London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Government to sue Mone-linked PPE firm for £122m

Government to sue Mone-linked PPE firm for £122m

The government is suing a company that supplied it with personal protective equipment (PPE) for £122m plus costs.
PPE Medpro won contracts through the so-called VIP lane in 2020, after being recommended by Tory peer Baroness Mone.

The government is attempting to get its money back on one of the deals in the High Court, claiming the medical gowns supplied "did not comply with the specification in the contract".

PPE Medpro said it would "rigorously" defend the claim.

The company accused the government of a "cynical attempt" to recover money from suppliers who had acted in good faith and to contract specifications.

The government says along with the £122m contract, it has so far spent £6.9m on storage costs for the kit and each week it costs over £61,000 to store the gowns. It estimates the cost to dispose the gowns would be £4.7m.

According to legal documents seen by the BBC, the government claims the "the gowns did not comply with the specification in the contract" and could not be used in the NHS. It also accuses PPE Medpro of a "breach of contract and unjust enrichment".

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said: "We can confirm that we have commenced legal proceedings in the High Court against PPE Medpro Limited for breach of contract regarding gowns delivered under a contract dated 26 June 2020.

"We do not comment on matters that are the subject of ongoing legal proceedings."

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "After nearly a year of hiding behind a mediation process with a company linked to one of their own peers, Conservative ministers have finally been shamed into action to recover taxpayers' money after damning revelations, public outcry and Labour pressure.

"Time will now tell if the shoddy contracts they drew up are sufficiently robust to retrieve the public money they carelessly handed over."

The government has previously described the PPE Medpro medical gowns deal as an "underperforming" contract.

In a statement, the company said it was clear by the end of 2020 that the government had "vastly over-ordered" PPE and would never be able to use it all.

It said consultants had been brought in to "pick over all the contracts" on "technicalities".

"PPE Medpro will demonstrate to the courts that we supplied our gowns to the correct specification, on time and at a highly competitive price," the company said.

"The case will also show the utter incompetence of DHSC to correctly procure and specify PPE during the emergency procurement period."

The company said while it was examining the allegations made by the government it refuted all of them and said its case would "seek to dismantle" them and "make uncomfortable reading for both the government and DHSC".

The government revealed last year that Baroness Mone was the "source of referral" for PPE Medpro getting a place on the so-called VIP lane for PPE offers coming from ministers, officials or peers.

In other words, she recommended the company.

VIP lane offers were treated with greater urgency and were 10 times more likely to result in contracts than offers being made outside this route.

Baroness Mone contacted Lord Agnew, the Cabinet Office minister, about the firm and he directed the offer to the VIP lane.

She is taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords, meaning she will not sit as a Conservative peer. She says she wants to clear her name amid allegations she benefitted from the contracts.

In December 2020, lawyers for Baroness Mone said she "had no role or function in PPE Medpro, nor in the process by which contracts were awarded to PPE Medpro".

The House of Lords commissioner for standards has launched an investigation into her "alleged involvement in procuring contracts for PPE Medpro".

But the Commissioner's website says his investigation has been paused while the matter is investigated by the police or another agency as part of a criminal investigation.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×