Legal Action Launched to Recoup PPE Medpro Millions
Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband, Doug Barrowman, are reportedly facing legal action as part of an effort to recover millions of pounds owed to the government by PPE Medpro, a company linked to Mr. Barrowman that has since entered liquidation.
Last year, the government secured a judgment of £122 million plus interest against PPE Medpro. This ruling followed a court's determination that the firm had failed to uphold its contract to provide sterile surgical gowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following PPE Medpro's liquidation, joint liquidators from Interpath Advisory have initiated a case targeting six individuals and five companies associated with the firm. Baroness Mone and Mr. Barrowman have been contacted for their response.
Background of PPE Medpro and Government Contracts
PPE Medpro was established in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, when the government was urgently seeking protective equipment for healthcare workers. The company secured its initial government contract to supply masks through a 'VIP lane,' a process facilitated by a recommendation from Baroness Mone, then a Conservative peer in the House of Lords.
However, by late 2022, the government took legal action against the company, alleging that the supplied medical gowns did not meet the required healthcare standards. The High Court sided with the government, concluding that PPE Medpro had not demonstrated that its surgical gowns, intended for NHS staff, had undergone a verified sterilization process.
Despite the legal victory, the method for recovering the funds remained unclear, as the company's balance sheet showed less than £1 million. PPE Medpro was subsequently placed into liquidation in December 2025.
At the time, then-Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticized PPE Medpro, accusing it of endangering NHS personnel and patients with substandard equipment while enriching itself with taxpayer money during a national emergency. He vowed to pursue the company rigorously to recover the funds.
Connections to PPE Medpro and Other Investigations
While Mr. Barrowman and Baroness Mone were not listed as directors of PPE Medpro and initially denied any association, Mr. Barrowman confirmed in a 2023 BBC interview that he was the ultimate beneficial owner of the company. In the same interview, Baroness Mone acknowledged being a beneficiary of a trust that received a portion of PPE Medpro's profits.
The individuals named in the lawsuit include four former directors of PPE Medpro, among them Arthur Lancaster, an accountant and business associate of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Mr. Lancaster has been approached for comment. The tax expert Dan Neidle was the first to report on the case.
Last year, it was also revealed that HMRC had filed a claim for £39 million against PPE Medpro for unpaid taxes.
The Department for Health and Social Care has stated that fund recovery is the responsibility of the appointed liquidators, and that ministerial intervention would be inappropriate. However, the government has emphasized its expectation of robust action.
Interpath has declined to comment on the matter. Separately, the National Crime Agency is conducting a criminal investigation into PPE Medpro.
Source: Baroness Mone among individuals sued to recover PPE Medpro millions