Labor and the Lib Dems criticized the prime minister’s “stunning” refusal to do so, arguing that his promise to lead a government that acts with “integrity and professionalism” has become an “empty promise”. A Conservative spokesman in the Lords confirmed Mone would not suspend the whip while the National Crime Agency investigated the company, PPE MedPro, and a Lords standards committee held an inquiry into the allegations. “The decision has been made that he will retain the whip,” they said. But Labor claimed Sunak’s refusal to act given the seriousness of the allegations was yet another failure of integrity. Party chair Anneliese Dodds said: “For the many people who have lost loved ones during the pandemic, the idea that the Conservatives and their friends” have profited from it “will be sickening”. “It is shocking that Baroness Monet still holds the Conservative whip. Rishi Sunak, the man who wrote off billions in the Covid scam, has his fingerprints all over it,” he added. “He lacks the backbone to withdraw the whip, just as he was too weak to fire the home secretary or the deputy prime minister for their behaviour. The British people will see this as yet another failure to stand up for integrity and accountability.” Sal Brindon, Liberal Democrat health spokesman in the Lords, said: “Following the revelations of Baroness Monet’s financial benefit from the VIP lane during a national health crisis, it is outrageous that the Conservative whip has not still removed. “This government’s promise to act with ‘integrity and professionalism’ is fast becoming an empty promise.” Greens MP Caroline Lucas said the allegations “demand a thorough and forensic investigation and an immediate withdrawal of the whip”. The Tory party “cannot allow allegations of this scale to be swept under the carpet for one second longer – or any remaining vestige of ‘integrity, professionalism and accountability’ will be lost for good,” he said. A secret offshore trust that had Mone and her children as beneficiaries received £29m from the profits of PPE company Medpro, according to bank records seen by the Guardian. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The company was awarded major government contracts after the Tory peer, an underwear entrepreneur, helped it secure a place in a “VIP lane” the government used to prioritize PPE suppliers with political connections. The government spent more than £13bn on PPE during the pandemic and has been accused of failing to carry out sufficient due diligence when awarding contracts, with billions wasted on fraud and unused equipment. Ministers claim they were under pressure to buy PPE where they could because of global shortages. The high court ruled earlier this year that the government had acted illegally in operating the VIP lane, declaring that its operation was a “breach of the duty of equal treatment”. Asked by the Guardian last year why Mone did not list PPE Medpro in the House of Lords register of her financial interests, her lawyer replied: “Baroness Mone declared no interest as she did not benefit financially and was not connected to PPE Medpro in any way capacity.” Leaked documents, produced by HSBC and reported by the Guardian last week, appear to contradict that statement. They say Mone’s husband, Isle of Man-based financier Douglas Barrowman, was paid at least £65m in profits from PPE Medpro and then distributed the funds through a series of offshore accounts, trusts and companies. The ultimate recipients of the funds, the documents show, include an Isle of Man trust set up to benefit Mone, who was Barrowman’s fiancee at the time, and her three grown children. In October 2020, according to the documents, Barrowman transferred £28.8m from PPE Medpro’s profits to the trust. Contacted about the new revelations, HSBC said it was unable to comment or even confirm whether the pair were customers. A lawyer for Mone said: “There are a number of reasons why our client cannot comment on these matters and is under no obligation to do so.” An attorney representing both Barrowman and PPE Medpro said an ongoing investigation limited what his clients could say about those matters. He added: “At present we are also instructed to say that there is a great deal of inaccuracy in the portrayal of the alleged ‘facts’ and some of them are completely wrong.” Barrowman’s apparent move in October 2020 was just five months after Mone helped PPE Medpro secure contracts to supply masks and sterile gowns for use in the NHS. The company refused to say how it would repay millions of pounds of public money for unused equipment if ordered to do so following a dispute with the government.
