This admission comes after a National Crime Agency investigation was launched into suspected criminal offenses relating to the procurement of contracts awarded to PPE Medpro, a company linked to Mone and Barrowman.
Like a plot from a twisted heist film, the disgraced baroness and her husband first denied any connection to the operation.
But leaked documents revealed offshore accounts bursting with millions in illicit profits. Now caught red-handed, the couple sheepishly admit to their pandemic plunder, excusing elaborate deceptions as necessary evils.
Yet their belated confession provides little absolution after exploiting elite access to loot taxpayer funds during a crisis.
Their greatest regret seems to be getting caught in this sordid scheme of greed. But for this pair accused of pandemic profiteering, the true reckoning has only just begun.
Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman have recently admitted to profiting millions from PPE contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic, after previously denying any involvement.
This admission comes after a National Crime Agency investigation was launched into suspected criminal offenses relating to the procurement of contracts awarded to PPE Medpro, a company linked to Mone and Barrowman.
The revelations are outrageous, given that the contracts were awarded during the first wave of the pandemic when there was a desperate shortage of PPE for healthcare workers. Mone and Barrowman are accused of exploiting their political connections to profit from the crisis.
Mone is a businesswoman who was appointed to the House of Lords by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015. Her husband, Doug Barrowman, runs Knox Group, a financial services company based in the Isle of Man. The couple married in November 2020 on the Isle of Man.
In May and June 2020, PPE Medpro was awarded two government contracts worth £203 million to supply face masks and surgical gowns. The contracts were granted under a special “VIP lane” that fast-tracked offers of PPE from companies referred by people with government connections.
When the contracts were made public later in 2020, Mone and Barrowman fiercely denied any involvement with PPE Medpro. Mone’s lawyers stated she was “not connected in any way” and “any suggestion of an association” between Mone and PPE Medpro would be “inaccurate”, “misleading” and “defamatory”. Barrowman’s lawyers also repeatedly denied his connection to the company.
However, leaked documents revealed in November 2022 showed that Barrowman received around £65 million in profits from PPE Medpro. Around £29 million of this money was transferred to an offshore trust called Keristal Trust, which listed Mone and her three children as beneficiaries.
When asked if PPE profits were used to buy a £6 million luxury yacht, renamed Lady M, Mone distanced herself stating, “It’s not my yacht. It’s not my money.” The yacht was purchased in May 2021 by her husband Doug Barrowman and renamed with a large sign reading “Lady M” on the back.
In August 2021, Mone even posted on Instagram a picture of herself and Barrowman on the yacht, with the words “Business isn’t easy. But it is rewarding.”
Mone claimed, “That cash is my husband’s cash, it’s just like my dad going home with his wage packet on a Friday night and giving it to my mum. So she’s benefiting from that as well, but that cash is not my cash and is not my children’s cash.”
However, her analogy is unconvincing. The funds came from taxpayer money awarded through elite connections during a health crisis, not earned wages. As a named beneficiary of the offshore trust receiving the PPE profits, Mone clearly benefited regardless of direct ownership.
Her parsing of the money as not technically hers fails to justify profiting exorbitantly on inflated pandemic deals. Even if divorced and receiving nothing, Mone still gained advantage as a beneficiary.
In recent interviews, Mone and Barrowman have admitted they were involved in PPE Medpro and profited from the deals. Mone acknowledged she had lied to the press about her involvement in order to protect her family, stating “It’s not a crime.”
Michelle Mone also claimed that she was not trying to “pull the wool” over anyone’s eyes. She stated her life has been “destroyed” by allegations about their pandemic profiteering, despite only having “lied to the press to say we weren’t involved.”
Michelle Mone proclaimed “No one deserves this.” These assertions sound wholly unconvincing and absurd given Mone’s exploitation of the crisis for personal enrichment.
She misled the public about involvement in lucrative PPE deals gained through elite connections. To now cry victimhood under scrutiny shows an astonishing lack of accountability. Her life is not “destroyed” but rather being rightfully held to account.
The real victims are those who suffered while Mone enriched herself through avarice and dishonesty. Her reflexive blame-shifting remains unpersuasive and undeserving of sympathy.
The National Crime Agency is now investigating PPE Medpro for suspected fraud, false representation, and bribery. The government is also suing PPE Medpro for return of the £122 million paid for surgical gowns that were rejected for failing safety standards. Barrowman continues to defend the quality of the gowns.
We find Mone and Barrowman’s actions of profiting enormously from the pandemic while denying involvement to be utterly condemnable. Their exploitation of the crisis for personal enrichment shows a lack of ethics and concern for the greater good.
Mone misused her political connections and privileged access to award inflated PPE contracts to a company she benefited from. Her peerage and company roles are rightfully coming under intense scrutiny.
As investigators uncover the truth, we believe the couple should be stripped of their dishonestly acquired wealth and any honors they hold. The public deserves full transparency and accountability regarding how Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman abused their power and influence during a national emergency.
No excuse of protecting family justifies their conscious deception to hide ill-gotten pandemic profits. Their belated admissions ring hollow while they still obfuscate the truth.
Michelle Mone also claimed that she was being used as a scapegoat for the government’s Covid failings.
However, her attempt to paint herself as a mere scapegoat is absurd considering the facts. She exploited her political connections to profit enormously on inflated PPE deals while the country desperately needed supplies.
Rather than display integrity under public scrutiny, she repeatedly lied to cover up her involvement. Mone cannot credibly claim victimhood after her self-serving actions contributed to crisis mismanagement. Attempting to shift blame shows an utter lack of accountability for her part in this scandal.
Others have also condemned Mone’s actions on the program. Succession Actor Brian Cox stated, “To take advantage of a situation like that, there is something obscene about that.”
ITV’s Susannah Reid referred to Mone’s claim she lied to avoid press intrusion, saying, “She thinks she is the victim because of the press intrusion…it is utterly remarkable she does not see how sensitive this is for people.”
These perspectives rightly denounce Mone’s exploitation of the crisis for exorbitant personal profits. Her focus on media attention rather than the suffering of millions demonstrates astonishing self-absorption. That she still portrays herself as a victim highlights her lack of remorse and accountability.
As a result of all this, Labour is now pressuring the government as Shadow Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds called on Michael Gove to answer questions from MPs regarding the “VIP lane.”
Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Christine Jardine called Mone’s admission “jaw-dropping.” The National Crime Agency’s investigation into suspected criminal offenses relates to how PPE Medpro secured lucrative contracts.
Mone’s belated admissions have provoked outrage across the political spectrum.
With active investigations ongoing, the full truth of her conduct has yet to emerge. But the available facts paint an indefensible picture of greed taking precedence over duty during a crisis.
Mone’s defenses consistently avoid admitting her role in capitalizing on scarcity to reap millions.
The political pressure and investigations are warranted to uncover the truth and apply accountability. Mone’s exploitation of privilege for personal profit is exactly the kind of pandemic corruption that demands exposure.
Those entrusted with power and connections must be held to higher standards of integrity. Mone failed in this regard, prioritizing self-interest over the public good.
