STORY
In a judgement delivered in London’s High Court, PPE Medpro has been ordered to repay £122 million to the UK government after it was found to have supplied surgical gowns during the COVID-19 pandemic that failed to meet required sterility and safety standards. Mrs Justice Sara Cockerill ruled that the gowns breached the contract with the Department of Health and Social Care, declaring that the company had not followed validated sterilisation processes or kept sufficient documentation to prove compliance. The decision represents a heavy blow to a company embroiled in controversy and deceit.
The company is linked to the disgraced and discredited Baroness Michelle Mone who admitted to being a liar in an attempt to hide her financial benefit from the business. Despite public anger about her behaviour, she has refused to stand down from the House of Lords.
Barrowman, the partner of Mone, launched an attack on the judicial process following the judgement. A spokesperson for Barrowman said that the medical equipment was of the required standard and that the decision was “an establishment win”. The company has been ordered to repay the Government £122 million by 15 October 2025.