MICHELLE Mone has accused the National Crime Agency of "smearing [her] as a criminal".
It came as the Tory peer made a series of sweeping accusations in a statement on social media, which was swiftly deleted.
As The National previously reported, the Covid Inquiry has ruled that evidence related to PPE Medpro – a firm controlled by Mone’s husband Douglas Barrowman – will be heard in a private, closed session.
The decision was made in a bid not to prejudice an NCA probe into the firm and suspected offences committed in PPE procurement. The agency said there was a “realistic possibility that criminal charges against one or more individuals will flow from the investigation”.
Mone and Barrowman, who initially denied links to PPE Medpro before admitting that they had made tens of millions from it, wanted to be “core participants” as the inquiry looks into PPE suppliers.
The special status would have granted them access to documents, the ability to suggest questions via their lawyers, and get advance notice of the inquiry’s report.
Writing on Twitter/X on Thursday, Mone took issue with the NCA, the UK Government, and Covid inquiry, claiming there was a grand conspiracy to smear her.
Twelve months since her last post on social media, Mone said: "It has been over 14 months since I last commented on social media.
"However, the recent actions of the Covid Inquiry and the establishment have compelled my husband, Doug, and I to issue a joint statement."
The Tory peer claimed that the NCA had "waged a ruthless campaign to destroy us, dragging out an investigation with no merit, no justification, and no end in sight".
"They have smeared us as criminals when, in reality, we have done nothing wrong," she claimed.
Mone added: "The NCA, in direct collusion with the DHSC [the UK Government's Department of Health and Social Care], has twisted its immense powers; not to serve justice, but to shield the real culprits: the ministers and officials who botched the pandemic response, wasted billions in taxpayer money, and are now trying to cover their tracks by engineering a scandal against us."
Mone and Barrowman have faced scrutiny about the “VIP lane” contracts granted to some suppliers during the coronavirus pandemic.
PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Barrowman, was awarded Government contracts worth more than £200 million to supply PPE, after Mone recommended it to ministers.
Their first application for special access was rejected at the end of February, and their renewed bid has met the same fate.
Baroness Heather Hallett, the inquiry’s chair, warned allowing their application to continue would “lead to further diversion and cause significant disruption to the timetable” of the probe.
The inquiry chair also noted the February 27 application to become core participants had been made 468 days after the deadline of November 17, 2023.
UPDATE: After this story was published, Mone reposted the statement.
The full statement from Michelle Mone
"Next week, the Covid-19 Inquiry will hold closed-door sessions on PPE procurement.
"This is a blatant betrayal of transparency and justice. The public will hear nothing. This is not an inquiry into the truth. It is an establishment cover-up.
"The cornerstone of British justice—the right of the accused to challenge allegations—has been trampled. We are being silenced while the actual wrongdoers manipulate the narrative behind closed doors.
"On 26th February 2025, we discovered, through the media, not the Inquiry, that PPE Medpro was being secretly investigated. We were never informed, consulted, or given a chance to present critical evidence despite repeatedly offering to do so. Worse, we have learned that the National Crime Agency (NCA) actively tried to block PPE Medpro from being discussed in the Inquiry altogether, pushing for complete secrecy and extreme reporting restrictions. This is a deliberate and calculated effort to keep us, and the British public, in the dark.
"While the Inquiry refused to exclude PPE Medpro, it handed the NCA the power to dictate the proceedings behind a wall of secrecy, ensuring that only their version of events is heard—while we are denied the right to defend ourselves.
"For nearly four years, the NCA has waged a ruthless campaign to destroy us, dragging out an investigation with no merit, no justification, and no end in sight. They have smeared us as criminals when, in reality, we have done nothing wrong.
"From the beginning, we both declared our interests in PPE Medpro to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), ministers of Government, and the Cabinet Office. There was full transparency about our involvement. The government knew exactly who we were and what we were doing. There was no secrecy, no deception, and nothing improper.
"Yet, instead of holding themselves accountable for their monumental failures, these officials have chosen to scapegoat us, to divert attention away from their own catastrophic incompetence.
"We have endured years of relentless persecution. We have spent enormous sums fighting a politically motivated witch-hunt. The toll on our lives, our families, and our reputations has been devastating.This corruption must end.
"The NCA, in direct collusion with the DHSC, has twisted its immense powers; not to serve justice, but to shield the real culprits: the ministers and officials who botched the pandemic response, wasted billions in taxpayer money, and are now trying to cover their tracks by engineering a scandal against us.
"Let’s be clear:
- PPE Medpro delivered precisely what was asked—hundreds of millions of life-saving PPE items at below-market prices.
- PPE Medpro fulfilled all its contracts to specification and delivered on time. They did their job.
- PPE Medpro took no upfront deposits from the UK government, exposing the company to tens of millions of pounds of risk.
"Yet, instead of exposing the actual failures of the pandemic, the authorities have orchestrated a baseless smear campaign to destroy us.
"A public inquiry should be about truth. Instead, this process is rigged—held in secret, controlled by those who fear the truth, with a predetermined outcome.
"As soon as we learned of this outrageous ruling, we immediately applied for Core Participant status—only to be denied twice, proving once again that this process is nothing more than a sham designed to protect the guilty.
"This is not justice. This is a political vendetta driven by corruption, cowardice, and deception.
"The real scandal is not PPE Medpro. It is:
- The British government’s catastrophic failure in handling the pandemic.
- The NCA’s abuse of power is driven by political agendas, not justice.
- The deliberate destruction of innocent lives to shield those truly responsible.
"We will not be silenced. We will not stop fighting. We will expose the truth, no matter how hard they try to bury it."
