Rishi Sunak takes £60 million PPE scandal involving Michelle Mone ‘incredibly seriously’
The prime minister has said he takes the scandal surrounding Michelle Mone 'incredibly seriously' after she admitted she lied for the first time over her links to PPE Medpro as Political Correspondent Harry Horton reports
Baroness Michelle Mone is no longer a member of the Conservative party amid controversy around her connection to a firm producing PPE during the pandemic, ITV News understands.
Rishi Sunak said he takes the scandal “incredibly seriously”, as the former Tory peer faced calls not to return to the House of Lords.
Lady Mone on Sunday admitted she lied when she repeatedly publicly denied having links to PPE Medpro, which made millions of pounds in profits from a government deal to supply personal protective equipment during the pandemic.
However, in response to an ITV News tweet sharing a clip of Mr Sunak's comments, Lady Mone claimed she had been honest with the government and the NHS from the beginning.
She suggested the prime minister and government "knew about my involvement from the very beginning".
Lady Mone wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "What is @RishiSunak talking about?"
"I was honest with the Cabinet Office, the Government and the NHS in my dealings with them."
The prime minister pointed to the government’s legal case against PPE Medpro, but refused to comment further.
Asked about Lady Mone’s dishonesty during a Scotland trip on Monday, Mr Sunak told reporters: “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.”
Rishi Sunak refused to be directly drawn on the Michelle Mone scandal due to it being under an active criminal investigation
The government last December issued breach of contract proceedings against PPE Medpro over the 2020 deal on the supply of sterile gowns. The firm is defending the legal action.
The company is also being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Lady Mone’s first major broadcast interview since the scandal emerged saw her admit she did not tell the truth about her connection to the company, while insisting that lying to the media was “not a crime”.
Sir Keir Starmer has called for her to be expelled from the Lords, urging the Government to "come clean" about the scandal.
He said: "I think this is a shocking disgrace from top to bottom. And, as every day goes past, there are more questions that need to be answered."
One Tory minister has said she should not return to the House of Lords.
“I think she should have declared her involvement in that in the House of Lords register, and there is guidance available for that,” energy efficiency minister Lord Callanan told Sky News.
“I would hope that she would not be coming back to the House of Lords.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have called for a Cabinet Office inquiry into Lady Mone, with a spokesperson saying the allegations were "painful."
“The more this scandal unfolds the more serious the questions for Michael Gove and other Ministers to answer," the spokesperson said.
“If they knew about Michelle Mone’s connections to the PPE contracts from the beginning, why didn’t they come clean years ago?"
Lady Mone, who was made a Conservative peer by David Cameron in 2015, has been on a leave of absence from the Lords and without the Tory whip since December 2022.
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