Michelle Mone Husband claims couple being 'hung out to dry' by ministers

The disgraced Conservative peer Michelle Mone and her husband are being investigated by the UK's National Crime Agency, the couple confirmed in a statement yesterday in which they claimed they were being "hung out to dry" over the government's Covid-19 PPE failings.

- Ben Quinn

Mone's husband, Doug Barrowman, accused the government of using the NCA "to threaten criminal proceedings" to make the couple reach a settlement in relation to PPE Medpro, a consortium he led and which is being sued by the UK government for £122m plus costs for "breach of contract and unjust enrichment".

Barrowman said he and his family had been "treated as a punchbag by the media for the past three years" and "received death threats and a constant torrent of online and other abuse" as a result of the dispute.

The NCA is investigating allegations of fraud and bribery surrounding the company, the Sunday Times reported at the weekend.

Mone and Barrowman both deny the allegations.

Mone last month admitted she had lied to the media by denying her links to PPE Medpro, which made millions of pounds from a deal to supply PPE via the "VIP lane" after she referred it to ministers in May 2020.