Entrepreneur Michelle Mone
(Picture: PA Archive)Baroness Michelle Mone has lost the Conservative whip amid a Covid contracts storm, the Prime Minister confirmed on Wednesday.
The underwear tycoon announced she was taking an immediate leave of absence from the House of Lords on Tuesday over her alleged links to a firm awarded PPE contracts worth more than £200million .
Rishi Sunak has faced criticism for appearing to not remove the Tory whip from Lady Mone.
At Prime Minister's Questions he said he was "absolutely shocked" to read allegations that she had secretly pocketed £30million of taxpayers' money by recommending firms for Government contracts during the pandemic.
Mr Sunak told the Commons: "Let me say, like everyone else I was absolutely shocked to read about the allegations.
"It is absolutely right that she is no longer attending the House of Lords and therefore no longer has the Conservative whip."
It is understood this is an automatic consequence of her requesting a leave of absence from the House of Lords.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister dismissed suggestions that Lady Mone had been cut adrift, insisting it was a "voluntary decision".
It also means Lady Mone, who founded lingerie company Ultimo, will not attend sittings of the House, vote on any proceedings and will not be able to claim an allowance.
Her profile on the Commons website has been removed.
Earlier Health Secretary Steve Barclay could not answer why Lady Mone had not had the Conservative whip removed, saying “matters of the whip are always for the chief whip and that’s a longstanding convention”.
He told Sky News: “She’s taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords so she’s not able to go to the House of Lords, and it’s right that these issues are investigated and that’s what the department is doing, and that’s what the House of Lords authorities are doing.”
On the allegations, he said: “I think it’s important that these are looked at properly, professionally, and that where the House of Lords are investigating this, which I understand they are, that there’s a due process around that.”
It comes after Matt Hancock accused Lady Mone of being aggressive and threatening when trying to secure a government Covid deal for a firm.
The former Health Secretary claimed she asked for help to secure contracts in an email in June 2021.
Lady Mone was made a Tory life peer in 2015.
