Families of Covid victims are calling for Michelle Mone to lose her OBE due to her association with a company that failed to repay millions for faulty PPE.
Representing 7,000 families, a group labeled it a “disgrace” that the Scottish lingerie mogul still retained the honor and appealed to authorities to take action. They pointed out that some of their loved ones perished due to inadequate PPE. The group urged the Honours Forfeiture Committee to review Baroness Mone’s OBE, which she received in 2010 for her contributions to the lingerie sector. A spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group stated, “Our family members passed away without proper PPE access. It is unacceptable that someone linked to this scandal remains an OBE holder.
“The government holds the authority to act and should ensure the removal of this honor. Anything less would be an affront to the deceased and their grieving families.”
Additionally, over 280,000 individuals have signed a petition by the 38 Degrees campaign group demanding Baroness Mone’s expulsion from the House of Lords. Although appointed as a Tory peer by David Cameron, Baroness Mone has been on leave from the Lords since 2022, relinquishing her privileges.
This controversy arose following the failure of PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Baroness Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman, to repay £122 million for breaching a Covid contract. The Department of Health and Social Care sued the firm for delivering 25 million substandard gowns during the pandemic.
Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting vowed to pursue PPE Medpro vigorously after it missed the payment deadline ordered by the court. Streeting criticized the company, stating, “During a national crisis, PPE Medpro supplied the previous government with below-par equipment and retained taxpayers’ money.
“PPE Medpro has failed to meet the payment deadline and still owes over £145 million, with accumulating interest. We will exhaust all efforts to retrieve these funds from PPE Medpro and return them to our NHS.”
A spokesperson for the consortium expressed willingness to engage in discussions with the Government to resolve the matter.
“On October 11, the consortium partners of PPE Medpro publicly announced their readiness to negotiate with the Government, via administrators, for a potential settlement,” the spokesperson stated.
“Despite this clear message, the Government has not responded or shown any interest in initiating discussions.” There has been no comment from Baroness Mone on this matter.
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