At the start of the pandemic, the National Health Service needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and it needed it urgently. To that end, a ‘VIP lane’ was established to fast-track bids from certain suppliers. MedPro was one such beneficiary.
Following a recommendation of Michelle Mone, the businesses secured government contracts worth more than £200 million, yet the Conservative peer denied that she would directly gain from the deal until recently. It now transpires she stands to benefit to the tune of millions of pounds.
In an extraordinary interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Baroness Mone was unapologetic. Instead, she suggested that she had “no case to answer”. Her husband, Doug Barrowman, simply stated: "That's what you do when you are in a privileged position of making money".
MedPro is currently under investigation by the National Crime Agency, while the Department of Health and Social Care has since issued breach of contract proceedings over a 2020 deal on the supply of gowns.
Clearly, serious questions remain not only over Baroness Mone’s position, but also government procurement contracts more broadly given the nature of the PPE lane, later ruled unlawful by the High Court. The pandemic may be over, but it is never too late to claw back public money.
Councils on the brink
Tens of thousands more Londoners face £2,000 council tax bills for the first time from April, as town halls warn of stretched budgets, non-essential service cuts and in some cases, even bankruptcy.
Communities Secretary Michael Gove is expected to announce a 6.5 per cent rise in funding for local councils in England, and has informed they will be able to put bills up next year by a maximum of 5 per cent.
The reality is that many local authorities in London and across the country are in a parlous financial state. London Councils has warned budgets are on a "knife edge" in many boroughs as overspending increases, particularly on housing and social care.
This year Birmingham, Nottingham and Woking issued 114 notices. In the capital, Croydon has already declared bankruptcy three times, while Havering has said it could do so within six months.
Local authority budgets are flashing red. The next headline may not be about taxation, but another council falling, with widespread implications for the delivery of vital services.
Winter Survival Appeal boost
Our Winter Survival Appeal has surpassed £2.25 million, thanks to a £50,000 donation from TK Maxx and Homesense.
Our Christmas drive, launched alongside Comic Relief, is helping Londoners and those living across the country who are struggling to afford the necessities amid the cost-of-living crisis.
If you have anything left over from your Christmas shopping, please do donate to our appeal at comicrelief.com/winterdonate
