LONDON. The UK’s National Audit Office has been praised as a “global exemplar” of public spending accountability after its investigation prompted legal action against Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband over alleged profiteering from pandemic PPE contracts. The NAO’s report, published last month, concluded that the Department of Health and Social Care had failed to follow proper procurement procedures in awarding £203 million of contracts to a consortium linked to the couple.
The department is now suing to recover the funds, claims the couple denies. The case has intensified scrutiny of emergency procurement practices during the pandemic, with the NAO’s fiscal watchdog role seen as a vital check on executive power. “The NAO’s work has set a standard for transparency that other nations are studying,” said a senior civil service source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The lawsuit, filed in the High Court, alleges breach of contract and unjust enrichment. It follows a separate criminal investigation by the National Crime Agency into the same contracts. Baroness Mone, who has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords, has not commented on the civil case.
Her husband, Doug Barrowman, described the claims as “baseless” in a statement. The NAO’s intervention is being held up as a model for other jurisdictions seeking to audit pandemic spending. Its report meticulously documented the absence of competition, due diligence, and value-for-money assessments in the contract awards.
“This is how a mature democracy holds its government accountable,” said parliamentary accounts chair Dame Meg Hillier. “The NAO’s forensic approach has given the taxpayer a potent weapon.
