Company linked to Michelle Mone ordered to repay government £122m over Covid PPE
Government wins £122m court case over ‘faulty’ Covid PPE
- A High Court judge has ordered PPE Medpro to repay the UK government almost £122 million for breaching a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sued PPE Medpro after the company provided 25 million "faulty" gowns that were not sterile.
- PPE Medpro, a consortium led by businessman Doug Barrowman and linked to Tory peer Michelle Mone, was awarded the government contract after Lady Mone recommended it to ministers.
- The DHSC argued that 103 out of 140 tested gowns failed sterility tests and lacked the required CE marking, while PPE Medpro claimed the government suffered from "buyer's remorse" and contamination occurred post-delivery.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves welcomed the judgment, stating the money would be returned to public services, though Mr Barrowman criticised the ruling as a "travesty of justice" and a "whitewash".