A NEW Channel 5 documentary unpacks the scandal on how Michelle Mone and her husband allegedly helped themselves to government money for a controversial PPE contract during the pandemic.
The Michelle Mone Scandal: Where Did Our Money Go? is set to air at 9pm on Monday, January 20.
Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman were interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg where she attempted to tell her side of the story to clear her namebbc
Who is Michelle Mone?
Baroness Michelle Mone is a businesswoman and the founder of lingerie company Ultimo.
Born in Glasgow, Mone left school with no qualifications at the age of 15 and went on to launch her own business ventures in diet pills, fake tan and cryptocurrency.
Michelle became a Conservative life peer in 2015.
What is the Michelle Mone Scandal?
In 2020, reporters began asking questions about Baroness Mone’s apparent links to the company named PPE Medpro.
A year later the government revealed that Mone had referred PPE Medpro via the VIP lane system, and the company was subsequently awarded two contracts worth £200m.
It wasn’t long before Baroness Mone faced allegations that she had profited from the business – a claim she initially denied.
As a result Mone took a leave of absence from the House of Lords in 2022 in order to “clear her name of the allegations that have been unjustly levelled against her”.
The controversial contracts were investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Mone denied having any “role or function” in the company for almost two years, with lawyers previously saying she is “not connected to PPE Medpro in any capacity”.
In November 2023, Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman, confirmed for the first time they were involved in the company.
Her husband Doug had chaired and led the operation for PPE Medpro.
Mone admitted she regretted denying her connection to the PPE firm in a YouTube documentary funded by PPE Medpro, she said: “I regret not saying to the press straight away, ‘yes I am involved’”.
Michelle Mone made a fortune from lingerie and now has made a major move into horseracingInstagram
“The government knew I was involved and the emergency team, the cabinet team, knew I was involved – the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), knew I was involved, the NHS – all of them.
“The legal team advised myself and my husband not to comment and not to say of my involvement in PPE Medpro.”
“I wanted the NHS to succeed, I wanted a win-win situation for everyone,” she said.
“Both myself and my husband declared their interests and if they had any issue with that whatsoever, when they knew of my involvement and my husband’s involvement, why did they ever give the contracts in the first place?
“They must have been satisfied – they knew everything.”
Profits worth £60 million were put into a trust which Mone was listed as a beneficiary of.
She admitted in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg that she would benefit if her husband died before her.
What was the problem with the PPE?
Not only were the government criticised for giving preferential treatment to PPE Medpro, the PPE didn’t meet medical standards.
The 25 million PPE gowns were rejected after a technical inspection.
The gowns were required to meet the British Standard for the sterilisation of medical devices or a “technical equivalent”.
Who is Michelle Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman?
Douglas Alan Borrowman is married to Michelle Mone.
The couple were married in November 2022 on the Isle of Man, where Mr Barrowman is a resident and operates his financial services empire from.
The Scottish businessman founded and is the chairman of Knox Group of Companies, which he has assets under management and administration worth almost £3 billion, according to LinkedIn.
This is not the first time Barrowman has been in the public eye.
Barrowman and six other British businessmen had been on trial on charges linked to a 2008 cable factory purchase that led to accusations of tax fraud.
In March 2024, Barrowman was cleared of any wrongdoing following a Spanish embezzlement and tax fraud trial.
How can I watch The Michelle Mone Scandal: Where Did Our Money Go?
Viewers can watch The Michelle Mone Scandal: Where Did Our Money Go? at 9pm on Monday, January 20 live on Channel 5.
You can also watch or revisit the documentary using the MY5 app.