Baroness Mone Faces Calls to Resign Amid £122M UK Covid PPE Contract Breach

Baroness Michelle Mone, linked through her husband Doug Barrowman to PPE Medpro, has come under intense scrutiny after the company was ordered to repay nearly £122 million to the UK government for breaching a contract to supply 25 million surgical gowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The gowns were found defective as PPE Medpro failed to prove proper sterilization, leading to accusations of profiteering and a public backlash, including a petition signed by thousands demanding her removal from the House of Lords. Political figures across parties, including Conservative Claire Coutinho and Labour's Rachel Reeves, have called for Lady Mone to resign or be removed from the Lords, criticizing her continued presence as a disgrace and a slap in the face to Covid bereaved families. Despite Lady Mone’s claims of a government vendetta and an establishment stitch-up, the government is committed to recovering the funds lost, with the Department of Health and Social Care pursuing legal action. The SNP has also urged that Baroness Mone be stripped of her peerage through an act of parliament, highlighting the public demand for accountability. However, peerage removal is complex, requiring parliamentary action, and Lady Mone is currently on leave from the Lords and has been stripped of the Conservative whip, but retains her title.