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Peer Michelle Mone has charged the chancellor of employing “dangerous and inflammatory” words after a firm linked to her and her husband was directed to pay £122m for violating a pandemic personal protective equipment (PPE) contract.

During a side event at Labour’s conference this recently, Rachel Reeves allegedly joked that the government had a grudge against the baroness.

In a letter to the prime minister, Lady Mone said her remarks were “inflammatory” and had “directly increased” the risks to her personal safety. She claimed she had received “harassment” on social media since the chancellor’s comments.

On midweek, a judge ruled that PPE Medpro’s protective garments did not comply with official standards.

Background of the Case

PPE Medpro was established by a group led by Baroness Michelle Mone’s spouse, Barrowman. It was granted a government deal to provide protective equipment after being recommended by Baroness Mone.

Since the legal ruling, the peer has faced multi-party demands for her to be removed of her title. However, peerages can only be removed by an law of the legislature.

In the correspondence, Baroness Michelle Mone demanded that Sir Keir Starmer order an “urgent, independent investigation” into whether officials or staff had improperly influenced the NCA, CPS, and legal proceedings.

She also demanded that the treasury chief withdraw her remarks.

Response and Security Issues

Lady Michelle Mone told Sir Keir: “I feel compelled to warn you to the risky and provocative comment made by your treasury head, Reeves.”

She stated the word grudge referred to “retaliation and conflict” and that the chancellor’s comments had made Lady Mone and her family feel unsafe.

She also said her online accounts had “gone into meltdown” with threats and abuse, noting “we need only look at the tragedies of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess to grasp the dangers of such careless rhetoric.”

• Jo Cox was the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Batley and Spen and was murdered in 2016.
• Sir David Amess was the Tory Member of Parliament for Southend West when he was fatally stabbed in the year 2021.

Concluding Demand

Ending her message, Baroness Michelle Mone stated: “PM, I ask you directly: do you stand by your chancellor’s claim that the government has a grudge against me? Or will you take action to stop this campaign, safeguard my security, and restore integrity to the administration?

“Failure to take urgent steps will force me with no choice but to pursue all available legal actions, including defamation, harassment, and misfeasance cases, while also taking steps to ensure my security and that of my family.”

Official Responses

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch informed news outlets that what she had learned from the legal matter against PPE Medpro was “sufficient” for Lady Michelle Mone to be stripped of her peerage.

The government office refused to respond.

However, a finance source informed the BBC: “When both the opposition treasury chief and Conservative leader concur with each other you’ve failed the debate.”

Mone was appointed a Conservative peer by former PM Cameron in 2015, but lost the whip following the revelations about the contract to provide medical gowns.

The court ruled that Medpro failed to demonstrate whether or not its medical garments, which were to be utilized by health staff, had been subject to a approved sterilization process.

After the ruling, Mrs Justice Cockerill said the £122m compensation cost must be paid by 16:00 BST on 15 October.