Today the High Court ordered a company linked to ex-Tory peer Baroness Mone to pay £122 million to the Department of Health for breaching an NHS contract during the pandemic. The company – PPE Medpro – was set up by a group led by the peer’s husband Doug Barrowman.

During the pandemic, Mone recommended the company to the government through the ‘VIP lane’ on the same day it was incorporated – fast-tracking it to the top of a priority list for personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts. While the then-Conservative government had flagged concerns with the company at the time – namely over its recent incorporation in 2020 and the conflict of interest with Baroness Mone – it was seen as a positive that the company was so eager to contract on the Department of Health’s terms.

PPE Medpro was

See Full Page