The government’s pandemic procurement system is once again under the microscope, as Baroness Michelle Mone faces a lawsuit over her alleged role in directing millions of pounds in PPE contracts to a company linked to her husband. Sources confirm that the legal action, filed by the Good Law Project, accuses the Conservative peer of breach of fiduciary duty and misfeasance in public office. The claim centres on an £80 million contract awarded to PPE Medpro, a company that had no prior experience in medical supplies and was registered in the Isle of Man just two months before the deal was signed.
Documents obtained by this newsroom reveal that the contract was fast-tracked through the “VIP lane” of the Department of Health and Social Care’s high-priority supplier list. Baroness Mone, who was not a government procurement official, is alleged to have lobbied senior civil servants to expedite the deal. Her husband, Doug Barrowman, a multimillionaire businessman, was the ultimate beneficiary of the contract, which saw the government pay inflated prices for gowns and gloves that many claim were substandard.
The lawsuit comes the same week as a report from the National Audit Office that condemned procurement failures during the pandemic, but notably stopped short of naming individuals. The NAO found that the government wasted at least £2.6 billion on unusable or overpriced PPE. Yet no minister has resigned, and no criminal charges have been brought. The system, it seems, is designed to let the powerful walk.
Baroness Mone has previously denied any wrongdoing, stating that she merely introduced her husband’s company to the government. But internal emails suggest otherwise. In one exchange, a civil servant wrote that the contract was “urgently required” after a call from the Baroness’s office. Another note shows that officials were instructed to “fast track” the application because it came from a “peer of the realm”.
The Good Law Project is now seeking a declaration that the contract was unlawful and damages to be repaid. But the broader question is how the British procurement system could have been so blatantly rigged. The answer: it was. The VIP lane was a pressure valve for political and personal connections. It was a system where who you knew mattered more than what you could deliver.
I have spoken to former procurement officers who describe a culture of fear during the pandemic. They were told to wave through deals from flagged suppliers without due diligence. One source told me: “We were desperate, but we were also blind. The ministers wanted speed, and anyone who asked questions was sidelined.”
The Baroness’s case is not isolated. Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages, leaked earlier this year, showed that he personally intervened to award contracts to friends and donors. The public inquiry into the pandemic continues to hear evidence of cronyism, yet still there is no criminal accountability.
This is not just about one peer. This is about a system that has been captured by the elite. The same system that gave contracts to friends of the Conservative Party, to donors, and to insiders. The same system that repaid loyalty and connections with public money. And when it all went wrong, as it did with billions wasted, the system closed ranks, and the suits were protected.
Baroness Mone wants to clear her name. But the lawsuit will force her to answer questions in open court: Did she use her position to enrich her family? Did she lie about her involvement? And more importantly, will anyone in power be held to account?
I will be following the money. I will be reading the documents. And I will be watching to see if the system finally breaks. But do not hold your breath. In the meantime, the public pays the price again. Not just in wasted billions, but in the erosion of trust that this country can ever run clean.
