Cabinet ministers have refused to hand over documents related to pandemic contracts worth £ 200 million to a company linked to conservative Michelle Moon.
The government claims that the files are “commercially sensitive” and that they are now mediating the products supplied by PPE Medpro – created in 2020 by Mone’s business partner who founded the lingerie brand Ultimo.
Angela Raynor, the Labor’s deputy leader, said: “The government’s failure to clarify the millions of taxpayers’ money given to Tory-linked Medpro smells like cover-up.
“The fact that Medpro is mediating the provision of useless PPE is no excuse for the lack of transparency with the public. This only reinforces the need for clarity on how this teary-eyed waste was allowed to happen. “
Angela Raynor, deputy Labor leader, said it “smells like cover-up” (Image: Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire) Read more Related Articles Read More Related Articles
Weeks after its inception, Medpro signed the first of two PPE contracts worth more than £ 203 million for surgical masks and gowns.
Maun referred the company to the cabinet through the so-called “VIP tape”.
Her lawyer later told her that the partner had taken this “very simple, independent and short step of identifying PPE Medpro as a potential supplier”, but then “did nothing more”.
Last week, it was reported that Mone’s London home had been attacked as part of an investigation into fraud by the National Crime Agency into the company’s PPE transactions.
In a letter to the cabinet, Raynor wrote: “There are a number of long-standing concerns about the role played by Baroness Monet of Tories.
“As a new company, it cannot have experience in supplying PPE to NHS or other buyers, and it is not clear what the financial situation was.
She called on the government to publish “all correspondence and records” of the contracts.
However, Health Minister Edward Argar refused to hand over the communications.
He wrote: “The records of the departments reflect the relationship between Baroness Mone and PPE Medpro was clear before the contracts were awarded.
“We cannot provide correspondence and records related to the award of the PPE Medpro contract, as they remain commercially sensitive, given that the department is involved in a mediation process for the products it has received from PPE Medpro, which includes confidentiality commitments.
Mone was emailed for comment and the UK government declined to comment.
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