Keir Starmer is facing calls from families who lost loved ones to Covid-19 to revoke Baroness Michelle Mone’s peerage. This demand follows the Prime Minister’s directive to draft a law to strip Peter Mandelson of his title in light of mounting controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Esptein files. Over 87,000 individuals have signed a petition seeking the removal of Ms. Mone’s title due to her association with scandal-plagued PPE Medpro, which was required to repay over £122 million to the UK government for supplying defective goods last year.
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK emphasized the need for the government to act decisively by stripping Michelle Mone of her peerage, a step they believe should have been taken earlier. They stressed that individuals who benefitted from the pandemic through links to companies involved in selling substandard PPE and endangering lives have no place in the House of Lords. With over 230,000 deaths in the UK, they emphasized the importance of accountability over political considerations, urging MPs and peers to take immediate action.
Last year, the government successfully challenged PPE Medpro, a company connected to Baroness Michelle Mone. The company, led by Baroness Mone’s husband, Doug Barrowman, secured government contracts under the previous Tory administration. The couple has denied any wrongdoing.
Members of the Labour Party have suggested that the legislation being crafted to remove Lord Mandelson’s peerage should also apply to Baroness Mone. They highlighted the need for a clear process for revoking titles without diverting attention from the core issues at hand. Conversely, another Labour MP cautioned against including Ms. Mone, stating that focusing on the Mandelson case would set a precedent applicable to all peers.
In response to the families’ demands, a spokesperson for Ms. Mone reiterated her innocence, emphasizing that she and her husband provided assistance based on their manufacturing expertise and disclosed their interests openly. They maintained that Baroness Mone had no involvement in the government’s pandemic management, public spending decisions, or procurement of PPE. The spokesperson highlighted that criticisms directed at them should instead target the real causes of failures in the system and those responsible for day-to-day pandemic management and spending decisions. Baroness Mone expressed disappointment in the pandemic handling and extended condolences to families who lost loved ones.
