Baroness Mone ‘can’t see what we’ve done wrong’ over PPE pandemic profits
Spectator (UK)Dec 07, 2023
UK: Michelle Mone Hits Back at Rishi Sunak Amid PPE Scandal
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The Facts
Baroness Michelle Mone has alleged that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other ministers were aware "from the very beginning" of her involvement in personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts worth more than £200M ($255M) awarded to her husband during the COVID pandemic.
Last weekend, Mone — currently sitting on a leave of absence from Parliament to "clear her name" — admitted she had lied to British media when she denied having been involved with Barrowman's firm, which reportedly made millions of pounds in profits from UK government PPE deals.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Undeserving of her peerage in the Lords and an example of many individuals whose parliamentary position undermines the chamber's legitimacy, Mone has revealed her true nature to the British public. Having lied about her relationship with PPE companies for financial gain, the baroness' titles should be stripped immediately.
Establishment-critical narrative
Mone has a right to feel betrayed by the party to which she has dedicated much of her professional life. She and her husband are being targeted for the repeated failings made by major public institutions during the pandemic. PPE Medpro was only one of 51 companies to receive government contracts, and a total of £4B ($5.1B) was spent on unusable PPE. This smear campaign is attempting to shift public attention away from the grim realities of government incompetence during COVID.