Michelle Mone accuses Chancellor Reeves of inflammatory remarks over PPE ruling

Published: 03 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Michelle Mone, the Scottish businesswoman and life peer whose Conservative whip has been suspended, has accused Chancellor Rachel Reeves of using “dangerous and inflammatory” language regarding her role in a high-profile Covid-19 PPE contract dispute. The accusations come after a company linked to Mone, PPE Medpro, was ordered to repay nearly £122 million for failing to comply with contractual standards in supplying 25 million sterile surgical gowns to the NHS during the pandemic.

At a fringe event during the Labour party conference this week, Reeves reportedly joked that she had a vendetta against Mone, adding: “Clearly she shouldn’t be in the House of Lords.” Mone, in a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, claimed that Reeves’ comments had incited threats against her, saying that her social media accounts had “gone into meltdown with threats and abuse” following the remarks.

“The statement was not directed at PPE Medpro as a corporate entity in civil litigation, but at me personally,” Mone wrote, emphasizing that the chancellor’s words suggested vengeance and personal animosity. She argued that such language had “directly increased the risks to my personal safety” and called on Starmer to intervene.

The PPE Medpro controversy stems from contracts awarded by the Department of Health and Social Care in June 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government argued that the gowns provided by the company, which is linked to Mone and led by her husband Doug Barrowman, were not properly validated as sterile and therefore could not be used in the NHS. In an 87-page ruling, Mrs Justice Cockerill confirmed that the gowns did not meet contractual sterility requirements, prompting the order to return the £122 million payment.

Mone criticised the high court ruling, describing it as a victory for the “establishment,” while Barrowman called it a “travesty of justice.” Lawyers for PPE Medpro have also claimed that the company was “singled out for unfair treatment,” alleging that the gowns became defective due to post-delivery storage conditions beyond their control.

Mone’s letter to the prime minister went further, demanding an “immediate and formal withdrawal of the chancellor’s statement” and a public clarification that “there is no government vendetta against me personally.” She also requested that an independent investigation be launched into whether ministers or officials had improperly influenced the National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, or the civil litigation process.

The dispute occurs alongside an ongoing NCA investigation, which began in May 2021, into whether Mone and Barrowman committed any criminal offences during the procurement of PPE contracts. Both Mone and Barrowman have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The peer also referenced public criticism from Nigel Farage, who has accused Starmer of “inciting violence” against individuals linked to Reform UK, arguing that such accusations exacerbate the seriousness of her own situation.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch weighed in, stating on BBC local radio that Mone had brought “embarrassment and shame to the party” and suggested that the peer should face accountability. A Labour source remarked that the concurrence between the Labour chancellor and the Conservative leader on Mone’s conduct further underscores the gravity of the controversy.

This incident highlights the ongoing scrutiny surrounding government PPE contracts awarded during the pandemic and the political tensions that have emerged around them. While PPE Medpro has insisted it acted in good faith, the high court ruling and subsequent media coverage have intensified cross-party debates about accountability, ministerial responsibility, and the treatment of peers linked to business interests.

Mone’s demand for clarification from the prime minister and her call for an independent investigation reflect broader concerns about the use of political rhetoric in public discourse and the safety of public figures amid highly charged media narratives. As the situation develops, it remains to be seen whether Starmer or Reeves will respond to her appeals or whether further parliamentary and legal scrutiny will follow.