Just a day after the Government announced it was suing scandal-hit firm PPE Medpro, Baroness Michelle Mone was seen at a luxury alpine resort.
Exclusive pictures obtained by the Mirror remind us of how the other half live, while nurses and ambulance staff are forced to picket in the cold and rain because they cannot afford to pay their bills. Mone, a former lingerie tycoon, looked relaxed in exclusive French ski resort Meribel, where she was staying at a hotel with suites costing up to £6,000 a night.
According to a source, the Tory peer is believed to have flown out last week with billionaire husband Douglas Barrowman. The five-star Le Kaila Hotel sits at an altitude of 1,500m in Meribel centre and boasts a Michelin-star restaurant, with champagne at the bar costing up to €16,748 (£14,600).
The 51-year-old Tory peer was pictured for the first time since standing aside from the House of Lords. One onlooker said: “She looked like she’d been having a great time and didn’t have a care in the world.”
While her conduct in lobbying for PPE Medpro to supply surgical gowns during the pandemic is probed by the Lords Commissioner for Standards, Mone has taken a leave of absence.
The Department for Health said it was suing the firm for £122million on Monday. When approached by the Mirror, Mone did not comment.
Mone and Barrowman deny wrongdoing and insist they had no role at PPE Medpro Limited. She vows to clear her name of “unjust” allegations.
Yesterday Mone was seen checking on luggage, including a Louis Vuitton suitcase which was loaded into a car.
She was carrying a grey bag, believed to be a Hermes Birkin worth up to £40,000, more than the average nurse’s annual wage. She also appeared to be in a £1,695 Moncler black puffa jacket.
Mone and Barrowman enjoy a lavish jetset lifestyle. Their home on the Isle of Man, a nine-bed pile with a pool and spa, was described by an estate agent as “one of the finest homes in the British Isles”.
Their £20m London townhouse is for sale, as is Barrowman’s £66m villa on the Caribbean island of St Barts. A 130ft yacht linked to Mone, called Lady M, was for sale in September at £10.25m.
The ex-Ultimo boss has spoken of her love for skiing in the past. Last Christmas, she posted snaps from neighbouring resort Courchevel.
She said: “Had a great time with my family on the slopes this weekend – really gets you in the Christmas spirit!”
PPE Medpro has said the breach of contract will be “rigorously defended”.
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