Baroness Michelle Mone Claims Treasury Chief of Using ‘Inflammatory’ Rhetoric

Peer Mone has charged the chancellor of using “risky and provocative” language after a firm linked to her and her husband was ordered to pay £122m for violating a pandemic personal protective equipment (PPE) agreement.

At a fringe event at Labour’s gathering this recently, Rachel Reeves allegedly remarked that the administration had a grudge against the baroness.

In a letter to the PM, Lady Mone stated her remarks were “incendiary” and had “heightened” the risks to her security. She claimed she had faced “harassment” on social media since Reeves’ statements.

On Wednesday, a court official ruled that PPE Medpro’s gowns did not comply with official standards.

Context of the Issue

PPE Medpro was formed by a group headed by Lady Michelle Mone’s spouse, Doug Barrowman. It was granted a government contract to supply PPE after being recommended by Baroness Michelle Mone.

Since the legal ruling, the baroness has faced multi-party demands for her to be removed of her peerage. Nonetheless, titles can only be revoked by an act of the legislature.

In the correspondence, Lady Michelle Mone insisted that Sir Keir Starmer order an “urgent, independent investigation” into whether ministers or staff had interfered with the NCA, Crown Prosecution Service, and civil litigation process.

She also demanded that the chancellor retract her comments.

Reaction and Security Concerns

Baroness Michelle Mone informed Sir Keir: “I feel compelled to alert you to the dangerous and inflammatory comment made by your Chancellor of the Exchequer, Reeves.”

She stated the word grudge related to “retaliation and conflict” and that the chancellor’s comments had made Lady Mone and her relatives feel in danger.

She also added her social media had “gone into meltdown” with harassment, noting “we need only look at the tragedies of MP Jo Cox and Sir David Amess to grasp the risks of such careless language.”

• Jo Cox was the Labour Party Member of Parliament for her constituency and was killed in 2016.
• Sir David Amess was the Tory MP for his constituency when he was killed in 2021.

Concluding Demand

Ending her message, Baroness Michelle Mone said: “Prime Minister, I pose you personally: do you support your chancellor’s assertion that the government has a vendetta against me? Or will you take action to end this targeting, protect my security, and reestablish integrity to government?

“Failure to take urgent action will leave me with no choice but to pursue all possible legal actions, including defamation, harassment, and misfeasance claims, while also taking steps to ensure my personal safety and that of my relatives.”

Political Responses

Tory head Badenoch told news outlets that what she had learned from the legal matter against PPE Medpro was “enough” for Baroness Mone to be removed of her title.

The government office declined to comment.

But, a finance source informed the BBC: “When both the Labour Chancellor and Tory head agree with each other you’ve lost the argument.”

Mone was made a Tory member by David Cameron in 2015, but had removed the party affiliation following the disclosures about the agreement to supply medical gowns.

The High Court determined that Medpro did not succeed to prove whether or not its medical garments, which were to be used by health staff, had undergone a validated sterilisation process.

After the decision, the judge stated the £122m damages cost must be paid by 16:00 BST on 15 October.