Baroness Michelle Mone has launched a fierce attack on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, accusing her of using “dangerous and inflammatory” language that she claims has put her personal safety at risk. The row erupted after a judge ordered PPE Medpro, a company linked to Baroness Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman, to pay £122 million in damages over a failed Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) contract.
Speaking at a fringe event during Labour’s annual conference, Reeves reportedly joked that the government appeared to have a “vendetta” against Mone. The remark, though light-hearted in tone, has sparked outrage from the peer. In a formal letter to the Prime Minister, she branded the comment “incendiary” and argued that it had provoked a wave of online hostility against her.
She wrote:
I feel compelled to alert you to the dangerous and inflammatory statement made by your Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves. Her words have made me and my family feel unsafe.
According to Baroness Mone, threats and abusive messages flooded her social media accounts following the Chancellor’s remarks. Drawing comparisons with the murders of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative MP Sir David Amess in 2021, she warned of the dangers of careless language in public life:
We need only look at the tragedies of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess to understand the dangers of such reckless language.
What did the High Court rule about PPE Medpro?
The High Court judgment delivered on Wednesday represents a significant blow to PPE Medpro. The company was awarded a government contract in 2020 to supply 25 million sterile surgical gowns at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm was created by a consortium led by Doug Barrowman, Baroness Mone’s husband, and was recommended for the contract by Mone herself.
The gowns, which were intended for frontline NHS staff, became the subject of legal action in 2022 when the government alleged they failed to meet agreed standards. PPE Medpro insisted it had complied fully with contractual obligations and maintained that the gowns were sterile.
However, Mrs Justice Cockerill ruled that the company had failed to prove the surgical gowns had undergone a validated sterilisation process. As a result, PPE Medpro was ordered to pay £122 million in damages by 15 October.
This ruling adds to mounting criticism of the way emergency PPE contracts were awarded during the pandemic. Questions have long been raised about how companies with political connections were able to secure lucrative deals, and the outcome of this case has fuelled fresh debate over accountability. Read another article on Post Office IT scandal
Why are there calls to strip Baroness Mone of her peerage?
In the wake of the judgment, pressure on Baroness Mone has intensified. Politicians from across the spectrum have urged that she be stripped of her peerage, arguing that her position in the House of Lords is no longer tenable.
Rachel Reeves has already said she does not want Mone to return to the Lords, and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has echoed this view, insisting that the peer should lose her title. Despite these calls, peerages can only be removed by an act of Parliament, making the process politically complicated and rare.
Mone, who was elevated to the House of Lords in 2015 by then-Prime Minister David Cameron, had already lost the Conservative whip after revelations about her role in the PPE Medpro contract. Her leave of absence from the Lords has left her future in the upper chamber uncertain, with growing demands for reform of the honours system to prevent similar controversies.
What is Baroness Mone demanding from Sir Keir Starmer?
Baroness Mone’s letter to Sir Keir Starmer goes beyond her criticism of Rachel Reeves’ remarks. She is demanding an “urgent, independent investigation” into whether ministers or civil servants have improperly influenced the work of the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and the civil litigation process in the PPE Medpro case.
She accused officials of targeting her and her family unfairly, and called on Starmer to prove that his government would act with fairness and integrity. In her words:
Prime Minister, I ask you directly: do you stand by your Chancellor’s assertion that the government has a vendetta against me? Or will you act decisively to end this campaign, protect my safety, and restore integrity to government?
Mone further warned that unless urgent action was taken, she would consider pursuing legal remedies, including defamation, harassment, and misfeasance claims. She also vowed to take steps to protect her family’s safety.
Her intervention appears designed not only to defend her reputation but also to question the impartiality of legal proceedings surrounding PPE Medpro. This marks an escalation of her campaign to shift the focus from the company’s failings to what she alleges is political persecution.
What has been the response from government sources?
So far, the official government line has been silent. The Cabinet Office has declined to comment directly on the matter. However, one government source offered a pointed observation:
When both the Labour chancellor and Conservative leader agree with each other, you’ve lost the argument.
This remark underscores the rare unity between Labour and Conservative figures on the issue of Baroness Mone’s peerage, suggesting that political pressure on her is unlikely to ease any time soon.
Meanwhile, critics have argued that this scandal highlights the broader need for reform in how government contracts are awarded and how accountability is enforced. The pandemic created extraordinary circumstances, but watchdogs have repeatedly warned that the rush to secure PPE left the system vulnerable to abuse.
What does the future hold for Baroness Mone and PPE Medpro?
The fallout from the High Court ruling and Baroness Mone’s subsequent complaints shows no sign of abating. With £122 million in damages now owed and her credibility under severe scrutiny, the peer’s reputation has been deeply damaged.
Calls for her removal from the House of Lords may intensify further if she does not voluntarily step aside. At the same time, the PPE Medpro scandal continues to draw public anger as a symbol of how political connections may have been exploited during a time of national crisis.
Baroness Mone insists she is being unfairly targeted and that the government’s actions amount to a campaign against her. However, critics maintain that the facts of the case—particularly the court’s findings against PPE Medpro—speak for themselves.
What remains clear is that this controversy is far from over. Whether through legal battles, parliamentary debate, or political pressure, both Baroness Mone and PPE Medpro are likely to remain in the headlines for months to come.
