MICHELLE Mone will keep the Tory whip until official probes into PPE Medpro have concluded, a party spokesperson has confirmed.
A Tory spokesperson in the Lords has reportedly said that "the decision has been made that she will retain the whip".
A Tory spokesperson in the House of Lords confirms that Michelle Mone isn't going to have the whip suspended until the outcome of NCA inquiry into PPPMedPro or Lords standards committee probe. "The decision has been made that she will retain the whip," they say.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) November 29, 2022
The Tory business tycoon is currently under investigation following reports from The Guardian that she received £29 million in profits from a PPE business that won large government contracts after she recommended it to ministers.
The National Crime Agency and the House of Lords Standards Committee are both investigating the firm's dealings.
Mone reportedly backed the company to get a spot in the Government’s “VIP Lane” which fast-tracked businesses in the running for supply deals during the pandemic.
Profits made by the company were allegedly transferred to an offshore trust which received tens of millions of pounds that Mone and her children benefitted from.
It is claimed by The Guardian that her husband Douglas Barrowman was paid a minimum of £65 million by the firm, before distributing the funds through trusts, companies and offshore accounts.
Overall, Mone and her family reportedly made around £29m in profits, sparking outrage among the public.
An online petition has currently registered over 130,000 signatures calling for Mone’s removal from the House of Lords over the scandal.
The petition also demands that "every penny in profit that she took from the taxpayer is repaid immediately".
It adds: “Corruption has no place in politics. Conservative peer Michelle Mone is reported to have secretly pocketed £29 million of public money during the pandemic for unsafe PPE that couldn’t even be used - all while our NHS heroes were putting their lives on the line - including by wearing DIY PPE to protect themselves and the public during the pandemic.”
A note at the bottom of the petition continues: "If Mone used her influence as a Tory peer to pocket millions of pounds for herself, she should not only lose her seat in the Lords, she should have to pay back EVERY PENNY!”
