A group representing 7,000 Covid bereaved families said it was a ‘disgrace’ the Scottish lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone still held the gong and called on government to act
Michelle Mone should be stripped of her OBE after a scandal-hit firm linked to her failed to repay millions over faulty PPE, Covid bereaved families demand today.
A group representing 7,000 families said it was a “disgrace” the Scottish lingerie tycoon still held the gong and called on the government to act. In a letter to the Honours Forfeiture Committee they say some of their relatives died because they had no “access to fit for purpose PPE”.
They have urged the body to consider withdrawing Baroness Mone’s OBE, which she was awarded in 2010 for services to the lingerie industry. A spokesman for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said: “Our loved ones died without access to proper PPE. That someone connected to this scandal continues to hold an OBE is a disgrace.
“The government has the power to act and must ensure this honour is removed. Anything less is an insult to the thousands who died and the loved ones they left behind.”
READ MORE: Michelle Mone-linked firm misses deadline to repay £122million to taxpayer over defective PPEREAD MORE: Kemi Badenoch says Michelle Mone brought ‘shame and embarrassment’ to Tories
Over 280,000 have also signed a petition run by the 38 Degrees campaign group calling for Baroness Mone to be kicked out of the House of Lords. Baroness Mone was made a Tory peer by David Cameron but she took a leave of absence from the Lords in 2022, which means she no longer has the whip.
It comes after PPE Medpro – a consortium led by Baroness Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman – missed a deadline to pay £122million over a breach of a Covid contract. The firm was sued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) after it provided 25 million “faulty” gowns during the pandemic.
Last week Health Secretary Wes Streeting vowed to go after PPE Medpro “with everything we’ve got” after it failed to pay the cash ordered by the court. Mr Streeting said at the time: “At a time of national crisis, PPE Medpro sold the previous government substandard kit and pocketed taxpayers’ hard-earned cash.
“PPE Medpro has failed to meet the deadline to pay – they still owe us over £145 million, with interest now accruing daily. We will pursue PPE Medpro with everything we’ve got to get these funds back where they belong – in our NHS.”
A spokesman for the consortium said previously it was prepared to “enter into a dialogue” with the Government to reach a settlement.
“On Friday October 11, it was made clear that the consortium partners of PPE Medpro are prepared to enter into discussions with the Government, via the administrators, to reach a possible settlement,” he said.
“This was made very public, and the Government was made aware of it. Yet, very disappointingly, the Government has made no effort to respond or seek to enter into discussions.” Baroness Mone has been contacted for comment.