MICHELLE Mone’s husband has a financial interest in a firm that won £200 million in public contracts after she recommended it to the UK Government.
The Tory baroness neglected to inform the Government that her husband, Douglas Barrowman, could benefit from the deal when she referred the firm, it has been revealed.
The news of Barrowman’s interest comes after months of suggestions from the pair that they were not in a position to profit from the deal for PPE equipment, which included masks and sterilised gowns.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is currently investigating whether payments worth “millions” were made after the deal with Medpro was struck. This comes after the NCA recently raided six properties linked to the pair in London and on the Isle of Man. It is understood that officials are now assessing whether criminal offences were committed in the course of the deal with Mone facing being interviewed under police caution.
The Lords standards watchdog is also investigating whether rules were broken by Mone failing to register Barrowman’s financial interest in the firm.
Both Mone and Barrowman deny any wrongdoing and have said they will cooperate with inquiries.
The former lingerie tycoon recommended PPE Medpro as a potential NHS supplier to Michael Gove, then the Cabinet Office minister, and Lord Agnew, a procurement minister in an email four days before the company was incorporated.
The company was then referred by Agnew to the Government’s “VIP lane”, which gave PPE Medpro a much higher chance of being awarded public contracts worth millions for protective equipment.
Foregoing competitive tender, PPE Medpro was awarded an £81m deal for masks and a £122m order for gowns, which were subsequently rejected by the NHS for not meeting quality standards.
Barrowman and Mone have previously said through their lawyers that neither of them has been directors, shareholders or investors in the company.
However, leaked WhatsApp messages revealed by The Guardian in January showed the couple being informed by PPE Medpro staff of specific details relating to the firm’s supply chain issues, including gown sizes.
And last week Barrowman admitted that he had an unspecified financial interest in the firm with sources close to him saying he had declared this “at the outset” with the Cabinet Office.
However, according to the Lords’ code of conduct, it was Mone and not Barrowman who should have declared any potential conflict of interest.
It is understood that neither Gove nor Agnew have any recollection of Mone doing so in their talks.
It is also believed that Agnew gave a full account of his dealings with Mone to the Lords Standards commissioner, Martin Jelley.
It remains uncertain whether the Tory peer informed the Cabinet Office of Barrowman’s financial interest in PPE Medpro.
According to The Times, a spokesman for the Cabinet Office said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter due to the ongoing NCA investigation.
“All contracts are awarded in line with procurement regulations and transparency guidelines, and the National Audit Office found no evidence of ministers being involved in PPE procurement decisions,” he said.
NCA officer seized files and electronic data from six Mone-linked properties last month, including the pair’s £25m Isle of Man estate and a home in Belgravia, in coordinated raids.
The NCA said: “We do not confirm or deny the existence of investigations or the names of those who may or may not be under investigation.”
