was name-checked by Baroness Michelle Mone in an interview where she finally admitted to benefitting from a huge PPE deal.
Baroness Mone, the lingerie tycoon, acknowledged she had lied to the press over her role in the awarding of over £200million of Government contracts to PPE Medpro, a firm led by her husband Doug Barrowman. In a brutal interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, she finally admitted to not telling the truth over her links to the firm but maintained she has "no case to answer". Mr Barrowman claimed the couple were being made into the "Bonnie and Clyde" of PPE.
PPE Medpro is being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Department of Health and Social Care has also issued breach of contract proceedings over a 2020 deal for the supply of protective gowns. Baroness Mone, who was appointed to the Lords by David Cameron in 2015, told the programme she contacted Mr Gove at the start of the pandemic after a "call to arms for all lords, baronesses, MPs, senior civil servants, to help, because they needed massive quantities of PPE".
"I just said, 'We can help, and we want to help.' And he [Gove] was like, 'Oh my goodness, this is amazing'," she said. Labour has demanded answers about her claim about Mr Gove, who was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during this period.
Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman gave an interview to the BBC over the PPE Medpro row (BBC)In a letter to Mr Gove, Shadow Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: "This series of events has led to civil litigation and a National Crime Agency investigation. Yet these ongoing matters should not preclude you from addressing questions about your own involvement and the role of the Government. Events so far expose a shocking recklessness by the Conservative government with regard to public money, and a sorry tale of incompetence in relation to the so-called 'VIP Lane' for procurement during the pandemic."
Michelle Mone's husband gifted Tories 'over £171k' as Covid PPE row rumbles on
Mr Thomas-Symonds said that Mr Gove should answer questions about the so-called "call to arms" and what further communications he had with Baroness Mone. "The very least Conservative ministers owe is maximum possible transparency and there should be an urgent statement to Parliament before the Christmas Recess," he said.
In December, Baroness Mone’s spokesperson said she would take a leave of absence from the House of Lords “in order to clear her name of the allegations that have been unjustly levelled against her”. Today, Energy Efficiency Minister Lord Callanan said he expects she won't return to the Lords.
He said "she has to speak for herself" and he "would hope that she would see sense". Asked if she had the right to make laws, he said: "I would hope that she would not be coming back to the House of Lords."
Rishi Sunak told reporters in Scotland today: "The Government takes these things incredibly seriously, which is why we're pursuing legal action against the company concerned in these matters. That's how seriously I take it and the Government takes it. But it is also subject to an ongoing criminal investigation. And because of that, there's not much further that I can add."
But Baroness Mone hit back, tweeting: "What is RishiSunak talking about? I was honest with the Cabinet Office, the Government and the NHS in my dealings with them. They all knew about my involvement from the very beginning."
It comes after Baroness Mone told a YouTube documentary that they would both be cleared, arguing they have "done nothing wrong". The film, part of a public fightback, is believed to have been funded by PPE Medpro.
Baroness Mone was appointed to the House of Lords by David Cameron in 2015 (PA)The NCA has been investigating the couple's role in the contract, and Baroness Mone is suspected of conspiracy to defraud, fraud by false representation and bribery. She denies all the allegations and insists she has done nothing wrong. On top of that she is being probed in the House of Lords.
She told the BBC: "I don’t honestly see there’s a case to answer. I can’t see what we’ve done wrong." She insisted that she and her children hadn't benefited from the award of the contracts, saying: "It’s my husband’s money. It’s his money. It’s not my money and it’s not my children’s."
After questioning by the BBC, the couple eventually admitted this could change in the long run. Mr Barrowman said: "Ultimately one day, because I am not going to be on the planet for ever, someone is going to benefit from a lifetime in business and experience. Ultimately, if I’m married to Michelle, and ultimately, I’m going to generate profits, then ultimately, Michelle, in some shape or form, is going to indirectly benefit. And actually, if I die, one day in the future, she’s going to directly benefit."
But he said Baroness Mone has no access to around £60million in profits, which is being held in trusts. Half of this is in a trust called Keristal, from which Baroness Mone and her children stand to benefit - unless she and Mr Barrowman divorce. Ms Kuenssberg pressed: "Your family as a unit will benefit from that cash. Why didn’t you just be more straightforward about it?"
Carol Vorderman tweets ex pal Michelle Mone 'should be jailed' after PPE scandal
The Tory peer hit back: "I am being straightforward about it now Laura. I’m saying to you that I didn’t receive that cash. That cash is not my cash, that cash is my husband’s cash, we are married." But she said that if Mr Barrowman dies before her, she will gain from the contracts. She said: “If one day, if God forbid, my husband passes away before me, then I am a beneficiary, as well as his children and my children, so yes, of course.”
In the interview, Baroness Mone also insisted that lying to the media is "not a crime" but conceded "I did make an error in saying to the press that I wasn't involved." She added: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I wasn't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, and I regret and I'm sorry for not saying straight out, yes, I am involved."
Millions of gowns supplied by the company were never used and the Department of Health is still seeking to claw back some of the money. The couple insist the gowns were supplied in accordance with the contract.
Mr Barrowman alleged that he was asked by a Government official if he would "would pay more money for the NCA investigation to be called off", claiming he was "gobsmacked". Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, appearing on the same programme, indicated he would be "very surprised" if that was the case. He said: "There's a proper process for this to go through, which is in relation to a civil case and a criminal case." Mr Dowden also defended the Government's handling of PPE procurement in the early days of the crisis, insisting there were "no favours or special treatment".
A Department of Health spokesman said: "We do not comment on ongoing legal cases."
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